THE WEEK THAT WAS

Raaja Rani | Hum TV, Wednesdays 8.00pm

Wealthy busi­ness­man Zaviyar (Fay­sal Qura­ishi) regre­sses to childhood after a form of severe trauma linked to a terrible accident that led to the loss of his much-loved wife, Mehreen (Hira Tareen). Meeting Rani (Hina Afridi), a caring, kind, young woman helps to rekindle Zaviyar’s memories of his adult past.

Rani is desperately poor, so, despite her reservations, she takes up the job of being the innocent Zaviyar’s companion. With Rani’s friendship, the many mysteries in Zaviyar’s life begin to unfold, as well as the revelation that Mehreen is alive and negotiating with her father-in-law for a “profitable” divorce settlement.

Director Amin Iqbal brings this story to life, eliciting good performances and threading together a surprisingly credible narrative from a highly imaginative plot. The writers of this story, Abdul Khaliq Khan and Sana Zafar, in particular, deserve a lot of credit for the detailed construction of the supporting characters. Rani’s parents, their relationship, combined with even Mehreen and Zaviyar’s cousin Junaid’s (Arez’s Ahmed) petty villainy, give context and depth without overtaking the main narrative. Despite some dips into the ridiculous (such as Rani’s fight scene), this is an entertaining, well-acted serial that keeps the audience coming back.

Dastak | ARY, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

After being divorced and abandoned by her first husband Saife (Feroz Kadri), Kiran (Suhai Ali Abro) raises their son, Shani, and carves out a new life for herself as a wedding planner. She marries an old friend Moiz (Ali Raza), who loves her and her child but they are not allowed to move on.

Moiz’s father (Shamoon Abbasi) is a mean-spirited man who plots to get rid of Kiran till she gets pregnant. Then his target shifts to the innocent Shani. He then colludes with a lawyer and Kiran’s ex-husband to frighten and cajole the naïve child to move to his father’s house. Shamoon Abbasi plays a hard, unrelenting villain with complete believability and Feroz Kadri as the equally self-centred Saife is another well mapped-out negative character.

Writer Sarwat Nazir opens a window into the dilemmas faced by single parents who end up paying the price of the prejudice and quiet hatreds of complete strangers. As always, children bear the burden of the selfish decisions of their elders. Sohai Ali Abro and Ali Raza give some controlled and poignant performances without playing to the gallery, and are an easy couple to root for.

Paradise | Express Entertainment, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

Despite a popular star cast and a cute story — not so different from the hit Ramazan serials that come out every year — this show is not making the waves it should. Shuja Asad and Iqra Aziz make a cute couple as “new money” weds happily crumbling nobility, infusing just enough energy and excitement to bring in the viewers, but somehow miss the intense excitement of romance.

Standout comedy from the supporting cast, in the form of Umar Aalam, Aoun Ali Khan and Maham Amir, keeps the show afloat, but even they cannot fight the slow pace and stretched-out script. While writer Yasir Taj has given his characters some fun situations and often witty comedy, he has not captured the urgency required to root for the main narrative.

Yasir Hussain’s direction is spot-on for the humorous little vignettes and conversation pieces, but a little crisper editing and faster pace would have served this production better. Perhaps Express Entertainment should take a stronger lead in polishing their actual content rather than being dazzled by star power.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Doosra Chehra | Geo TV, Coming soon

Sanam Saeed, Adeel Ahmed, Sab­o­or Aly and Arez Ahmed star in a very relevant story about the power “influencer couples” wield on average people through social media.

Published in Dawn, ICON, June 6th, 2025