THE WEEK THAT WAS

Sirf Shabana | Hum TV, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

Shabana (Sohai Ali ­Abro) has lost her mother, but has been loved and comforted by her aunt and uncle. However, a few foolish decisions on her part make all their lives difficult.

Her plan to marry Bilal/Bawla (Duraab Khalil), her simple but sweet neighbour, backfires spectacularly, and she ends up leaving her small hometown Haripur for Karachi. Shabana is brave and confident enough to own up to her mistakes and move forward to seek out the root of her issues — Salaar (Furqan Qureshi), who left Shabana for the big city with a lot of promises but no forwarding address.

After a supporting role in Main Manto Nahin Hoon, Duraab Khalil is building up his portfolio as the single-minded Bawla, combining innocence with pathos to capture the audience’s heart. The big catch of the show is Sohai Ali Abro, who knows how to calibrate the feistiest of characters without making them abrasive. Director Aabis Raza tells the story with an equal mix of sentiment and humour, with strong, grounded performances extracted from every cast member.

Ghulam Bashah Sundri | Green Ent, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

A script that reads like a gothic tale of power and generational abuse has been softened into an Indian-style melodrama with a scoop full of action sequences. This combination has brought in huge YouTube ratings that, surprisingly, have not translated into equal local TRPs.

The story has reached a critical juncture, and the fog of past secrets is now revealing a new rivalry that threatens the protagonists. Wealthy, entitled Bashah (Zaviyar Ijaz) comes to the painful realisation that the universe is no longer working in his favour to fulfil his every wish. His loyal half-brother and constant servant, Ghulam (Imran Ashraf), has chosen his own happiness in the shape of Sundri (Hina Afridi). The time when Ghulam would obediently hand over anything Bashah wanted has gone. Sundri wants to marry Ghulam and, in a surprising twist, his status-conscious father and family are not on Bashah’s side.

Zaviyar Ijaz goes all out for this role and is very believable as the spoiled prince suddenly facing disappointment but refusing to accept his limits. After a few similar roles, Imran Ashraf is an expert at playing the underdog — the better man forced by honour and circumstances of birth to bow before power.

Mahnoor | ARY Digital, Mon-Fri 9.00pm

Two strangers are on a train: one is Mahnoor (Khadija Saleem), a runaway bride and the other is Zain (Humayun Ashraf), a wealthy businessman. Mahnoor is escaping from a forced marriage to a gangster tied to her uncle’s debts. Zain comes from a different, more comfortable world and is soon to be married to Mehvish (Zoya Nasir).

This is a storybook beginning that keeps a reasonable grip on reality but, like most soap-style shows, relies on negative characters to move the plot forward. While Mahnoor’s story is plausible, the cartoonish villainy of the spoiled, disturbed Mehvish reduces what might have been a strong story to pulp fiction.

However, Cinderella stories are always popular, and for those who want uncomplicated, light entertainment and a cute lead pair to root for, this is good viewing. Written by Noon Qalam and Haroon Ahmed, the script has a formulaic feel, which could easily have been avoided with deeper character sketches and a touch of nuance among the villains.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Zanjeerain | Hum TV, Coming soon

This is a new serial from the acclaimed team of producer Momina Duraid, writer Farhat Ishtiaq and director Shehzad Kashmiri, with a powerful star cast, including Ahsan Khan, Sajal Aly, Adnan Siddiqui and Ameer Gilani.

Published in Dawn, ICON, April 26th, 2026