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THE WEEK THAT WAS
Sher | ARY, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm
Once the pride of her family, psychiatrist Dr Fajar (Sarah Khan) made a devastating mistake that ruined her reputation and broke her father’s trust.
When her father finds out she is in charge of his enemy’s son Sher Zaman’s (Danish Taimoor) treatment, he demands his death as a test of obedience. Fajar is made of better stuff and helps Sher to recover, but this leads to the end of her relationship with her family. Sher underestimates the hatred between their families and asks for Fajar’s hand but this only leads to further anger and estrangement.
Although the romance is limited, Sarah Khan and Danish Taimoor play their roles well and the serial is riding a tsunami of ratings. Apart from the lead pair and a well-constructed plot, there is nothing particularly unique or nuanced about the story. Writer Zanjabeel Asim and director Aehsan Talish also deserve the credit for cracking the formula for a superhit show that edges towards melodrama without falling into mediocrity.
Bahar Nagar | Geo TV, Daily 7.00pm
A sitcom that ropes together an array of comedic talent and plays with all the cultural headaches that are the essence of every housewife’s life should be a sure-fire hit.
Bahar Begum (Hina Dilpazeer) is a domineering mother-in-law and her life is all about lecturing and coercing her rebellious daughters-in-law into obedience, while coddling her manipulative daughter Mehwish (Maham Anum). On the opposition benches, we have the clever Nargis (Javeria Saud), people-pleaser Fariya (Sana Askari) and the “wannabe” English-medium Rabiya (Faiza Saleem).
The plot does not matter, as the situations and dialogues exist solely to provide some laughs and light entertainment. There is some scope for flourishes of overacting (which Javeria Saud never misses out on) but, for the most part, director Mazhar Moin skillfully keeps the show under control. While this is a relaxing watch, it does leave a small regret that incredible talents such as Hina Dilpazeer are not given bigger budgets and deeper scripts.
Humraaz | Geo TV, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm
What could have been a chilling thriller and a lesson on the psychology of abnormal obsession has been turned into a hotchpotch of misogyny and stereotypical kitchen politics.
Sarah (Ayeza Khan) takes a stranger’s number on a dare. When the man is murdered, his brother Saim (Feroze Khan) becomes fixated on revenge. Now that the story has come full circle and Sarah’s absolute innocence has been publicly proved, the vengeful Saim is now harassing his broken victim for “forgiveness”. Saim colluded with Sarah’s servants to make her believe she had lost her mind, harassed and stalked her in a terror campaign, murdered her unborn child and ruined her marriage. The audience is asked to believe this obviously deranged behaviour is the result of a hard childhood and excessive love for a brother.
The makers went to extremes in the pursuit of ratings and are now pushing a forgiveness arc that is hard to accept. Now Sarah’s bitter mother-in-law is plotting to send a fake divorce from her son (Zahid Ahmed). This was a difficult, multi-layered role for Ayeza Khan but her performance is overshadowed by the direction of the story. On a side-note, writer Misbah Nausheen has clarified that changes were made to her script without her consent.
What To Watch Out For (Or Not)
Jama Taqseem | Hum TV, Coming soon
The first teaser for this much-anticipated, star-studded family entertainer shows us Talha Chahour describing his love for his family to his new bride, played by Mawra Hocane. Since this is written by a mature writer such as Sarwat Nazir, there is some hope for depth and more nuance about the pros and cons of the joint family system, rather than the usual simplistic glorification.
Published in Dawn, ICON, August 31st, 2025
