THE WEEK THAT WAS

Shaidai | Geo TV, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm

Feroze Khan switc­hes from the angry young man to the suave busine­ssman, Ali Khan, owner of the Khan Group of Companies.

Wealth has not spoiled Ali and he is still a caring person, devoted to his grandmother and the welfare of his staff. He falls for the happy-go-lucky Miral (Sahar Hashmi), who thinks he is an out-of-work business graduate like her. Their cute moments and in-jokes with the audience are a little reminiscent of the Indian movie Ghajini, except the villains are not organ traffickers but a woman scorned, Aeliya (Nawal Saeed).

Despite the “inspired” nature of some of the plot points and easy tropes, the serial is well made and has the potential to become a mass entertainer. Feroze Khan’s tiny frame is drowning in accessories meant to convince us he is a millionaire, but his character’s interactions with Miral create a believable fantasy. The OST is hauntingly sweet with a subtle reminder that love this unlikely and pure is a fragile dream that can fall prey to the whims of fate. Miral’s parents harbour a secret fear of the Khan Group, and perhaps this is where we will see a bit of originality.

Kafeel | ARY Digital, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

Zeba (Sanam Saeed) may be free of her good-for-nothing husband, Jamshed (Emmad Irfani), but she is still not free of the closed-minded, uncaring attitude of her mother (Munazza Arif).

Zeba meets the original Jami aka Jamal (she had fallen in love with him long ago), and he sends a proposal to her family. Instead of putting up the more reasonable objections, such as finances or the responsibility of Zeba’s unmarried young daughters, Zeba’s mother acts like a fool. How can a woman remarry at this age? Like many immature women, Zeba’s mother harbours a subtle resentment for her eldest daughter that creates obstacles in any happiness that might come in her way.

Writer Umera Ahmed successfully highlights the combination of human foibles and societal dysfunction that has led to Zeba’s current situation. However, unlike Umera Ahmed’s past work, the growth in strength and maturity of her main protagonist has not been fully explored. Sanam Saeed and Emmad Irfani have given us some strong, relatable performances that have grounded the show in reality. Aashir Wajahat has also added another good performance to his portfolio as the son carrying responsibilities well beyond his years.

Leader | Hum TV, Sundays 8.00pm

Radain Shah’s script has a lot of plot holes. The female lead is blind to her own father’s negativity, and the male lead’s complete trust in his political leader seems unreal.

Ali Raza has a lot of screen presence and energy, which papers over a lot of the holes in the situations. Agha Wasif (Farhan Tahir) and Dada Saheb (Yousuf Bashir Qureshi) are ruthless, rival political leaders willing to use anyone to maintain their power bases. Agha is using his nephew Asif (Sachal Afzal) but wants his daughter, Rubab (Kinza Hashmi), to take his position. Dada can see that the student activist Manzoor (Ali Raza) is a rising star, but the icing on the cake is Manzoor’s growing closeness to his classmate Rubab.

A role such as Rubab’s required an actor who could project power and strong emotions, but Kinza Hashmi’s portrayal feels like the naïve young middle-class girl written into every drama. Despite that, the story has momentum, and Radain Shah’s favourite cliché of lovers-to-rivals may play out better in later episodes.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Buss Tera Saath Ho | ARY Digital, Coming soon

Farhan Saeed plays an orphan forced to be the household drudge under the tyranny of a cruel aunt, played by, who else but, Saba Hameed.

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 3rd, 2026