THE WEEK THAT WAS

Standup Girl | Green Entertainment, Thurs-Fri 8.00pm

This show gets better with each new episode. Awais Ahmed and Adeel Afzal give acclaimed, veteran writers of the likes of Zafar Mairaj and Umera Ahmed some shockingly good competition. Standup Girl is a thoughtful, well-balanced script, where each character’s purpose is intrinsic to the narrative, and has the bare minimum of fillers and no repetition. It is just the meat and bones of a well-written story that comes unpretentiously from the heart.

Unusually, the authors have taken time to lead the audience through the maze of small interactions to the sweetness of connections and then the true intimacy of understanding. They also deserve credit for not taking the easy, lazy, “love at first sight” or “evil relatives” tropes route. Zara (Zara Noor) is still embarrassed that her family are bhaands (musical performers) but wants to do stand-up comedy. Kabir (Daniyal Zafar) is sick of his feudal “Makhdoom” heritage, because that status does not allow him space for his music. Both leads give us flawless, well-calibrated performances.

After Kabuli Pulao, director Kashif Nisar gives us another master class in the art of storytelling, set in his favourite place, the walled city of Lahore. The supporting cast are all absolute stars, especially Adeel Afzal whose character, the nakaam aashiq [jilted lover] and poet Khayal Mirza (Adeel Afzal), is quite enjoyable. The one complaint is, if only Green Entertainment would spend less money on a product such as Akhaarra and more on a premium quality Kashif Nisar project.

Khaie | Geo TV, Mondays 8.00pm

This action-packed thriller from writer Saqlain Abbas has enthralled the mass market, with excellent production values and a talented cast that has kept the tension going. Director Syed Wajahat Hussain captures the breathtaking beauty of northern Pakistan, and the ugly, brutal nature of the Duraab Khan crime family at the centre of the story, perfectly.

The story slowed down for a few episodes but has picked up steam again as Zamda’s (Durre Fishan) ultimate revenge — the death of Channar (Faysal Quraishi) — comes within her grasp. Duraab Khan (the late Khalid Butt) murdered Zamda’s family but made the mistake of letting the beautiful Zamda into their house as a prize for his son Channar. After four of their men die in succession, the family suspects Zamda’s hand. Hubris and arrogance have blinded the crime family, however, leaving them vulnerable to their weakest victim.

Teasers show Zamda leading her ex-fiancé and co-conspirator Badal (Osama Tahir) to a trap with Channar and his son waiting. Has Zamda been forced to sacrifice Badal or is there a double game at play? Excellent performances from Durre Fishan, Faysal Quraishi, Osama Tahir, Khalid Butt and Shuja Asad make this an unmissable show.

Jaan-i-Jahan | ARY, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

The show reaches a critical point as Shahram (Hamza Ali Abbasi) comprehends the true nature of Kishwer (Savera Nadeem), the stepmother he has always loved and trusted. Happily, writer Rida Bilal spares us the usual South Asian theatrics on maamta [motherhood] and we get straight to the point of Shahram protecting himself.

After a terrible accident, which seems like a deliberate attempt on his life, Shahram hesitates in proposing to Mahnoor (Ayeza Khan). Battered by doubts and afraid to disappoint her parents again, Mahnoor agrees to a proposal from architect Taimur (Emaad Irfani). Will Shahram lose the love of his life? Meanwhile, Gul Mehr (Nawal Saeed) the “naïve” widow Shahram’s villainous brother, Tabrez, is chasing, continues to give mixed signals. Is she a victim or willing to accept Tabrez?

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Rafta Rafta | Green Entertainment, Coming soon

Green Entertainment brings us a familiar romcom for Ramazan, of a feisty landlady (Saheefa Jabbar) and a dorky, sweet, down-on-his-luck tenant (Zaviyar Ejaz).

Published in Dawn, ICON, March 17th, 2024