THE WEEK THAT WAS

Sukoon | ARY, Thurs-Fri 8.00pm

Wealthy Hamdan (Ahsan Khan) helps Ana (Sana Javed) get home but her angry, conservative family is confused, and forces them into a shotgun nikaah. Ana becomes an outcast, but instead of divorcing and abandoning her, the kind Hamdan helps the friendless young woman complete her education till she can support herself. Hamdan and Ana get along well and slowly form an attachment.

Writer Misbah Nausheen has not given us anything new, but she has put in the effort to structure the plot and build up the relationships over a natural time period. This could have been an entertaining story if handled with imagination; instead a slow pace, two-dimensional characters and wooden dialogue delivery make it strictly mass market.

Both Ahsan Khan and Sana Javed have restricted their emotional range to sanctimonious, breathy dialogues with little inflection or nuance. When Hamdan breaks off his long-term engagement, is it because of Ana? Sirajul Haq’s melodramatic style stifles any nuance to keep the haloes on the very obvious good guys glowing. Two good-looking people forced into marriage is a winning formula for the masses, so anything else does not seem to matter. The best thing about this show is the unforgettably beautiful OST.

Shiddat | Geo TV, Mondays 8.00pm

From the teasers, this looked like just another obsessive love story, but the first two episodes reveal an interesting twist. Sultan (Muneeb Butt) is an intelligent, determined and deeply ambitious man who has worked hard to maintain a trajectory towards the lifestyle he aspires to. Behind the well-groomed, at times charming, aura of success and restraint, however, is a damaged individual full of anger and pain at a childhood that taught him being a man was about controlling and dominating women with violence and manipulation.

Anmol Baloch plays Asra the sweet, friendly younger sister of a wealthy businessman Sarwar (Shamyl Khan) who has been brought up in a loving family that thrived on tolerance and kindness. Within a few chance meetings with Sultan, the naïve young woman is not only impressed by Sultan, but imagines herself in love with him.

So far, Muneeb Butt has impressed with a controlled, nuanced portrayal of a negative character, but Anmol Baloch plays the standard wide-eyed innocent. A Zanjabeel Asim script with any director except Badar Mehmood has the potential to bring back the writer’s earlier, more thoughtful, style.

Pagal Khana | Green Entertainment, Saturdays 8.00pm

This story centres on a large group of patients who are undergoing treatment outside the usual hospital, at a retreat called “Club 11”. A large cast of acclaimed, incredibly talented actors such as Saba Qamar, Omair Rana, Syed Jibran and Afzal Khan (Jan Rambo), and many more, are part of this rambling show.

Unfortunately, the topic of mental illness is not treated with intellectual honesty or humility, rather it is used for entertainment and black comedy, but mostly as an opportunity for overacting. Psychotherapy is touted as the answer to every ill when, in reality, the kind of delusional, paranoid disorders portrayed are notoriously hard to cure and can mostly be managed with medication and compassion.

The families are treated as fools rather than being given respect, as people carrying a heavy burden, caring for a loved one who will always be a test of patience. This sanitised, smooth version of people facing mental health challenges may give writer-director Iqbal Hussain an audience, but does little to further the cause of families or individuals struggling with these issues.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Very Filmy | Hum TV, Coming soon

A new romcom for Ramazan starring Ameer Gilani and Dananeer Mobeen gives us a fresh take on college romance.

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 25th, 2024