THE WEEK THAT WAS

Kafeel | ARY, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

Zeba (Sanam Saeed) may have moved forward with khula [a wife’s dissolution of her marriage] to start a new life independent of her good-for-nothing husband Jamshed/Jami (Emmad Irfani), but the world still continues to judge her.

Meanwhile, although Asma (Rukhma Akhtar) is happily married to the wealthy Pakistani American her father preferred, she still enjoys Jami’s company whenever she visits him every year. During this year’s visit, she confronts Zeba and accuses her of ruining her own marriage because of her “small friendship” with Jami. Zeba points out that they are having an affair — even if it is only an emotional one.

Director Meesam Naqvi has tried to paper over some of the story’s weak points by ginning up the Gen Z romance angle, with mixed results. For older generations, Zeba’s story is important and resonates with many people struggling with society’s expectations. However, unlike Umera Ahmed’s usually incisive writing, much of Kafeel feels glossed over. After all, there can be depth and humour in a drama rather than turning it into a complete festival of misery, or forcing a bubbly romcom frame into a difficult scene. Despite this, the dynamic between Sanam Saeed, Emmad Irfani and Rukhma Akhtar makes for fascinating viewing, bringing a level of focus to a show that seemed to be losing its way in subplots.

Meri Zindagi Hai Tu | ARY, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

In an attempt to garner even higher ratings for their top-rated show, ARY has reduced its episodes to one a week and stretched the story with nonsensical subplots.

Kaamyar (Bilal Abbas Khan) is still acting in an arrogant and abusive manner towards his wife, Ayra (Hania Aamir), over a leaked video. Meanwhile, his relationship with the maker of the video, Fariha (Vardah Aziz), continues unabated and he spends a lot of time partying with drugs and alcohol in her company — behaviour that is presented and justified as harmless, performative angst.

Fariha now tries trapping Ayra in an embarrassing situation. In a desperate effort to give his hero some kind of return to decency after dragging him to the bottom of the moral barrel for ratings, writer Radain Shah polishes Kaamyar’s halo by having him save Ayra’s father. While the contrivance is painfully obvious, those viewers hooked to the show are still tuning in — and probably will until it ends. Bilal Abbas Khan has done his best to hold this untenable plot together. However, Vardah Aziz is hard to believe as an arch-villain.

Dekh Zara Pyar Se | Hum TV, Daily 9.00pm

This light comedy makes a serious point about forced marriages and consent — something that seems to have been lost amid the recent wave of super-hit, obsessive and toxic love stories.

The audience holds their breath, waiting to see if Romi (Yumna Zaidi) will take her revenge on Zoraiz (Hamza Sohail), the groom who unknowingly abandoned her, and she does not disappoint. Surprisingly, she conveniently forgets that he was coerced into the relationship by his grandfather, Akmal Dawood (Arshad Mahmud).

Writer Saima Akram Chaudhry breathes fresh, progressive life into this old trope. This is easy Ramazan viewing, but the plot wears a little thin at times. There are some good dialogues, but the lack of chemistry between the two leads, Hamza Sohail and Yumna Zaidi, is quite disappointing. However, the hilarious rivalry between their grandparents is entertaining.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Dr Bahu | ARY, Coming soon

The first teasers for Dr Bahu have arrived, featuring Shuja Asad and Kubra Khan and Sanam Mehdi’s script promising a serial that tackles relevant and contemporary social issues. Chosen as a trophy wife, a young doctor (Kubra Khan) finds herself struggling with her husband’s (Shuja Asad) jealousy and past traumas. The serial is directed by Mehreen Jabbar.

Published in Dawn, ICON, March 19th, 2026