With the year 2020 drawing to a close, we saw several drama serials including Pyar Ke Sadqay, Dushman-e-Jaan, Sabaat, Muqaddar and the recently concluded Jalan amongst many others, offering a variety of genres and strong performances. While dramas such as Bandhay Ek Dor Se, Fitrat, Mushk, Qarar and Prem Gali etc are currently on-air and intriguing the audiences, various new narratives already have or are lined up to hit the small screen in the coming days.

Teasers of some upcoming dramas, featuring some of our favourite artists from the entertainment industry, have already released and by the looks of it we are quite hopeful that the new content will certainly make television look better in 2021.

With new plots and fresh on-screen pairings, we are quite excited to see what’s in store for us in the New Year. Instep gives you an insight…

Dunk

One of the most awaited drama serials, Dunk’s first episode was aired earlier this week. The mystery-thriller stars Bilal Abbas Khan as Haider and Sana Javed as Amal, and they’re sharing the screen for the first time.

Directed by Badar Mehmood, Dunk is written by Mohsin Ali and the story revolves around the issue of harassment at an educational institute. Apart from Sana and Bilal, the drama series has an ensemble cast including Noman Ejaz, Yasra Rizvi, Shahood Alvi, Fahad Sheikh, Laila Wasti and Azekah Daniel.

A university professor Humayun, essayed by Noman Ijaz, is accused of sexually harassing Amal (played by Sana); however he denies all such claims. While the issue of harassment has been highlighted multiple times in various dramas, it’ll be interesting to see Dunk tackling this subject, especially if the story is being told from the alleged harasser’s perspective.

Raqs e Bismil

The much anticipated drama serial Raqs e Bismil, featuring Imran Ashraf and Sarah Khan, hit our TV screens on December 25.

The series has been written along the lines of spiritual dramas such as Mahira Khan-starrer Shehr-E-Zaat (2012) and Alif (2019). Dubbed as ‘a soulful story’, Imran can be seen essaying an unconventional hero, who is quite aggressive. On the other hand, Sarah is playing the character of mellow yet strong-headed young woman that strikes a stark contrast to her portrayal of Miral in Sabaat.

Directed by Wahajat Rauf, the drama is penned by Hashim Nadeem of Khuda Aur Mohabbat fame and besides Imran and Sarah it stars veteran actors Mehmood Aslam, Saleem Mairaj, Nida Mumtaz, Anoushay Abbasi, Gul-e-Rana and Furqan Qureshi. Raqs e Bismil also marks the television debut of model and actress Zara Sheikh.

Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3

The third instalment of the Khuda Aur Mohabbat franchise on Geo Entertainment - that featured Imran Abbas and Sadia Khan in the last season - is all set to enthral the viewers in the near future. Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3 stars Feroze Khan and Iqra Aziz; it is directed by Syed Wajahat Hussain of Do Bol and Yaariyan fame, while it is written by Hashim Nadeem and produced under the banner of Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi’s 7th Sky Entertainment. The love story is said to have a strong spiritual angle to it and besides Iqra Aziz and Feroze Khan, the star studded cast includes Junaid Khan, Jawed Sheikh, Tooba Siddiqui, Sunita Marshall, Rubina Ashraf, Asma Abbas, Usman Peerzada, Seemi Pasha and Zain Baig.

Given the success of past seasons, we are sure this upcoming instalment will definitely make a mark.

Pehli Si Mohabbat

We are more than excited to see Maya Ali and Sheheryar Munawar, who were last seen in Asim Raza’s Parey Hut Love, return to the small screen with drama serial Pehli Si Mohabbat. All set to go on air in the coming days, designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY) will make his acting debut with this drama. Moreover, the cast includes Rabia Butt and Nausheen Shah. While Maya Ali is returning to television after almost three years, Sheheryar will be seen on the small screen after a hiatus of six years. Helmed by Anjum Shahzad, the drama is written by Faiza Iftikhar and as the title suggests, it’s a love story. However, we will have to wait and see what the Maya and Sheheryar-starrer has to offer.

Neeli Zinda Hai

After intriguing us with a powerful performance in Dushman-e-Jaan earlier this year, Mohib Mirza is all geared up for upcoming drama series, titled Neeli Zinda Hai. The super-talented Sana Javed will be seen opposite Mohib and the two are sharing the screen for first time.

The script is penned by Adeel Razzak while the project is helmed by Qasim Ali Mureed. In a recent interview with an online entertainment portal, the director shared that Neeli Zinda Hai is “a classic love story that revolves around the past and present simultaneously”. In the forthcoming drama, Sana will be seen essaying the character of Neeli while Mohib Mirza will play her love interest, Amaan. The cast also includes Sonia Mishal, Osama Tahir, Syed Mohammad Ahmed and many others.

What Neeli Zinda Hai has in store for viewers, only time will tell!