THE WEEK THAT WAS

Parwarish | ARY, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

A slow drama season overwhelmed by pulp fiction lets this well-written show from writer Kiran Siddiqui shine. Like the well-remembered dramas of PTV’s golden age, this script blends generational conflicts without losing its focus on the issues facing the younger, main protagonists.

Aina Asif looks, at times, disturbingly younger than the role of Maya that she is playing, but her organic screen presence and energy cover many flaws. Maya is slowly being pushed into a forced marriage as a “doctor bahu” who can never practise medicine, but is a trophy for her in-laws, while Wali (Samar Jafri) is being pushed into a medical career he does not want.

The culture clash between the American-raised kids and the Pakistanis is gently unfolded without demonisation of either. There are missing pieces to the exploration but Gen-Z actors such as Samar Jafri, Nazrul Hasan and Reham Rafiq have made their characters and their struggles both endearing and relatable. Director Meesam Naqvi also deserves credit for not letting the veteran actors overpower the storyline, and he is exploring each dilemma from a soft, inclusive perspective.

Do Kinaray | Green Entertainment, Mon-Wed 8.00pm

What is it about the chalaak/tez larrki [cunning girl] genre that makes it so addictive for Pakistani audiences?

Momina Iqbal plays the narcissistic Durreshehwar, a beautiful, middle-class girl who has big ambitions and thinks she deserves more because of her fair complexion and looks. Walid (Junaid Khan) plays a responsible elder brother who has raised his step-siblings with great love and attention, putting his own life on hold till they are adults. He ends up married to Durre, who uses his severe asthma and allergies to keep him emotionally subservient, and does her best to isolate him from his siblings whom she characterises as leeches.

If this sounds like the super-hit Dil Moam Ka Diya, you are not wrong; beyond that, this is an entertaining soap-style show set up to trigger outrage addiction in its target audience. Junaid Khan and Momina Iqbal are very believable in their roles, without hamming up the villainy or naivete in either character. The minus points are in the hackneyed storyline and the lack of depth and nuance in the supporting characters.

Daayan | Geo TV, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

This revenge-fantasy roll­er­­coaster is gaining speed and ratings with every episode, despite the glaring plot loopholes and shallow writing.

Nihal’s (Mehwish Hayat) psychotic father killed Hunain (Osama Tahir), the younger brother of powerful feudal lord Zawar Shah (Ahsan Khan).

In exchange for her father’s life, Nihal is forced to marry Zawar and produce an heir because his first wife Shabab (Hira Mani) is infertile. Nihal is an unlucky girl because all the people she meets are murderous psychopaths; this time it is Zawar Shah’s sisters and brothers-in-law who torture and attempt to kill her. However, she survives and, after a lot of plastic surgery and the help of a father-figure, she wants not just retribution but her precious son back.

A simple scan of the news headlines proves that such unbridled cruelty and privilege do exist in a society where rule of law is weak and the gaps in the socio-economic divide are huge. However, such stories of pain and misery, so close to reality, deserve careful research and respectful treatment rather than being used as fodder for a masala entertainer. Despite their undoubted acting abilities, none of the artists make an impression beyond the two-dimensional style of the show.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Jinki Shaadi Unki Shaadi | Hum TV, Coming soon

Hum TV has just announced a new supernatural-themed romcom, starring current fan favourites Wahaj Ali, Sehar Khan and Syed Jibran.

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 25th, 2025