Established by Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi in the year 2005, Hum TV is one of Pakistan’s largest entertainment networks and is in top ranks maintaining a faithful fanbase all over the globe.
Hum TV has granted us with some of the most remarkable shows “humsafar”, “dastan” and “suno Chanda,” to name a few. The shows have covered a broad variety of genres and plotlines. Drawing their stories from urban Pakistan primarily, the shows are predominantly concentrated on the teen/youth audience.
On Hum TVs 16th anniversary, let us roll back the times and visit the 16 series by Hum Tv you should certainly watch in 2021-
- Humsafar
Perhaps the most popular show created by Hum TV, Humsafar obtained recognition all over the world. Broadcasted in 2011, the show features Fawad Afzal Khan and Mahira Khan in the central role.
The story is about Khirad Ahsaan (Mahira Khan) belonging to a small middle-class family and Ashar Hussain (Fawad Khan) who studied MBA in Yale university. The sudden ailment of Khirad’s mother led them shifting to Baseerat’s house, who is Khirad’s uncle and Ashar’s father.
Circumstances made Baseerat to request Ashar to marry Khirad. Fastened in a mismatched and unsuitable bond, Khirad and Ashar strives to align their relationship.
Humsafar caters issues like status, love, betrayal, toxic masculinity, etc.
The show has the power to make you laugh, cry, sob and still keep you in its mojo.
Ashar and Khirad are a universal ship and their rollercoaster journey is bound to remain with you forever.
- Zindagi Gulzar Hai
Another of the distinguished show on Hum Tv, the show starrs Sanam Saeed and Fawad Khan.
The show follows the life of two families who are poles apart. Kashaf (Sanam Saeed) belongs to a poor middle-class family with two other sisters and a mother suffering the financial burden with Kashaf’s father marrying off again because her mother was unable to conceive a boy for him.
Zaroon (Fawad Khan) is a girl’s man, a cool, immature, flirtarious person. Zaroon’s mother is an independent working mother with an uncompromising and stubborn nature and a sister who follows the same life morales as her mother.
Kashaf and Zaroon meets at their university and their enormously different nature and personalities leave them both loathing each other.
Zindagi Gulzar Hai is a must watched tv show that focuses on the idea of strong women and correspondingly supports the need of compromising nature and flexibility for each human to support their relationships.
- Dastaan
Broadcasted as Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam in India and another of the gem delivered by Fawad Khan. The show also features Sanam Baloch, Mehreen Raheel and Saba Qamar.
Dastaan is a beautiful and heart-wrenching story revolving around the partition of the Indian subcontinent and subsequent formation of Pakistan. The drama focuses on the story of a village girl Bano and her childhood friend Hassan and their experiences with the trials of partition.
The show is based on the novel Bano.
- Sadqay Tumhare
First off, the title “May my years be added to yours”!!!!
It is a biographical show based on the life story of Khalil-Ur-Rehman Qamar. The show features Mahira Khan, Samiya Mumtaz and Adnan Malik. It follows the story of Shanno who was betrothed to Khalid. They know of their engagement but spends most of their childhood apart because of their status difference. Shanno is a village girl while Khalid belongs to a rich town.
The show is another of a life-lesson created by Hum Tv. It journey through phases of life and love.
The show garnered a lot of recognition. It is available on Netflix as well.
- Suno Chanda
Possibly the most entertaining show created by Hum Tv. Suno chanda and Suno Chanda 2 both are amazing, funny, humourous and takes you on a ride to diverse Pakistani culture, traditions and languages. The rom-com series starrs Farhan Saeed and Iqra Aziz among others and celebrates the wedding tradition or Nikaah by focusing on the story of two cousins Ajiya and Arsalan who were married because of their grandfather’s last wish.
The two are poles apart and yet have the same stubbornness, humour and immaturity. Their journey follows as they try to separate their families and consequently the wedding with several of the relatives adding spices to it.
- Shehr-e-zaat
Shehr-e-zaat is a spiritual show based on the novel of the same name by Umera Ahmed. The show features Mahira Khan, Mohib Mirza and Mikaal Zulfiqar.
Mahira Khan as Falak journey through her life full of riches and materialistic things to her path towards the almighty and kindness.
Falak is fallen in worldly pursuit to such an extent that she loses her humane qualities. The show caters to religious love in such a way that every human, no matter belonging to any religion can relate to.
Shehr-e-Zaat received universal critical acclaim and is widely considered to be one of the greatest television series of all time.
- Yeh dil mera
Yeh Dil Mera is a romantic thriller featuring Ahad Raza Mir, Sajal Aly and Adnan Siddiqui.
It focuses on the story of a man and women who are incompatible and different in every way possible but as universe has its own way, their chemistry brings them together again and again.
Directed by Aehsun Talish and written by Farhat Ishtiaq, the show is another one of the gems worth seeing.
- Udaari
With two stories running in parallel, Udaari was one of the most hit dramas of its time. Adding the nuances of a rustic rural background, the Urdu-Punjabi drama is based on social issues and is filled with beautiful musics taken from the very grounds that this drama originates from.
Directed by Mohd. Ehteshamuddin starring the most loved couple Farhan Saeed and Urwa Hocane along with Samira Mumtaz, Bushra Ansari and Ahsan Khan in the leading roles the drama deals with child sexual abuse where the villain is a pedophile. Getting the girl her justice and giving voices to women, this drama had set a bar too high for any other to breach.
