THE TUBE

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Khushboo Mein Basay Khat | Hum TV, Tuesdays 8.00pm

The sentimental Urdu Digest-style title of this show quietly belies the deliciously cynical window into the realities that grind down our notions of love and romance over time.

Dr Adeela (Nadia Jamil) is a busy surgeon, patiently sustaining a one-sided relationship with her self-centred poet husband Ahmed Zaryab (Adnan Siddiqui). Convinced of his own worth and celebrity, Ahmed is constantly searching for a new girl, while demeaning his accomplished wife. His latest conquest is an ambitious young college girl, Husna (Kinza Hashmi), who abandons the sweet boy-next-door (Alee Hassan) for Zaryab’s superficial charm and favours.

These few lines hardly do justice to the authenticity and observation acclaimed author Amna Mufti has lavished on each character. The parade of restless personalities are portrayed with great restraint and nuance. Adnan Siddiqui, Nadia Jamil, Kinza Hashmi, Alee Hassan, Saleem Mairaj and Faiza Hassan are an absolute pleasure to watch, reminding us to look into a mirror before we judge them too harshly. Director Mohammad Saqib wraps the protagonists in a haze of lazy whimsy, leaving an air of disillusionment and regret rather than misery. These people are less in thrall to oppressive cultural norms than to their own hopes, follies and unconfined egos.

Mannat Murad | Geo TV, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

Mannat (Iqra Aziz) and Murad (Talha Chahour) fall in love at work but, to get married, they have to convince their conservative, possessive families that they have no interest in each other. This fun family comedy hits hard at the hypocrisy and dysfunction that surrounds marriage culture.

While his family is a series of obvious red flags, the real villain is Murad who, after living in an all-female household, has yet to learn to stand firm like a man. Mannat is also naïve and headstrong and, just like Murad, she is used to lots of attention, and is now finding she has been relegated to second-place, as Murad tries to placate everyone.

Author Naadiya Akhtar uses a light but accurate touch, bringing the audience a lot of easily recognisable situations. Superficially, Murad has been raised as a “prince”, the apple of everyone’s eye, but in reality his main purpose is to support his mother and sisters financially. Talha Chahour and Iqra Aziz bring a lot of charm and sweetness to their characters, without neglecting the more serious angles. A strong supporting cast lend humour and a little touch of pathos to even the most negative plot twists.

Grey | Green Entertainment, Mon-Tues 9.00pm

This is a sharp, well-written script, from writer Rida Bilal, about an allegation of sexual harassment that becomes a national scandal. Director Suhail Javed gives the story a Netflix-style filter which can be off-putting for the average audience, but will seem natural to fans of internationally made thrillers.

Imaan Mansoor (Sabeena Farooq) is a busy actress who uploads a video naming another famous actor, Salaar Ahmed, as a man who sexually harassed and possibly assaulted her three years ago. She is deliberately vague and the consequences are both personally and professionally a catastrophe for Salaar. No mention is made of the #MeToo movement, but the ensuing circus of ambitious politicians, clout-chasing NGOs and ratings-seeking media frenzy of that time are skillfully indicted.

Where this story truly succeeds is the way it shows how the obsessive focus on celebrity cases can unintentionally obscure the needs of poor and middle class victims of abuse and violence.