THE WEEK THAT WAS
Bas Tera Saath Ho | ARY Digital, Mon-Tues 8.00pm
Like its previous iteration, Mere Humsafar, when the script runs low on story, the focus shifts to the villains, and teases an angry audience with the hope of karmic retribution.
A long-winding fuse has been lit and will eventually set ablaze the bonfire of vanities that is Anas’ (Farhan Saeed) uncle and his family. Anas’ cousin, Shireen (Zoya Nasir), and her fragile romance with a wealthy playboy, Faham Qureshi (Rizwan Jaffri), take centre stage and most of the screen time. Meanwhile, Shireen’s brother, Shayan (Haris Waheed), throws enough tantrums to push their indulgent father into giving him an office at their family business, from where he orders tea all day. While this is all mildly entertaining, it pulls the audience away from the main narrative, which should have centred on Ansa (Sana Javed) and Anas (Farhan Saeed) moving forward with their lives and relationship.
Here, too, the audience is tantalised by the imminent betrayal: what will Ansa do when she realises Anas is shielding his cousin, Shayan, rather than supporting Ansa? Like all successful commercial projects, the middle is being stretched for ratings, and it is easy to predict that the ending may well be a rough, patched bag of cliches.
Zanjeerain | Hum TV, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm
After a few slow weeks, the story has picked up pace, and we see some resolution coming.
Sar Buland (Danyal Zafar) is still reluctant to accept his cousin Sohrab (Raza Ali Abid) as the dark hand behind his brother’s death, despite ample clues. Men brought up in competitive tribal societies are usually well aware of succession wars, yet Sar Buland has made minimal efforts at analysis or strategy. The books he is supposed to have read seem like a decorative affectation rather than a marker of intelligence. Sohrab may be cunning, but his attempt to disgrace Sar Buland backfires, leading to Sar Buland and Rabia’s (Sajal Aly) nikaah.
Sajal Aly has been given limited dialogues, but she still manages to emote and carry the audience, while Danyal Zafar’s portrayal seems locked in inertia. The energy in the story is conveyed by the negative characters: Shireen (Anayah Shahid) and Sohrab on one side, and Gul Mehr (Mehermaan Aileeen Khan) and Torsam (Usman Javed) on the other. The series continues to be a source of controversy with “leaks” and conspiracy theories about friction among the production team, but the show’s popularity remains unabated.
Baar-i-Wafa | Hum TV, Aug 14 Telefilm
Veteran producer Sultana Siddiqui presents a timely story of the real costs of war through this telefilm. Neha (Sidra Niazi) and Damini (Hadiqa Kiani) share an unlikely cross-border friendship from their time in America. Osman Khalid Butt plays Neha’s husband and a surgeon caught in the crossfire while trying to save lives.
Every character wants to live in peace with their neighbours, except Damini’s husband, Anoop Malhotra (Syed Jibran), a war-hungry journalist who wants to get rich quick. Using humour and pathos with great effect, the story illustrates the long-term damage to future generations. Syed Jibran gives a masterful performance, quoting actual rhetoric and propaganda used by many Indian propagandists and mimicking their arrogant, inhumane tone.
While the victims are unseen and dehumanised, it is easy to kill and wreak mayhem in their lives. The same hyperbole that Anoop uses to bully his enemies makes them laugh, but ends up traumatising his own innocent child. Finally, he is reminded of his own vulnerability and forgotten humanity.
What To Watch Out For (Or Not)
Nashtar | Geo TV, Coming soon
It seems Pakistani audiences can never have enough of Danish Taimoor playing the tall, brooding hero. He clearly has no qualms about playing the same role repeatedly. This time, he will be staring intensely at Anmol Baloch.
Published in Dawn, ICON, August 23rd, 2026
