THE WEEK THAT WAS

Nizaam | Green Entertainment, Sat-Sun 8.00pm

This is a slow-paced but thoughtful drama about two people bound by their parents’ unfulfilled dreams and hopes. Hoor (Momina Iqbal) dreams of studying abroad but all her efforts come to nothing when her brother, Shahzaib (Daniyal Aamir), marries YouTuber Zoya (Zunairah Rafi), frightening her conservative father, Fareed (Ayub Khosa).

Naumaan Ijaz (Shafiq) plays a stern, authoritarian father with ethical principles, who refuses to yield to corruption. For Shafiq, his son Ahsan (Usama Khan) is an investment for his old age, on whom every penny he spends is a pension fund contribution. Ahsan and Hoor strike up a fragile acquaintance. Both know they cannot afford to make mistakes anymore, but the teasers suggest their cautious approach will not help.

Usama Khan puts in the work to portray the nervous, awkward young man who has never been allowed to breathe freely. Momina Iqbal may not look like a young college student, but her acting is spot on as she knows how to portray her character and has a lot of screen presence. The story, by Fatima Faizan, is a little slow, but it should resonate with countless middle-class youngsters caught between duty and a lack of financial freedom.

Dar-i-Nijaat | ARY Digital, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

One of the most popular shows on air, this script from writer Umera Ahmed has raised a storm of discussion on social media about contemporary relationship dynamics. Despite her orthodox reputation, Umera Ahmed breaks from her usual, morally upright victim-of-circumstances heroine model and presents a grey, secular lead: Zaryab (Durefishan Saleem).

Zaryab has a ‘live-in wife’ status in everything but name and is initially in a relationship with her childhood sweetheart, Zamil (Nameer Khan). But Zamil turns to religion and discards Zaryab as a bad influence. Whatever difficulties Durefishan initially had with Zaryab’s characterisation have been overshadowed by her solid performance as a woman at her breaking point. On the other hand, Abu Bakar (Sheheryar Munawar), the man Zaryab once mocked as too religious and provincial, turns out to be the kinder, more compassionate soul.

Umera Ahmed reminds us, the audience, that too often women pay a heavier price for moral slip-ups while men are more easily accepted. Nameer Khan continues his run of playing diverse characters with skill and feeling. At the same time, Sheheryar Munawar, as Abu Bakar, captures hearts by infusing sweetness into what is, so far, a rather two-dimensional, good-guy role.

Gulbahar | Hum TV, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm

It is 2026, and we are still being presented with ‘the only solution to infertility is a second wife’ trope. Writer Aliya Bukhari spares the audience no clichés in pursuit of ratings: a couple deeply in love, a poor young relative, and the terrible, toxic older women pushing the ‘only’ solution.

Sara (Sanam Saeed) and Sheheryar (Emmad Irfani) are an ideal couple and deeply in love, but are doomed because Sara cannot have children. Options such as artificial insemination and the most obvious, adoption, are completely ignored because that will not get ratings. Komal Meer plays Diya, Sara’s poor young relative whose engagement falls apart and who is also great friends with Sara, which means Diya will, in all likelihood, end up as Sheheryar’s second wife.

Director Mehreen Jabbar uses her signature ‘café’ style: bright, pleasantly lit, and seamlessly integrated — but brief — scenes that capture the essence of each character and their motivations. The stage is set for unnecessary rivalry and heartbreak as two women compete for the affections of one man in a situation that will not allow them to ever feel whole.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Rutba | ARY Digital, Coming Soon

A drama from the pen of Umera Ahmed, featuring Talha Chahour, Zahid Ahmed, Hiba Bukhari and superstar Mehwish Hayat. It looks like a thriller and audiences will probably enjoy it.

Published in Dawn, ICON, September 27th, 2026