THE WEEK THAT WAS
Bas Tera Saath Ho | ARY Digital, Mon-Tues 8.00pm
This show keeps rolling on with a checklist of punishments, and returns to the negativity and deceit that Anas’ (Farhan Saeed) family has long used to oppress him.
Anas’ cousin Shireen (Zoya Nasir) is heartbroken and humiliated by a broken engagement, while her brother Shayan (Haris Waheed) has been tricked by his greedy friends into leaving the country. Anas’ uncle Mursaleen (Faran Tahir) is in jail on fraud charges, and everything is left to Anas to clear up. While the irony and arc of karmic justice is very satisfying for casual viewers, somehow even they have picked up on Anas’ preference for Shireen, rather than his wife Ansa (Sana Javed).
Farhan Saeed continues to underperform as a character with no growth, and his portrayal of Anas feels very two-dimensional. Faran Tahir is a fine actor and manages to drag slivers of empathy out of the audience, despite his character’s terrible behaviour. For viewers who want depth, this show has been a disappointment, but for those looking for some easy, well-packaged life lessons, it is a hit.
Zeher-i-Mohabbat | Hum TV, Sat-Sun 9.00pm
Anyone looking for a break from the weekend line-up’s heavy melodrama can tune into this show, which explores the many layers of life in Karachi.
Middle-class Arham (Omer Shahzad) is desperate to make money because of his difficult family situation. He ends up implicated as a witness in the murder of Seth Irtiza (Alyy Khan). Arham escapes and lays low, but the criminal mastermind behind the city’s crime wave pressures him into silence. A twist of fate allows Arham to save Seth Irtiza’s daughter, Umamaa (Zoha Tauqeer). Arham finally gets a job through a grateful Umamaa, but is bowed down by guilt when he learns he is working in Seth Irtiza’s office. Meanwhile, Arham faces another clever villain, Waqar (Arez Ahmed), who is married to Umamaa’s older sister, Anzala (Ammara Malik). As always, Arez Ahmed steals the show with his low-key sarcasm and easy manipulation of the uber-good protagonists.
Omer Shahzad would be more believable if he were less perfectly groomed. Otherwise, his performance is workable. So far, Zoha Tauqeer has had little to do but is the big attraction, making even her character’s foolish, emotional decisions seem reasonable. Her screen presence and energy make this show very watchable. If director Saqib Zafar Khan frames this Shahid Dogar script into the thriller it deserves to be, rather than a commercially acceptable star-crossed romance, it has a chance of rising above average.
Nashtar | Geo TV, Fri-Sat 8.00pm
Welcome to the Karachi of writer Maha Malik’s imagination, where law does not exist and feuding waderas [feudals] fight it out with their own little armed squads.
No one is safe from these people, as feisty young student Bareera (Anmol Baloch) finds out when, through an excruciatingly long chain of misunderstandings, she finds herself in the crosshairs of Shah Dawood (Danish Taimoor). Shah Dawood is a wonderful human being: he takes care of his bedridden father, gives his employees double bonuses, is a great patron of orphans and respects women. His one small weakness is that he wants to coerce Bareera into bed with him and dishonour her publicly for (surprise, surprise!) slapping him.
From the teasers, it seems love will eventually bloom. For some, this is romance, but for anyone with ethics, this show is promoting a culture of rape.
What To Watch Out For (Or Not)
Mohabbat Mukhtasar | Hum TV, Coming soon
Usama Khan and Madiha Imam star in a light romance from the pen of writer Nooran Makhdoom of Tere Bin fame.
Published in Dawn, ICON, September 20th, 2026
