We know what you’re thinking; is there really anything entertaining about Pakistani TV dramas that appear to think endless family problems, cousin marriages, painful love triangles and abusive men are a good time pass. But wait. While this is what most TV dramas are spewing out, there are a few which we would personally recommend you catch up on for a whiff of fresh narrative. They come few and far between so we recommend you not miss them.

Yeh Dil Mera

Starring Ahad Raza Mir, Sajal Aly and Adnan Siddiqui in the lead with strong performances by Zarnish Khan and Mira Sethi, Yeh Dil Mera is a suspense thriller done well. It’s not an outright whodunnit murder mystery but it brings enough intrigue value to keep you hooked. Amanullah (Ahad Raza Mir) is a young and successful businessman who apparently falls in love with Noor ul Ain (Sajal Aly), daughter of another business tycoon, Mir Farooq (Adnan Siddiqui). But behind Aman’s evident love story lies his actual plan of avenging his family’s cold blooded murder; the boy was 11 when he witnessed Mir Farooq shooting his parents and sister. Noor ul Ain has her own skeletons to deal with; she has grown up with frightful nightmares of gunshots at a train station. Her mother (Mira Sethi) died when she was very young and we are led to believe that Mir Farooq is also responsible for his wife’s murder. There are further twists and turns in this well executed story, which is how nearing its end but you can of course catch it on YouTube.

Pyar Ke Sadqay

Another unconventional story, Pyar Ke Sadqay is the story of two apparent dimwits, Mahjabeen (Yumna Zaidi) and Abdullah (Bilal Abbas Khan). While we have no clue as to why Mahjabeen is such a simpleton, we know that Abdullah has grown up under the abusive influence of his step father, Sarwar (Omair Rana). Sarwar married Abdullah’s mother (Atiqa Odho), a woman much older to him, when her industrialist husband died years ago, and of course his intentions were purely materialistic. He is now shown to be completely infatuated with the very young Mahjabeen, who has – in a series of unfortunate incidents – ended up marrying Abdullah. It’s a comedy of errors with a sinister side, amplified by purely brilliant performances by the entire cast.

Muqaddar

Featuring Faysal Quraishi as the formidable Sardar Saif ur Rehman, a Cambridge read feudal, Muqaddar is about one powerful man’s obsession with a young and upcoming journalist. Amidst a plethora of dramas in which women are portrayed as housewives with nothing better to do than connive and conspire against each other, Muqaddar revolves around Raima (Madiha Imam), who is passionately pursuing a career in journalism until she interviews Sardar Saif ur Rehman, and becomes the object of his obsession. She is abducted and forced into marrying him but she leaves behind an emotional fiancé, Haris (Ali Ansari) and a love-struck classmate Saad (Haroon Shahid) who also happens to be Saif ur Rehman’s nephew. How will he react when he discovers that his uncle has forcibly married the girl of his dreams? We are yet to find out.

Kashf

Starring Hira Mani in the titular role, Kashf is the story of a girl who has voyeuristic dreams and whatever she dreams of comes true. She belongs to a lower middle class family and comes with a family of two sisters, an aunt and her mother, all of whom live under the oppressive hold of their father. Kashf is also engaged to her cousin Wajdan (because, what else?) played by Junaid Khan however there is opposition to the marriage. Wajdan’s mother feels the families are not financially compatible whereas we are led to believe that Kashf’s father will oppose to her marrying at all because he will see a money-making opportunity in Kashif’s gift. Despite projecting several stereotypes, Kashf has started on a promising note and one hopes that the director does justice to the complex and yet very interesting theme.