THE WEEK THAT WAS

Bas Tera Saath Ho | ARY Digital, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

Anas (Farhan Saeed) and Ansa (Sana Javed) are officially married and the old Urdu adage, ‘One and one equals eleven’ is working overtime. Ansa is ready to make the tough decisions that Anas simply lacks the confidence to make.

Farhan Saeed has done his best, but Anas still comes across as weak and unlikeable, kowtowing towards his abusive relatives at everyone else’s expense. He is still shielding his evil cousin Shayan (Haris Waheed), who made the AI video that ruined Ansa’s reputation. The team has not emphasised enough the acute psychological stress and degradation Anas faced as a child to justify his low self-esteem and people-pleasing behaviour.

Sana Javed, Haris Waheed and Zoya Nasir carry the acting laurels, making this show worth watching despite a very clichéd story. Faran Tahir and Saba Hameed are powerful performers who deserved meatier, better-written roles beyond this family melodrama. Anas’ cousin and tormentor, the ironically named Shireen (Zoya Nasir), has become involved with well-known playboy Faham Qureshi (Rizwan Ali Jaffry). It seems as if Shireen’s narcissism may lead to the same disgrace her family inflicted on Ansa.

Humrahi | Geo TV, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

The only way Sayhaan (Danish Taimoor) can live is through a heart transplant from someone with a rare blood type, which he has in common with his fiancée Elif (Hiba Bukhari). His father, criminal kingpin Ghazi Yusuf (Shahzad Nawaz), kills Elif to save his son.

With some sharp editing and a faster pace, this could have been a good thriller, but the entire script has been wasted in director Baber Javed’s hands. This entirely commercial project, aimed at the massive fan followings of both lead stars, would have flown under the radar except for an appalling twist in Episode 29. Forcing a criminal rapist to marry the woman he brutally assaulted is an idea that has long been discarded and is viewed as an offence against the victim, but this trope is used by the makers of Humrahi to move the plot forward.

While it is easy to blame Danish Taimoor for toeing the line, equal blame lies on writer Zanjabeel Asim and director Baber Javed. All of social media has been abuzz with outrage, but there has been little to no response from the drama team so far.

Shandaar | Express TV, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

Director Wajahat Rauf continues to highlight Gen-Z stories with a slow-burn thriller from writers Yasir Taj and Jawwad Karim.

Rooted in city life, the story introduces us to Ashar (Ali Dayan), who means well but whose naivety and hopes of making quick money lead him into a trap. Ashar has always been impressed by his wealthy classfellow Salar (Ahsan Afzal), who dominates every room and splashes money around. Ashar is close to Aena (Areeka Haq) as well, but she is a better judge of character and unimpressed by Salar’s arrogant and violent nature.

This show is beautifully woven together, revealing each character’s personality and motivation without flowery dialogues. At the heart of this script are the ever-present dangers of living in a metropolis where the law can be bought by the rich. Both Areeka Haq and borrow a little from similar characters they have played in the past, and their performances show they have learned their craft well and will be stars to watch out for. Ahsan Afzal is now very much at home on our screens, showing his versatility in this negative role.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Main Tera | ARY Digital, Coming soon

A new family drama about a manipulative sister (Ghana Ali) who refuses to allow her brother (Arez Ahmed) the space to live and love.

Published in Dawn, ICON, July 19th, 2026