THE WEEK THAT WAS

Khai | Geo TV, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm

The basic premise of this show is: there are a lot of bad men with guns, and no police or law and order in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Darwesh Khan (Noor Hassan) returns to his homeland, willing to forgive his father’s murder at the hands of local land mafia boss Duraab Khan (Khalid Butt), for the sake of a peaceful future for his children. This only emboldens Duraab and his criminal son, Channar (Faysal Quraishi), who fancies Darwesh’s daughter, Zamda (Durre Fishan), as his third wife. On the day Zamda is to marry her beloved cousin, Badal (Osama Tahir), her father and brothers are brutally massacred by the Duraab crime family, and she is abducted by Channar.

On the plus side, 7th Sky Productions has spent money and effort on what looks like a good action thriller for the masses. Director Syed Wajahat and his cinematographer have worked magic, presenting the eternal beauty of the Northern Areas as the backdrop for an exciting storyline.

Veteran actor Khalid Butt gives us a brilliant portrayal of sheer arrogance and evil, with a touch of black humour, as the ultimate villain. Durre Fishan is in every second drama, and has honed her acting abilities well beyond being decorative, and with this role may cement her position as a serious actress. On the minus side, a lot of good sense is sacrificed to make this plot work, and the writer Saqlain Abbas has not done the research, so every single character has the surname ‘Khan’.

Mohabbat Satrangi | Green TV, Mon-Tues 7.00pm

Hot onthe heels of ARY Digital’s runaway success, Baby Baji (written by Abdul Khaliq Khan), Green Entertainment presents a new serial filled with cast members from the old show, and focused on the same, traditional joint family issues. To avoid accusations of outright plagiarism, a few new characters have been added and the story shaken up a bit, if not stirred.

Like Asra Bhabhi in Baby Baji, the plot driver is Husn Ara, who may be mean and manipulative, but is also funny and makes the odd good point. This all begins to make sense when we find out the actress essaying both roles, Javeria Saud, is the writer behind Mohabbat Satrangi.

Natural cast chemistry, situations everyone can identify with, a good director and the recognition factor from Baby Baji’sSeason 1 have given Mohabbat Satrangi and Green good ratings. When Season 2 of the original Baby Baji is released by ARY, we will be able to observe an interesting experiment in audience psychology and media studies play out in real time.

Namak Haram | Hum TV, Fridays 8.00pm

Mureed (Imran Ashraf) is a man tortured by the trauma of his mother’s rape at his employer Amin Qureshi’s (Babar Ali) hands, and then his father’s suicide. As a friendless orphan supposedly ignorant of this terrible past, he is kept on as Qureshi’s right-hand man and indispensable servant. However, Mureed remembers everything and the need for revenge and retribution burns deep within him.

This might have made for an interesting Baazigar-type story, but Mureed’s constantly creepy behaviour and intense, enigmatic dialogues would mark him as a dangerously unstable individual in real life. This show would be better off with a subtler approach and a more suspenseful vibe. With little screen time, Sarah Khan is worth watching as Qureshi’s daughter, Asma, tricked into marriage by Mureed, but smart enough to see through him.

What To Watch Out For (or not)

Baby Baji Ki Bahuwain | ARY, Coming soon

Siddiqui Saheb (Munawar Saeed) and Rasheeda Begum (Samina Ahmed) have passed on but the stories of their sons and daughters-in-law continue.

Published in Dawn, ICON, January 14th, 2024