THE TUBE

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Jaan-i-Jehan | ARY, Sat-Sun 8.00pm

The web of deceit Tabrez (Haris Waheed) had spun, is unravelling: his secret wife Gulzeb (Nawal Saeed) has discovered he was behind her first husband’s death, and his second bride-to-be is trying to escape.

Meanwhile the friction between Shahram (Hamza Ali Abbasi) and Mahnoor (Ayeza Khan) is reaching a critical point, as they fight their feelings for each other. Mahnoor’s father being afraid for his daughter’s future, combined with Shahram’s inaction and his stepmother Kishwer’s (Savera Nadeem) hostility, make Mahnoor accept Taimur’s (Emaad Irfani) proposal. Taimur can feel the hesitancy in his bride-to-be and the protective influence of his boss over her. Instead of having second thoughts, he tries to create distance between the lovers.

Director Qasim Ali Mureed and his DOP deserve much of the credit for shooting this serial with such lovely, fairytale-like aesthetics and lighting. The story has inevitably slowed a little, but not so much as to ruin the mood of viewers. Abbasi and Khan are the stars, their quiet angst and old-school, patient acceptance, cuts a sharp contrast to villains Kishwer and Tabraiz, who believe in moulding the future to their requirements.

Inspector Sabiha | Express, Sundays 8.00pm

On the heels of Gunah (a deliciously Shakespearian thriller) from last year, director and writer Adnan Sarwar brings us a prequel about the popular policewoman character, Inspector Sabiha (Rabia Butt). The clean, clear colour grading and framing of scenes evokes the memory of classic thrillers such as Dial M for Murder, but Sarwar still keeps the story firmly anchored in contemporary Pakistan.

Sabiha lost her father Saeed Shah (Sohail Sameer), an undercover policeman, to his job and her inability to shoot a gun is connected to that grief. The reasons for her divorce are not clear, but the awkward interactions between the now separated spouses are shown with quiet accuracy.

Sarwar uses a clever combination of flashbacks and animation, switching between past and present sometimes a little too quickly for the audience to understand. The acting is spot on, and the air of uncertainty and imbalance in a world full of unknowns sets the perfect tone for the unfolding mystery ahead. This show is an intelligent alternative to the usual love stories and family sagas that abound on our screens.

Ishq Murshid | Hum TV, Concluded

Shahmir Sikandar (Bilal Abbas), political fixer and scion of an influential family, turns into poor, sweet Fazal Baksh to win over the principled Shibra (Durre Fishan). Shibra accepts him after the reveal, but only understands the reality of his family’s position when her father is arrested under false charges and murdered.

Political power broker Haroon (Adnan Jaffar), is responsible for both the murder of her father and Shahmir’s mother. Shahmir knows how to take revenge. This was not quite the cohesive, intelligent ending that was expected, but a celebration for the millions of fans whom the cast and crew of this production had turned into co-conspirators. The mistrust between father and son, the anger and betrayal between the lovers was folded out and then pulled in to give an immensely satisfying finale for the fans.

Adnan Jaffar, Noorul Hassan, Ali Gul Mallah, Omair Rana, Durre Fishan and, most of all, Bilal Abbas, gave us some outstanding performances. Apart from some unnecessarily awkward close-ups and glare-inducing lighting, Farooq Rind managed Abdul Khaliq Khan’s well-written script beautifully. The dead pan, self-aware humour in the last scene was the cherry on top.