THE WEEK THAT WAS
Aap Ki Izzat | Hum TV, Fri-Sat 8.00pm
Another day, another mazloom aurat [oppressed woman] story from the pen of Umera Ahmed. After Kafeel, the writer is back to remind us that happiness is fleeting and men are generally terrible.
Beena (Urwa Hocane) has been slowly sliding into irrelevance: her educated children find her to be conservative and restrictive, while her ageing mother-in-law uses her but still resents her. The most painful aspect is the dismissive, degrading treatment she receives from Tabish (Ahsan Khan), the man who once begged her to marry him.
Urwa Hocane is a good actress and very relatable as a simple woman who is unimpressed by the wealth that has changed her husband’s kind nature. However, her character, Beena, is underwritten as a generic housewife figure who blinks and smiles while suffering every micro-repression and humiliation. Ahsan Khan transitions between a lovestruck young man and a manipulative, would-be politician having an affair with polished ease. Another strong performance comes from Sania Saeed, as the mother-in-law who still cannot find empathy for her obedient daughter-in-law. From the teasers we see that Beena is friendly with a young fruit seller, Behram (Saif Ali Khan), and it seems that her journey to self-actualisation may begin with him.
Dr Bahu | ARY Digital, Fri-Sat 8.00pm
After the death of his wife Dr Farheen (Saba Hameed), the powerful and manipulative Dr Shahnawaz (Shahzad Nawaz) is left isolated, facing the consequences of his actions. The actor gives a memorable performance as the arrogant patriarch who dominates everyone’s lives. As the story reels in the different tracks, it illustrates the difficulties faced by women who want to practise medicine.
Dr Mina (Hajra Yamin) mourns her infertility, but she has the career that a pregnant Dr Saniya (Kubra Khan) yearns for. In a curious twist, the biggest winner is Dr Amber (Mira Sethi), who had an adulterous affair with Faizan (Adeel Hussain) despite having an established career and marries him. Dr Saniya (Kubra Khan) faces the dilemma of sacrificing or at least delaying the progression of her career as a surgeon because of her risky pregnancy and her husband Salman’s (Shuja Asad) fears.
A talented doctor and potential surgeon is shown literally begging her husband to allow her to complete her course after her baby is born. Shuja Asad provides us with another good performance as a man who has become exactly what he hated about his father.
Bombay Tailors | Hum TV, Mon-Tues 8.00pm
Saifi (Ali Ansari) doesn’t want to be a tailor like his father and grandfather, and Mahrukh (Anika Zulfikar) wants to be a social media star. This rebellious attitude makes them the bane of their parents’ existence but, instead of understanding their feelings, their parents think a forced marriage is the answer. Exhausted by their parents’ criticism and policing, both accept the arrangement to buy some time and, possibly, some freedom. If this sounds like a Ramazan rom-com, it is not. Instead, it is a light take on some serious contemporary issues and the generation gap.
Writer Amtul Shahida’s script is a safe and traditional take on a partnership borne of circumstance and family pressure. There is some hope for innovation if we see writer Adeel Afzal’s name added to the project, who seems to have collaborated on this project.
A versatile actor, Ali Ansari switches easily into the role of an urban hustler and frustrated younger son. After the success of her Ramazan serial, Ishq Mein Tere Sadqay, Anika Zulfikar has established herself as a good actress, and proves it again in this show. Boosting the show’s credentials are other great performers, such as Ali Safina and Dania Enver.
What To Watch Out For (Or Not)
Dar-i-Nijaat | ARY Digital, Coming soon
Sheheryar Munawar, Nameer Khan and Durefishan Saleem star in an intense story that questions a woman’s past relationships.
Published in Dawn, ICON, July 26th, 2026
