Here are 5 women-centric Pakistani TV shows to binge-watch this weekend

Are you looking for something to binge-watch this weekend but don’t know what to watch? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

In the past couple of years, we’ve seen the resurgence of the strong female lead. This weekend, why not watch something where the main character isn’t a damsel in distress?

Kuch Ankahi

From the teaser and posters, one would assume that Kuch Ankahi was about a woman and a man who bicker day and night but end up together in the end. But the TV show goes way beyond everyone’s favourite Ramazan serial trope. It’s not just about one man and a woman but an entire family.

Kuch Ankahi stars Sajal Aly as Aaliya, Bilal Abbas Khan as Salman, Mira Sethi as Aaliya’s older sister Samiya, and Qudsia Ali as her younger sister Tanya. Aly and Bilal are property brokers who quarrel over property deals but that’s not the entirety of the story. It’s also about the layers of struggle every woman faces. From Samiya’s struggle to get married while constantly being pressured about her age, Aaliya trying to make ends meet so she can pay off her father’s siblings over their house dispute and Tanya following her dreams to become a filmmaker, Kuch Ankahi depicts a true family in the best way possible, one that everyone can relate with while also having a few laughs.

It’s still airing, so you will only be able to binge-watch five episodes — the fifth is airing on Saturday.

Dobara

Hadiqa Kiani played Mehrunnisa in TV show Dobara where she played a woman who became a widow in the first episode and must face society’s scorn. Mehrunnisa gets to finally live her life without being subject to the dictates of her late husband.

Dobara is a show for all women who have ever felt trapped or helpless. It also shows the judgement a woman faces for marrying someone younger than her. Her character proved that dramas with female leads can be very successful, if you get them right.

Sinf-e-Aahan

Sinf-e-Aahan had seven female leads and was one of the best dramas of 2021-2022 that we recommend to everyone. It’s a show for everyone, especially young people who don’t want to go down the usual route when it comes to their career options.

The show stars Sajal Aly, Yumna Zaidi, Ramsha Khan, Kubra Khan, Syra Yousuf, Dananeer Mobeen and Yehali Tashiya Kalidasa. The seven actors take the test to qualify to enter the Pakistan Army. Each woman has their own story to tell, as well as their own achievements that are inspiring in their own way. The experiences they shared at the PMA, the friendship, the bond and the message with each character’s personality and story was exactly what Pakistani TV was missing.

Zindagi Gulzar Hai

To see a headstrong woman in a 2012 show was truly a moment on its own. For some, Zindagi Gulzar Hai was about Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed as a couple but for us it was all about Saeed’s Kashaf Murtaza who won our heart over and over again.

It wasn’t just her strong personality but her dialogues that won our hearts. “They only like a woman for their own self seeking reasons,” she said in the show and it stayed with us. Zindagi Gulzar Hai highlights gender bias as well as the socio-economic difference between Kashaf and Fawad’s Zaroon Junaid.

Ghisi Piti Mohabbat

Another one of Ramsha’s dramas to make it to our list is 2020’s Ghisi Piti Mohabbat. The drama may have had the spice and suspense you need to get hooked, but for us it was Samia’s storyline in which she learns that there are bigger things in life than marriage.

Each of her marriages, one with Wahaj Ali’s Rizwan and the other with Ali Abbas’ Basharat, teaches her a lesson to rely on herself and become a woman who is strong-headed and independent when it comes to taking care of herself, financially and emotionally.

Which TV show have you watched and would like to recommend?