THE WEEK THAT WAS
Bas Tera Saath Ho | ARY Digital, Mon-Tues 8.00pm
This serial’s storyline is derivative of other dramas and neither lead passes for college-age students. However, the good news is that the team is using the formula well and the show is watchable.
Sana Javed, as the determined Ansa, has stolen the limelight, and her courage helps get Anas (Farhan Saeed) out of jail. Ansa’s determination and intelligence also help her wrangle her university fees from her conniving brother, Faizaan (Tipu Sharif), who keeps stealing her inheritance. The late Saira Raza, the writer, draws a sharp contrast between the leads: Anas is an orphan, psychologically broken and cowed into submission by his uncle Mursaleen (Faran Tahir). Ansa is strong in the face of adversity because her late father (Syed Mohammed Ahmed) instilled confidence and self-respect in her.
The most endearing scenes in the show are Ansa’s imaginary conversations with her father, as she draws energy from the love he gave her. Shayan (Haris Waheed) and Shirin (Zoya Nasir) are flawlessly evil and cold. The villains seem like the engines that could bring the leads together, although it may be a bad bargain for Ansa if Anas is too weak to support her.
Leader | Hum TV, Sundays 8.00pm
After a wobbly first few episodes, writer Radain Shah’s script builds up tension, setting the scene for hatred and revenge that will be hard to extinguish. In the game of politics and governance, there is always an angle to take advantage of, and only naïve fools such as Mansoor (Ali Raza) and Rubab (Kinza Hashmi) do not understand this.
Mansoor thinks he can bring about change by joining a political party, but the party and its leader are using him to get to Agha (Faran Tahir), the leader of a rival party, by using his daughter, Rabab. The wild cards are Agha Wasif (Sachal Afzal) and SHO Nouh (Ali Safina), who cunningly twist each situation to their own advantage. Kinza Hashmi remains the weak link, but she definitely performs better than the men in emotionally charged scenes.
Faran Tahir gives an excellent performance as a hard-nosed and confident politician. The story reaches a critical point when Mansoor’s sister is murdered and Agha frames Mansoor’s father in an honour killing scenario for the press. It is hard to understand Mansoor’s reasoning at some points, but the pace of events keeps us from thinking too hard about this.
Sirf Shabana | Hum TV, Mon-Tues 8.00pm
This serial has three characters who have difficult relationships with their fathers.
Kabir (Adeel Hussain) is angry with his father Tauqeer (Alyy Khan) for focusing on earning money and never giving him the attention he craved as a child. As he and Shabana (Sohai Ali Abro) grow closer, she reminds him that a father who, at the very least, provides financial support, is better than her father, who abandoned her. Meanwhile, Bilal’s (Duraab Khalil) poetry has gone viral, and he heads to Karachi, finally making his father proud of his naïve son. Kabir is in love with Shabana, but she still hesitates after her terrible experience with her ex, Salaar (Furqan Qureshi).
The highlights of this serial are the emotionally intelligent conversations between Shabana and Kabir, showing us that sensible, mature people can also have a captivating romance. On a parallel track, Shabana does her best to empower Salaar’s wife, Yamna (Namra Shahid), who has lost her confidence and is being violently abused.
What To Watch Out For (Or Not)
Zabt | Geo TV, Coming soon
Ayla (Zoya Tauqir) thinks Shami (Sachal Afzal) is her forever love, but he lets her down at the first opportunity. Auni/Aun (Daniyal Khan)) has always loved her, but she has never thought of him because of family grievances and jealousy.
Published in Dawn, ICON, May 31st, 2026
