THE WEEK THAT WAS

Dar-i-Nijaat | ARY Digital, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

Beautiful, intelligent and privileged, Zaryab (Durefishan Saleem) has earned a place at the world’s most prestigious university, Harvard, but is willing to throw it all away because of her insecure boyfriend, Zamil (Nameer Khan). Nameer Khan captures his character’s instability and constant need for reassurance perfectly. He is constantly fidgeting, his hands tremble and he has mood swings. These reveal his inner feelings until he finally finds a way to regain his status as someone special through religion.

A wife without the security or dignity of a marriage certificate, Zaryab does everything to fit into the ever-shrinking space Zamil can tolerate her in. Zaryab’s obsession with being a ‘fixer’ doesn’t allow either of them space to grow. However, she remains determined to bring him back as the man who once suited her so well. As Zamil becomes overtly religious, he begins to blame Zaryab for leading him astray. Confused, she begins to question herself: is she really the monster he imagines her to be?

Durefishan has trouble with her dialogue delivery and is in a fight for her life as far as her English language accent is concerned, but does a good job of conveying Zaryab’s emotional struggles through quiet emotions. The mystery around Abu Bakar (Sheheryar Munawar) unfolds. His kindness and stability as a spiritually aware man draw a sharp contrast to Zamil, whose religious practice seems shallow and performative.

Zeher-i-Mohabbat | Hum TV, Sat-Sun 9.00pm

The lives of a disparate array of people living in Karachi are disrupted by the local gangster, Babu (Imran Qureshi) — whether it is Seth Irtiza (Alyy Khan) in his air-conditioned highrise or the orphaned Arham (Omer Shahzad), whose tiny family business is threatened for not paying protection money.

Writer Shahid Dogar specialises in exploring the layers of society that are superficially worlds apart but suffer from the same simmering corruption and lawlessness. His heroes are usually intelligent young men who sometimes have the foolhardy drive to turn the entrenched system upside down.

Omer Shahzad has grown as an actor, but his well-muscled build speaks of a wealthy ‘gym bro’ rather than a deprived young man struggling against the odds. Arham needs money because Babu’s goons ruined his family business. He gets involved with a shady friend, one of Babu’s boys, and is implicated in the shooting of Seth Irtiza. Arham bonds with Seth Irtiza’s daughter, Umamaa (Zoha Tauqeer), but what will happen when his involvement in the shooting comes out? Another wild card is Waqar (Arez Ahmed), a manipulative, avaricious man who married Umamaa’s sister and wants the family fortune.

Aap Ki Izzat | Hum TV, Fri-Sat 8.00pm

Beena (Urwa Hocane) and Tabish (Ahsan Khan) were in a marriage of love and acceptance, but wealth and arrogance had put so much distance between them that Tabish decided on a second marriage.

Ahsan Khan returns to our screens with a masterclass in acting, from a cruel, narcissistic would-be politician to a humbled husband who finally understands how low he has sunk. Director Saife Hasan skilfully weaves the past and present, showing us how much care, love and effort Beena had put into their relationship, only to be discarded. Writer Umera Ahmed shows the terrible, horrifying advice Tabish is given to murder Beena in the name of ‘honour’ by one bystander after another, but Tabish’s better nature slowly resurfaces.

Urwa Hocane as Beena gives an outstanding performance as a woman who has stopped caring about what the world thinks. This is one of the best serials this season.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Gulbahar | Hum TV, Coming soon

Sanam Saeed and Emmad Irfani star in a story about love, marriage and the perseverance required to maintain relationships. Veteran director Mehreen Jabbar seemingly brings a very contemporary edge to a traditional story.

Published in Dawn, ICON, September 6th, 2026