By Sadaf Haider

Copyright dawn

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Jama Taqseem | Hum TV, Wed-Thurs 8.00pm

Qais (Talha Chahour) is the youngest son in a traditional joint family but, despite the family’s objections to “love marriages”, his father (Javed Shaikh) accepts his son’s choice. Layla (Mawra Hocane) is the only daughter of a nuclear family. While she is used to the freedom they give her, she often feels lonely in her modern family that runs on self-reliance and education.

Layla chooses Qais, but her mother and even Qais’ family are concerned she will not be able to adjust to the demands of and patience required to get along with so many people. Writer Sarwat Nazir reminds us that parents or elders, and their ability to wield their authority with kindness and justice, are the threads that hold any family together.

Qais’ family is firmly ruled by his father, but his mother is a simple woman easily influenced by her manipulative older bhabi Nighat (Madiha Rizvi). Talha Chahour is good at playing everyone’s favourite younger son and boy-next-door but needs to test himself with more diverse roles. Similarly, Mawra is once again the good girl with a mission, whom we can all aspire to be but never quite achieve.

Jinn Ki Shadi Unn Ki Shadi | Hum TV, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

This is a smart, slick, clever Gen-Z comedy that does not rely on ethnic stereotypes and slapstick.

Wahaj Ali proves again what a versatile actor he is, by effortlessly slipping into the persona of Ali C, a small-time (over)actor who is impressed if he gets 5,000 likes on social media. Arsalan Naseer comes back into his own as the much-put-upon elder brother, forced to fulfil their father’s strange will by his greedy wife (Sidra Niazi). The brothers are set to inherit a lavish mansion worth ‘crores’, if they can spend six months there and get Ali married. Little do they know the mansion is infested with a particularly vicious type of djinns, in the form of Syed Jibran and Tamkenat.

Adding to the confusion, the younger sister of the djinn, Khushi (Seher Khan), is about to be married. While the family have a little protection from the djinn in the form of a taveez [amulet], Ali’s new friend and pushy YouTuber (Romaisa Khan) does not. Writer Syed Nabil and director Saife Hasan have concocted the perfect brew of love, laughter and danger, with a delicious sprinkling of star power from Wahaj Ali and Sehar Khan.

Mohallah | Express Entertainment, Mon-Tues 8.00pm

Express Entertainment is known for experimenting with new talent but this time they have gone back to the roots of Pakistani television, putting a younger cast into a multi-layered story about urban life. Director Adnan Wai Qureshi and writer Mustafa Hashmi deserve credit for crafting an addictive, relatable show that relies on authenticity rather than the usual motifs of romance and struggles of family life.

Zarnab (Mehar Bano) and Haider (Shehzad Shaikh) hatch a plan to extort money from the ageing Romeo Junaid (Javed Shaikh), but get caught up in their own web of lies. An array of characters, played by Srha Asghar, Alee Hasan Shah, Zainab Qayyum and Hina Bayat give us a window into the interwoven lives of a small neighborhood, where everyone knows everyone’s business.

A nuanced script ensures there are very few overtly good characters to latch on to — everyone is flawed — but the situations and detailed personality sketches draw the audience in.

What To Watch Out For (Or Not)

Sanwal Yaar Piya | Geo TV, Coming soon

The teasers for Sawal Yaar Piya are leaving netizens utterly confused. Instead of the story, attention is being given to the flamboyant styling of male leads Ahmed Ali Akbar and Feroze Khan.

Published in Dawn, ICON, September 21st, 2025