THE WEEK THAT WAS

Maa Nahin Saas Hoon Main | Geo TV, Daily 7.00pm

Shaista (Ayesha Gul) is not a happy woman, she wants to see her son Salman inherit all her in-laws’ wealth. Her brother-in-law and sister-in-law Mehreen (Errum Akhtar) have all the money but are childless, and dote on Salman. Mehreen finally conceives and gives birth. However, she and her husband have a car accident in which he dies. While Mehreen is unconscious, Shaista hides their newborn daughter. The double loss leaves Mehreen deeply depressed and she becomes obsessed with Salman, claiming him as her own, which suits Shasta’s purposes. Although the teasers hints at a typical, overly possessive mother-son story, this is actually about competition between two mothers, and the terrible things people do for money. With two obsessive mothers fighting over him, Salman (Hammad Shoaib) grows up to be a spoiled brat. He falls in love with a middle-class girl, Arooj (Sumbul Iqbal) who, at first, refuses his advances but gradually comes round.

Arooj can see the familial dysfunction in her in-laws, but as their secrets begin to unravel, will she discover her own connection to this mystery? This show would have worked well as a thriller, but is kept simple for mass audiences.

Jannat Se Aagay | Geo TV, Concluded

Like all Umera Ahmed’s serials, there are some strong moral directives coded into the story. After al lot of soul-searching and heartbreak, both Tabassum (Ramsha Khan) and Jannat (Kubra Khan) go back to their happy roles of a middle-class housewife and a stay-at-home mother, respectively. However, the ending skipped over any deeper resolution of feelings and behaviour that had led to both women devaluing their spouses, and family life. In a sop to feminist sentiment, Jannat lets go of her cheating husband Noman (Gohar Rasheed). Sadly, there is no exploration of his culpability and change of heart, just crime and punishment. Writer Ahmed and director Haseeb Hassan have given us a painfully accurate indictment of unchecked materialism, ignorance and avarice that our television morning shows encourage viewers to embrace. What they missed out on is that these shows can also be used to educate and highlight issues such as women’s health, mental health and a hundred other things which make family life a daily struggle, instead of foreign holidays and black magic rituals. Excellent performances from Kubra Khan, Talha Chahour, Ramsha Khan and Gohar Rasheed made Jannat Se Aagay worth tuning in to despite lapses in editing. Overall, this was not one of Umera Ahmed’s best scripts but still a fairly entertaining and informative one.

Ishq Murshid | Hum TV, Sundays 8.00pm

Born into wealth and privilege, Shahmir Sikandar (Bilal Abbas) inherits his mother’s (Sammiya Mumtaz) political party. He prefers to work as a ‘fixer’, making deals and breaking the opposition while his father Daud (Omair Rana) is the public face and leader. Shahmir falls in love with Shibra (Durrefishan Saleem) who despises politicians and corruption of any sort and idolises her father, the civil servant who is a stickler for rules (Noor Hassan). Shahmir worms his way into Shibra’s family as the poor bumpkin Fazal Baksh, hoping to gradually win over the inflexible young woman’s heart. Abdul Khaliq Khan writes an engaging, fun fantasy that relies heavily on Bilal Abbas’ screen presence and the charm of his interactions with Durrefishan. Farooq Rind, in true theatrical style, gives the show a closed, intimate feel, thus allowing us to connect with the characters and ignore the flimsy connection to reality.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Teri Khushboo Mein Bassay Khat | Hum TV, Coming soon

Acclaimed author Amna Mufti brings us a new story about marriage and relationships with Teri Khushboo Mein Bassay Khat, starring Nadia Jamil and Adnan Siddiqui.

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 26th, 2023