THE WEEK THAT WAS

Ek Jhooti Kahani | Hum TV, Tuesdays 8.00pm

Amna Mufti is a writer known for her detailed, intelligent writing that picks at the seams of culture and society. So a comedy from her pen has a lot more to offer than belly laughs and cute scenes.

Irfan Qureshi (Mohib Mirza) is wealthy, handsome and sweet; in fact a very eligible bachelor, except he has five problems: in the shape of five “wild” sisters. No one wants to marry a man with five rebellious, spoiled sisters and then there is the knotty issue of his father’s will, which prevents him marrying anyone till at least three of his sisters are wed. Enter Bushra (Zara Noor), the confident, attention-seeking but much-ignored daughter of an actor who is desperate to find a way to finance her way through theatre school.

Zara Noor is perfect in this role, using her flair for comedy and ability to look endearing, even when the urge for melodrama overcomes her. Mohib Mirza is a wonderful, understandingly moderate foil to her theatrics. Mufti has introduced some laugh-out-loud characters, such as a runaway mother-in-law (Uzma Beg) but Irfan’s lazy, argumentative sisters have yet to be defined. This is a light, very entertaining serial that should make it to your viewing list.

Sher | ARY, Wednesdays 8.00pm

This blockbuster hit is ano­ther twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope, that lifts it above the ordinary.

Sher Zaman (Danish Taimoor) escapes death but his father is killed in an accident planned by conniving relatives. The trauma and shock make Sher an easy target for his conniving uncle to commit him to a mental asylum, where the psychiatrist in charge is paid to slowly drive him into complete insanity. In a twist of good luck for Sher, one of the doctors at the facility is the “enemy” he once saved out of a sense of honour, Dr Fajar (Sarah Khan). Fajar saves Sher and helps him to recover in hiding from his relatives. Now Fajar is caught in a trap: does she win back her father’s approval by killing Sher or does she go to jail to protect him from his uncle?

Danish Taimoor has a good handle on his character but his acting as a trauma patient has been the subject of social media memes because of the overt melodrama. Sarah Khan has given a more restrained and believable performance, and this has become a popular pairing despite the lack of romance in the story.

Karsaaz-i-Dua | Geo TV, Daily 10.00pm

This show is an example of how good direction can make a simple, daily soap-style serial into gripping viewing.

Raazi (Shehzad Shaikh) is an orphan married to his uncle’s daughter, Thanno (Hina Altaf), and the constant victim of abusive and violent behaviour from his uncle (Saife Hasan). Thanno loves Raazi but, despite all her efforts, he resents her because of her father’s appalling behaviour. The only person Raazi loves is his aunt (Salma Hasan), who is always on his side, but even she cannot save him from a plot to discredit him by a local goon. Cast out, Raazi heads to the big city, where he meets good fortune in the shape of the wealthy Namal (Nawal Saeed).

Director Ali Faizan has elicited some strong performances from Shehzad Shaikh and Hina Altaf, while maintaining a good, fast-paced narrative. Shehzad Shaikh is the star of the show, balancing anger and pathos well.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Biryani | ARY, Coming soon

After the brilliant Kabuli Pulao, writer Zafar Meraj offers us Biryani, starring Khushhal Khan as a young man with learning difficulties and Ramsha Khan as his student tutor. Sarwat Gilani also stars in an important role.

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 10th, 2025