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THE WEEK THAT WAS
Goonj | Hum TV, Fridays 8.00pm
Zarnab (Komal Meer) is a successful young professional working at a high-profile advertising agency, whose career is being blighted by her colleague, Nabil (Gohar Rashid). The entire office knows that Nabil makes crass comments and vulgar jokes that target women but, because he has great contacts and is trusted by the company and the CEO, he is tolerated and his sexism is laughed off.
Zarnab’s success shakes Nabil and his campaign of manipulative abuse increases, pushing the young woman to lodge a formal complaint to the senior executives who, as it turns out, do not want to lose Nabeel, so their toothless warnings only encourage him further. As a result, Zarnab decides to take her tormentors to court.
The writer illustrates the many hurdles people face when trying to prove such a case. Komal Meer gives a strong performance as a woman refusing to be pressured. Ali Safina proves his versatility again as the serious Farhad, the controlling husband of Zarnab’s sister.
Meri Zindagi Hai Tu | ARY, Fri-Sat 8.00pm
Writer Radain Shah brings us another Indian-style drama, using the same trope of a spoilt, violent, rich boy who suddenly — and obsessively — falls in love with that one middle-class girl who has the ability to slap him on the streets.
Danish Taimoor was either busy or too tired of playing such roles, so Bilal Abbas takes up the mantle of the misunderstood bad boy Kamyar, who uses women like tissue paper. Dr Ayra (Hania Aamir) cannot resist giving a little payback to the man who hurt her brother, so she deflates Kamyar’s brand-new Tesla truck’s tyres. Incensed by this, Kamyar sets Ayra’s car on fire. In a normal world, Kamyar would be in jail, waiting for a psychiatric evaluation but, as this is an Indian-style drama, he becomes vulnerable and falls for the girl who stands up to him. Ayra and her family are, however, angry and unimpressed by his wealth or grand gestures.
Director Musaddiq Malek has deflated much of the inherent melodrama in the story while casting A-grade actors who know how to underplay their roles for maximum effect. Bilal Abbas’ character shifts from an empty-headed vicious thug to a soft-eyed lover in the space of two episodes and, to his credit, we can believe it. Refreshingly, Hania Aamir is seen anchoring her character in reality rather than playing the usual dreamy-eyed female lead. However, these performances still cannot obscure the problematic elements of the script.
Khwaabon Mein Mili | Hum TV, Sundays 9.00pm
Samira (Aena Khan) loves her distant relative Shah Alam (Aashir Wajahat) but her father, Iqbal (Faisal Rehman), wants her to marry anyone but him. That is because Iqbal, who was once a poor relative of Shah Alam’s wealthy and arrogant mother, was deeply humiliated by her. He has never forgotten the pain she caused him, and nor has he forgiven her.
When Iqbal sees that his daughter is getting close to Shah Alam, he finds another candidate, Adnan (Adnan Raza Mir), for her hand in marriage, who is a reserved young man trying to recover from a troubled past. Samira is an easy-going girl who really cannot see beyond the present or understand her father’s past.
Aena Khan is a natural star with great screen presence but has not really challenged herself with any role beyond her stunning debut in Fairy Tale. Of the three leads, Aashir is the better actor and delivers a grounded and natural performance. This is a light show that might capture the attention of younger viewers — but only if they can get past Adnan Raza Mir’s struggle with the Urdu language.
What To Watch Out For (Or Not)
Shikanja | Geo TV, Coming soon
Azekah Daniel, Asad Siddiqui and Furqan Qureshi star in this forthcoming Geo TV soap about a woman who lives for herself and manipulates everyone around her.
Published in Dawn, ICON, November 16th, 2025
