THE WEEK THAT WAS

Sirf Tum | Geo TV, Daily 9.00pm

Seema Munaf’s below-par script and characteris­ations make this perfect fodder for 7th Sky Productions’ highly succ­essful masala machine.

Abeer (Anmol Baloch) is a Pakistani-American girl who has become the object of her stepfather’s lecherous gaze. Instead of divorcing the terrible man, her wealthy mother decides that marrying Abeer off to the first available man is the solution to the problem. At first, Abeer is wary of her playboy cousin Hamza (Mohsin Abbas) but, after family pressure, the cousins begin to hit it off and even agree to marry.

When Abeer refuses to sleep with Hamza before the wedding, he decides to punish her by running away. Predictably, the domineering grandmother pushes Abeer into marrying another conveniently available cousin, the shareef Hanaan (Hamza Sohail), who has been disappointed in love.

Anmol Baloch is unconvincing as a foreign return, and the only real chemistry is between Hamza Sohail and Mohsin Abbas, whose playful banter is at least entertaining. Abeer and her mother’s motivations would have made better sense within the context of financial and cultural restrictions of a middle-class Pakistani family.

Jhok Sarkar | Hum TV, Tuesdays 8.00pm

Farhan Saeed is in his element as the lone police officer, SP Arsalan, fighting for justice in rural South Punjab against a sadly-all-too-familiar nexus of lawless feudal lords and politicians.

Arsalan foils a human trafficking ring and shoots down the local good-for-nothing Jeevan, who turns out to be the son of the local schoolmaster. His sister, Sassi (Hiba Bukhari) blames the police till she learns from her friend, Noori (Maham Shahid), that her brother was sent to the encounter by the local feudal lord’s son Meeral (Usman Javed).

Author Hashim Nadeem has given us a strong story that does not shy away from gritty reality, but so far into the story, the female leads are the least well-written. Noori, accepting her fate as Jagirdar Peeral’s wife, is a little too smooth, as is Sassi’s transition to forgiving Arsalan for shooting her brother. Both events are deeply traumatising, yet both women jump over them like hurdles in a race.

Peeral (Asif Raza Mir) thinks he has won by forcing Noori to marry him, but she is the Trojan horse, collecting information, and a cause of disruption as his other wives plot against her. Farhan Saeed and Hiba Bukhari look great together and provide the energy to move this show forward. Will SP Arsalan break the power of the jagirdar, or is he doomed to failure?

Shanaas | Green TV, Tuesdays 9.00pm

Anisa (Hajra Yamin) is the apple of her wealthy parents’ — Mahrukh (Sania Saeed) and Jalal (Shahzad Nawaz) — eyes, and is about to marry Rameez (Arez Ahmed) whom she loves. Her world is turned upside down when her in-laws find out she is adopted, and cancel the engagement.

Rameez does not care but a confused and hurt Anisa withdraws. In a further twist, Anisa learns that Jalal is indeed her biological father and that she is the product of an affair with another woman played by Yasra Rizvi. Anisa faces more pain as her adoptive mother Mahrukh reels from this unexpected blow of infidelity. Sania Saeed as Mahrukh is fabulous as a mother facing loss after loss, while the rest of the cast is not far behind. Great storytelling from director Yasra Rizvi makes this rather familiar story more authentic than the usual melodrama.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Main | ARY, Coming soon

Intriguing teasers for their new mega-serial Main hint at a power struggle that is spiritual and external. Wahaj Ali and Ayeza Khan star in this story written by Zanjabeel Asim.

Published in Dawn, ICON, Aug 6th, 2023