Aap ki Izzat has everyone hooked. The suspense is building with every successive episode. What started off sounding like a predictable story, has taken a dramatic turn. Like an onion, Umera Ahmad is slowly peeling off layers of the protagonist’s character. She is one of the best writers of TV plays around these days. Her knack of crafting layered characters never disappoints.

Many of the plays airing nowadays boast of strong female leads. There are Khushbakht Naz of Aik Muhabbat Aur and Ansa of Bas Tera Saath Ho. Beena, the protagonist of Aap Ki Izzat, although introduced as a domesticated woman, springs a surprise on her husband on learning that he plans to re-marry. Tabish has his eyes set on a career in politics. To this end, he wants a wife upgrade so to say. He believes that his new wife, as well as everything else in his life, should fit-in with his new status.

His mother, played by Sania Saeed, does not want to antagonise her son. She reluctantly gives him permission to re-marry. For this, her character has received a lot of flak on social media. The plot thickens as Beena disappears. Later, Tabish receives a call from her. She asks for a divorce.

According to Shakespeare, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. When a body is discovered on the railway tracks, it is assumed that Beena has committed suicide. However, when her husband is asked to identify the corpse, he realises that it is not her. Rumours are rife that she has eloped with the sabzi wala, a character portrayed by Saif Ali Khan. The scandal threatens to destroy his [whose? Tabish? Saif?] political career, even before it has taken off.

Urwa plays the role of Beena to perfection. The play has turned into an edge-of-the-seat thriller, where every episode springs a surprise. Only a writer of Umera Ahmad’s calibre could have pulled this off. With every production, she has raised the bar higher. It is heartening to see that such stories are being welcomed and enjoyed by the viewers. The acceptance paves the way for similar productions in the future.

Urwa essays the role of Beena to perfection. The play is an edge-of-the-seat thriller, where every new episode springs a new surprise.

With a plethora of OTT platforms to choose from, the competition is cut throat. This is excellent news for the viewers. Local television productions need to keep pace and adapt or risk being left behind. This can be a win-win situation. It will hopefully pave the way for hatkay stories that make viewers question their values and think, rather than passively absorb what they see on their screens. This is likely the dawn of a new era for television.

The upside of OTT platforms is that they have given a new lease of life to many actors’ careers. Dar-i-Nijaat, also by Umera Ahmad, too, is airing currently. It highlights the cultural gap between the old and the new generation. This, too, promises to be off the beaten track. Although only three episodes have been aired to date, it has created quite a stir.

With these television productions venturing into uncharted territory, the line up for the rest of the year also looks promising. Mitti Dae Baway with Mahira Khan is eagerly awaited. As the competition intensifies and hatkay scripts find takers, it will encourage more and more production houses to experiment with scripts that push the envelope.

Keep watching and enjoying the plays being aired on Pakistani TV channels nowadays. Some of those can give Netflix and Amazon Prime productions a run for their money.

The writer is an educationist. She can be reached at [email protected].