THE TUBE

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Main | ARY, Mondays 8.00pm

The teasers for Main suggested this show was some sort of love story between the two leads, but this is more of a hate story, which follows the usual Badar Mehmood (director) and Zanjabeel Asim (writer) formula of confrontations, circular conversations and repetition.

The initial focus on Mubashara’s (Ayeza Khan) humiliating divorce and desperation to stay married has shifted to her second husband Zaid’s (Wahaj Ali) desperation to be with the girl he loves, Ayra (Azekah Daniel). After endless and pointless harassment from Zaid’s father Asif (Shehzad Nawaz), Ayra’s brother dies and Ayra’s life is in ruins. When Zaid confronts his father, he is disowned and the older man challenges Zaid to get by without his name and wealth.

Ayeza Khan has a good grip on her role and dutifully parrots her signature line “I am perfect, I am Mubashara”, despite being despised by almost everyone around her. Wahaj Ali is miscast and seems to be sleepwalking through the show, but perhaps that is all either can manage with such an unthinking script. This is, however, apparently what the masses love and each episode attracts a huge audience.

Kabuli Pulao | Green Entertainment, Concluded

A beautiful ending for a beautiful show. Kabuli Pulao has been the biggest hit for the new Green Entertainment channel and has deservedly garnered praise from critics and audiences alike. Barbeena (Sabeena Farooq) is a young widow who insists on marrying Haji Mushtaq (M. Ehteshamuddin) after he helps her younger brother get surgery. Haji Mushtaq is much older than Barbeena and has spent his life caring for his siblings. The reluctant Haji and the humble, caring Barbeena form a bond, which is shaken by the arrival of Barran (Abdullah Farhatullah), the husband Barbeena thought was dead.

Zafar Mairaj’s script is a tribute to the human spirit and all that is good in people despite the avarice and cruelty around them. Ehteshamuddin is an unlikely hero but has made Haji Mushtaq a favourite with audiences without the kind of angry, alpha-male machismo we are told is manly. This is a story of kindness, compassion and gentle souls expertly knit together by master storyteller, director Kashif Nisar.

Studded with amazing performances from a talented cast, not a single episode or scene was wasted in the serial, and each character arc was faithfully explored. This has been a tour de force for the new channel and set a high standard, one that reminds us what quality entertainment can be like.

Mannat Murad | Geo TV, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

This should be a fun, family comedy but, despite some light-hearted moments, it is an indictment of the dysfunction in Pakistani culture that makes relationships so difficult.

Murad (Talha Chahour) is the prized only son of a widow, Razia Sultan (Irsa Ghazal). Irsa Ghazal screeching Punjabi dialogues does provide the slapstick, but her desperate need to control Murad is the root of the negativity in the family. Mostly illiterate and uneducated, Razia and her daughters act as if their entire future happiness is dependent on Murad’s limited salary. This culture of dependency has taken root in every daughter’s life, making family life an unending competition for attention and resources.

Will the strong-willed Mannat keep her Murad? Iqra Aziz and Talha Chahour are good together and have the audience rooting for their relationship, but this is not the “to die for” chemistry that captures social media. This show would be better with less empty, floaty sequences of people gazing at each other and better editing.