THE WEEK THAT WAS

Gustakh Ishq | Urdu1, Tuesday 8.00pm

The story is about Najaf (Iqra Aziz) who endures a cruel stepmother, rustication from college, being forced out from home and having to live with a conniving aunt and a jealous cousin, but eventually falls in love with Sikandar (Zahid Ahmed) whom she hates in the beginning.

For a change, Zahid Ahmed plays a positive character but, given his reputation of being extremely evil in most of his roles, one cannot help but think that in the next twist that the story takes he might do something terrible. Noor Khan does yet another role where she looks as though she badly needs caffeine. 

Furqan T. Siddiqui (Ghayal, Sawaab, Wafa) directs his first venture with Moomal Entertainment for Urdu1, but there is nothing gustakh about this ishq.

Khamoshi | Hum TV, Saturday 8.00pm

After several sweetie-pie roles, here Iqra Aziz plays the super-manipulative and obsessive Naeema who is all out to steal her elder sister Arsala’s (Zara Noor Abbas) fiancé Atif (Affan Waheed) whom Arsala loves dearly. Will Naeema succeed in winning him over while the overly-sweet Arsala continues to suffer and sacrifice all for other people’s happiness? No novelty in the storyline but, for Iqra Aziz fans, it is delight to watch her do something different. After his successful debut in Sammi, all eyes are also on singer-turned-actor Bilal Khan’s entry as Shahram, a rich businessman for whom money doesn’t mean much.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR

Khaani | Geo TV, Monday 8.00pm

Khaani is Anjum Shehzad’s new and much-hyped directorial venture with protégé Feroze Khan (Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hai) opposite Sana Javed who shot to fame after playing Ayeza Khan’s smart-cookie sister in Pyare Afzal, and then played the lead in the film Mehrunnisa V Lub U opposite Danish Taimur. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s OST suggests an intense and somewhat tragic love story written by Asma Nabeel (Khuda Aur Mohabbat). Feroze Khan plays an influential man’s gun-friendly son and the character looks to transition as the serial progresses.

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 5th, 2017