THE WEEK THAT WAS

Shirin Farhad | Hum TV, Sat-Sun 8.00pm

Hum TV presents ano­­ther well-made period pie­ce, set in the early 1970s around the heyday of the Pakistani film industry, telling the story of two newcomers.

Farhad (Farhan Saeed) has defied his conservative father in Bahawalpur, running away for the chance to become a director. A stroke of good luck combined with determination gets him a place as an assistant in Evernew Studios. As the daughter of a costume designer, Shireen (Kinza Hashmi) grew up around the studios and, unimpressed by its glamour, is ambivalent about becoming an actress, as her ambitious father fervently hopes. While Farhad has a tough time struggling for a place, she has easy access but is, like her mother, nervous about joining an industry with a bad reputation.

Writer Ali Moeen gives us a wonderful taste of all the flavours of the era with an array of authentic, well-written characters, some imaginary and some historical. An easy pace is set by director Asad Mumtaz but, by episode four, the story picks up speed and pulls the viewer into a world that looks naïve in this digital age.

Humraaz | Geo TV, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm

Clumsy editing and badly defined timelines with illogical time-jumps make this a confusing drama to watch. There are two girls called Sarah in this story; one played by Ayeza Khan is the spoiled, headstrong, youngest sister, excited to marry her cousin Ahmar (Zahid Ahmed). Apart from her resentful mother-in-law, Sarah’s life is a dream till she makes the unwitting mistake of stealing a complete stranger, Faraz’s (Haroon Shahid), telephone and adding her number to it on a silly dare.

Faraz is in love with another Sarah, the daughter of conservative feudals who murder him when they learn of their daughter’s secret nikaah. The prime mover in this show is Faraz’s brother Saim (Feroze Khan), a strange young man who idolises his brother to the point of obsession. The death of his brother hits him hard; all he knows is that his brother went to meet his secret love. From the teasers, it is clear Saim will seek retribution from the wrong Sarah.

This kind of story would make better sense if the producers could decide if they want to make a thriller or an emotional family drama. Farooq Rind is a renowned director with some excellent work to his name, so the illogical shifts in backstory and Feroze Khan’s misplaced looks of menace are hard to understand.

Ae Dil | ARY, Wed-Thurs 10.00pm

Good-looking actors in a tortured love triangle are always popular but this show goes a step further, with five protagonists. Maliha (Komal Mir) once loved the controlling, abusive Mohid (Saad Qureshi). Fate was kind and his terrible mother rejected Maliha, allowing her to marry the kind and loving Roham (Azaan Sami Khan).

The young couple settle into their relationship and fall in love but Mohid returns, filled with anger and a thirst for revenge. He traps Maliha in a compromising position, so Roham loses all trust in his now-pregnant wife. Meanwhile Roham’s wealthy ex-girlfriend Sana (Sara Chaudhry) is being abused by her (surprise, surprise) violent, abusive husband, played by Gohar Rasheed. Roham helps her escape.

Azaan Sami Khan plays his role well while Komal Mir is left to cry and tremble in the prettiest way possible. This show and the characters have little substance or nuance, and the plot is a set of cliches designed for maximum mazloom aurat [helpless woman] ratings.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Aik Lafz Zindagi | Geo TV, Daily 7.00pm

Hit couple Hira Khan and Saad Qureshi star in a story about a young woman trying to hold her dysfunctional parents and family together.

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 18th, 2025