THE WEEK THAT WAS

Maa | Green TV, Mon-Fri 9.00pm

Raha (Aina Asif) and Batool (Areej Mohyudin) are cousins who have grown up happily at their grandfather’s house. Batool is sweet and loving, but not as smart as Raha, and has parents who coddle her. Raha grows up happy and resilient despite constantly being targeted by Batool’s jealous mother.

After much angst, Raha learns that she is indeed the daughter of Tara (Sunita Marshal), who disgraced her wealthy family by running away to marry her beloved, Kabeer (Alyy Khan). Kabeer and his mother were greedy and abused Tara for not bringing them any of her family’s property, but are now reaping what they sowed. Tara left Raha at her father’s house, like an orphan, to protect her, and is now hiding at a Dar-ul-Amaan. What is the secret she is guarding?

A fun family watch, this show avoids the usual Cinderella clichés and lets its heroine fight back. Aina Asif reprises her trademark bubbly, smart-aleck persona that she has used in Jurrwaan and other dramas. Ahmed Rafique plays Arman, another fatherless child the family has helped raise, who is in love with Raha and struggling to survive.

Meri Zindagi Hai Tu | ARY, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

The level of angst in this drama was already high, and now writer Radain Shah presses the accelerator button as Kamyar (Bilal Abbas) decides to ‘punish’ Ayra (Hania Aamir) for the pain she has caused him.

When the truth comes out that Kamyar was set up, Ayra tries to apologise and make it up to him, but he is still too hurt. True to his nature, Kamyar wreaks revenge on the perpetrators and goes on a self-harm spree, unable to forgive or forget the woman he supposedly loves for not trusting him. When he ends up in the hospital, a usually sensible Ayra goes against all her well-wishers and common sense by proposing to Kamyar. From the promos, an unhealed and angry Kamyar begins to punish and hurt Ayra.

Bilal Abbas and Hania Aamir simply sparkle during their emotional confrontations, bringing an authentic, very contemporary touch to their performances. Director Musaddiq Malek has fashioned an incredibly compelling serial, gaining spectacular ratings across borders, but the romanticisation of the male lead’s bad behaviour follows a familiar pattern. No one is pushing Ayra to accept this treatment; she is willingly walking into the fire.

Rahguzar | Green TV, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm

Another mazloom aurat [suffering woman] drama lands on our screens, this time a story of two competing sisters. Roshni (Hira Mani) is soft and sacrificing, easily bullied, and always looks out for her family, even her step-siblings.

No surprise, the younger stepsister Aima (Mariam Kiani) is a selfish opportunist who is out to trap the hero Waqar (Mohib Mirza). He is a wealthy, accomplished man who is terrified of marrying a gold-digger but easily makes friends with Aima. Roshni and her mother are shown to be emotional fools, while all the sensible dialogues are given to the devil, Aima. Hira Mani looks strange, weeping continuously in heavy make-up and a strange wardrobe for a girl struggling to make ends meet.

Mohib Mirza is a good actor, but all he gets to play these days is a terrible husband. Now that helpless, silly women are once again coded as virtuous saints to get ratings, it is no surprise this kind of misery porn is back on air.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Dekh Magar Pyar Se | Hum TV, Coming soon

Yumna Zaidi and Hamza Sohail are set to make a fresh pairing in a breezy romcom in Ramzan. It is directed by Ali Hassan of Fairytale fame and penned by popular writer Saima Akram Chaudhry of Suno Chanda fame.

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 1st, 2026