THE WEEK THAT WAS

Ae Ishq-i-Junoon | ARY, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

What had been a roller-coaster ride of thrills and suspense takes a disappointing turn into the lazy cliches of a “forced marriage” plot point.

Aiman’s (Ushna Shah) ex-fiancé Jamal (Furqan Qureshi) confesses to concocting a “plot” against Rahim (Shehryar Munawar). Rahim is free and publicly absolved, but Aiman is blamed as a conniving woman and, of course being the good guy, Rahim agrees to help the family save face. This makes no sense for Aiman who, despite some improvement in her memory, still supposedly thinks Rahim tried to assault and brutally murder her. Like the audience, Rahim’s conniving mother Afia (Irsa Ghazal) is shocked to see the girl as her daughter-in-law, and almost blows her cover with an angry rejection.

Another plot failure is Rahim not picking up on the significance of this, as he is supposedly assuming Aiman is colluding with Afia. Instead of working out the mystery, the victims are busy with the wedding and intimate moments to capture “chemistry”. Irsa Ghazal steals the laurels for acting, while Shehryar Munawar and Ushna Shah are not far behind.

Meem Se Mohabbat | Hum TV, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm

Like previous Farhat Ishtiaq serials, after a slower than expected start, this show has caught the ratings fever. Ahad Raza Mir (Talha) has still got some work to do before he looks comfortable in romcom mode but, as the story pivots to a more serious, emotional phase, he is in his element.

Roshi (Dananeer Mobeen) takes a break from acting like a five-year-old on a sugar high, and slows down to play the victim of an assault. Roshi’s obsession with avoiding university and marriage through her profession leads her to trust a co-worker she barely knows, and join him at a “party”. The party turns out to be a deception and a half-drugged, desperate Roshi calls her boss Talha for help. Talha not only rescues her but also finds an excuse to hide the incident from her parents. Roshi finally understands that her annoyingly serious boss is actually a caring, kind person.

The traumatic experience also helps her sober up a bit, and regain her focus on learning a skill for her future, rather than living in the dreamy world of teenage rebellion. This is a sweet little story that could have been presented in a fresh, innovative way with a better budget and a little effort.

Iqtidar | Green Entertainment, Thurs-Fri 8.00pm

The formula of forced marriage and slow-burn romance that produced a mega-blockbuster in the form of Tere Bin for Geo TV is put to good use by this show.

Ali Raza plays Shahnawaz Shah, the scion of a wealthy, political family, whose spoiled younger brother, Zain (Ahmed Randhaawa), accidentally kills a young man. Shahnawaz hatches a plot with his mother, politician Sanam Shah (Rubina Ashraf), to persuade the young man’s remaining family to sign a maafi-nama or release under the Islamic Qisas law. Despite her intelligence and outspoken, assertive ways, Mehrunissa (Anmol Baloch) falls under Shahnawaz’s spell and marries him, only to learn the heartbreaking truth soon after.

As per the cliché, the tables slowly turn as Shahnawaz refuses a second marriage and understands he has really fallen for Mehrunissa. Director Fahim Burney has turned the amazing chemistry between the leads into a huge draw and, despite the weak plot, this show has garnered a huge audience. Anmol Baloch and Ali Raza make the best of their characters and, along with Rubina Ashraf, are the main attractions.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Dastak | ARY, Coming soon

Suhai Ali Abro, Ali Raza and Feroz Qadri star in an intense, emotional story about love and marriage from the pen of acclaimed writer Sarwat Nazir.

Published in Dawn, ICON, January 26th, 2025