- Bin Roye
This drama has the potential to make the strongest of hearts cry like a baby. So if you are somebody who is easily moved by movies and dramas, you would want to get yourself a bunch of tissue boxes. Starring the hit onscreen couple Humayun Saeed and Mahira Khan, this is one of the most super hit dramas by HUM TV.
Following a simple story of a young girl being hopelessly in love with one man for her entire existence ends up having him snatched away in a split second. But what hurts the most is not the unrequited love but a betrayal from her own sister. How did that happen? What follows next? To get the answers of these questions, you’ll have to watch the drama.
- Ehd -e- wafa
What if something like ‘Rang-de-Basanti’ was made in the modern world? The what if has been answered by this HUM TV drama. Ehd-e-wafa directed by Saife Hassan, stars Alizeh Shah, Ahad Raza Mir, Osman Khali Butt, Ahmed Ali Akbar, Wahaj Ali and Zara Noor Abbas.
With friendship, love and patriotism, this story has a lot in store. What starts off as a college friendship story ends up being a political drama drawing parallel to reality. Loosely based on the cross border tensions between India and Pakistan and events like the Pulwama attacks, this is not just a story about friendship and love.
With an OST that invokes longing for friends, this is a must watch. It is sung by Ali Zafar, Asim Azhar, Sahir Ali Bagga and Aima Baig. The lyrics are by Imran Raza.
- Gul-e-Rana
What takes for someone’s heart to change? Sometimes forever, sometimes never while sometimes just a person. A story of a rich spoiled brat Adeel (Feroze Khan) considers women as mere pieces for play.
His cousin Gul-e-Rana (Sajal Ali) however is someone who works for the betterment of women in the society. But as irony has it, circumstances and Adeel’s adamant attitude leaves her with no choice other than marrying him. Watch the drama to see what happened next in their married life.
- Mann Mayal
Episodes starting with the installing voice of Quratulain Balouch (OST written and composed by Shuja Hyder) Mann Mayal is tragic, emotional and dramatic. Directed by Haseeb Hassan the story highlighting class difference, domestic violence and pain being inflicted upon subjugated women under the garb of them being ‘mashriki’. Manahil (Maya Ali) is yet another simple girl next door who falls in love with her neighbour Salahuddin (Hamza Ali Abbasi) who loves her but never confesses his love for the fear of rejection.
Left heartbroken, Manahil marries someone else who turns out to be a devil’s incarnation in human form. Watch the series to know what follows next
- Meray Qatil Meray Dildar
A normal middle class girl Maham (Mehwish Hayat) falls for Umer (Ahsan Khan) but Umer’s family disapproves of their union. On the support of Umer’s elder brother Bakhtyar (Adnan Siddiqui) they get married. But Bakhtyar turns out to be none other than the man who had been stalking her for a long time.
A misunderstanding lead Umer to throw her out of his life and marry his cousin Shifa(Sajal Ali). What about the broken girl they left to rot and curse her own life? She returns and how? That’s for you to find out by watching the drama.
- Mol
Mol literally means value. But if we were to find the value of a show as beautifully curated as this one, we are going to get a hard time. More than a conventional love triangle, it is a satire on what women go through in a conservative society like ours. While Shahryar (Faysal Qureshi) is a modern, rich eligible bachelor but his old school family had him engaged to his baby cousin Sajjal (Iqra Aziz) while they were still kids. Frustrated by his family’s pressure Shahryar gets himself posted to Sukkur where he meets Emaan (Naveen Waqar) and is instantly in love with her dreamy, philosophical personality. The two get married. And what? Happily ever after? Well, Mol also means cost.
So what is the cost of love? Love. In a twisted tale of wanting and loving and having to pay a price, this drama is a must watch.
- Pyaar Ke Sadqay
What happens when two minuses get together? Mathematically, it turns into a plus. But does life follow the same rule? Directed by Farooq Rind, the drama follows Abdullah (Bilal Abbas) and Mahjabeen (Yumna Zaidi) both flawed in their own ways but bound together by innocence.
He is a mathematical genius, she is anything but brainy. He is soft spoken, timid and stammering. She is quirky, naive, clumsy and carefree. Seems like a perfect match? Well, Abdullah’s step father Sarwar (Omair Rana) is very brutal with Abdullah, and if that wasn’t enough, he is interested in Mahjabeen. Stalking her around like a predator, he dissolves every bit of poison he can lay hand on, in their married life. Abdullah and Mahjabeen are torn apart but they come back stronger together. So mathematics actually works in real life? That’s plausible.
- Sabaat
The class clash has always been a major theme in Asian literature and cinema. Taking it up as one of the themes, Sabaat is a modern day drama directed by Shahzad Kashmiri that aired on HUM TV.
The story of two rich and spoiled siblings Miral (Sarah Khan) and Hassan (Ameer Gilani) and an ambitious simple middle class girl Anaya (Mawra Hocane) is nothing new but somehow the spectacular portrayal and the simplicity of the writing makes it worthy of all the time.
Revolving around Hassan and Anaya’s love-hate relationship and Miral’s unexplained hatred towards Anaya for her belonging to an economically backward class, the different shades of the characters make it wholesome. What adds to the beauty and cinematic experience of the drama is its OST sung in the very soothing voice of Ali Sethi. The lyrics are by Kashi Anwar and it has been composed by Naveed Nashad.
This list has been co-curated by another TSA writer, Mahvish Fatima.
Also Read:
Pakistani Dramas breaking the stereotypes of a conservative society