THE TUBE

E-Paper | December 05, 2025

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Jinn Ki Shaadi Unn Ki Shaadi | Hum TV, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

Khushi (Sehar Khan) makes some defiant moves, releasing Ali (Wahaj Ali) and other longer-term prisoners under djinn Azar’s control; and she is caught plotting against her djinn family.

Fearful of the djinn chief Jasim’s revenge, Khushi’s older sister, Chamki (Tamkenat Manzoor), plans to break up Ali and Khushi’s love story by making Ali look unfaithful. Meanwhile, Nadia (Romaisa Khan) thinks Ali has fallen for her, but he is just using her to solve his father’s riddles. Ali’s character is an archetype for Wahaj Ali: a laidback, mostly good guy, but is not above a little manipulation. Anyone else would look negative but Wahaj’s low-key charm keeps the audience on his side. In contrast, Khushi and Nadia are both intense and sincere, sparking the comedy and energy, which keeps the show moving.

A hilarious sidetrack, about an argumentative husband and wife, adds more comedy to the plot without distracting from the main narrative. Hum TV knows how to make light, contemporary comedies: one house, an array of zany characters played by charismatic stars, and an intriguing situation.

Biryani | ARY, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

The fallout from the revelation that Meeran (Khushhal Khan) and Gulmehr (Sarwat Gilani) are a married couple has been explored for the last six episodes. Meeran questions the family traditions that forced him into a sterile, early marriage, while Nissa (Ramsha Khan) rushes into an engagement to build a defense against Meeran. Refreshingly, Nissa’s mother and maternal uncle actually disapprove of her hasty decision, warning her against cruelly using someone to suppress her emotions.

Writer Zafar Mairaj skillfully unpacks every fear and hope between the lovers and those around them, without losing the audience’s interest. Still there is no hiding the confusion many fans have been thrown into because of the mixed messages about the timeline and ages of the protagonists.

Sarwat Gilani gives a stellar performance as the determined Gul Mehr, and the hope remains that the writer has given her a more layered role than just a noble sacrifice. Ramsha Khan and Khushhal build on their famous chemistry and bring the many layers of their characters to life. As always, a strong performance from the supporting cast — Javed Rizvi, Laila Wasti, Mahnoor Pervaiz and Yusuf Bashir Qureshi — makes this serial very addictive.

Sanwal Yaar Piya | Geo TV, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

In writer Hashim Nadeem’s universe, naïve men fall in love with foolish young women, who break their hearts and never recognise their worth.

Hard man Sanwal (Ahmed Ali Akbar) has fallen for Piya (Durre Fishan), who is so ridiculously innocent that she walks into gangster dens to offer tea or sweets. Piya has friend-zoned Sanwal and, despite her relentless familiarity, the old-fashioned gangster maintains a respectful distance. Piya is, again, so oblivious that it takes her silly friend to nudge her into a romance with wealthy cool kid Aliyaar (Feroze Khan). Aliyaar has heartbreaker written all over him and he is (of course) the son of the arch-villain Seth Daud (Yasir Nawaz).

When Piya learns the reality of Aliyaar’s background, will she still choose him? Putting aside the silly sunglasses competition between the male actors, and the childish idea of womanhood that is Piya, director Danish Nawaz has made a good mass-entertainer. The entire weight of anchoring this lightweight story is borne by Yasir Nawaz’s villain and Ahmed Ali Akbar’s excellent, nuanced performance.