Aangan Tehra

If Half-Plate can be considered the best teleplay by Anwar Maqsood, Aangan Tehra (آنگن ٹھڑا) is his best TV Drama Serial. It’s an old serial, which was presented by PTV in the late 1980’s. It was directed by Qaisar Farooq.

Almost all the episode of the series are shot indoors, which is depicted as the house of Mehboob Ahmed (a retired civil servant played by Shakeel). Each episode is based around some characteristics of Pakistani society ranging from the effects of Marshal Law on the society to the life of journalists.

Several guest stars appear in this series include Moeen Akhtar, Muhammad Ali Shehki and Anwar Maqsood himself. He appears in the last but one episode to announce that the series is about to come to an end. Within this episode, he gathers all the characters and tells them which ones stay to perform for the last episode and which ones have to leave. The last episode brings a nice end to the series.

Main Cast

Shakil, Salim Nasir, Bushra Ansari, Durdana Butt, Arshad Mahmood and some guest stars

1. Mehboob Ahmed, played by Shakeel, is a retired civil servant with meagre resources.
2. Jehan Ara Begum, played by Bushra Ansari, is Mehboob’s wife. They don’t have any children. Jehan Ara Begum always cribs about Mehboob’s financial condition.
3. Akbar, played by Salim Nasir, is the servant who lives with the family and is never paid his salary. Yet he remains loyal and doesn’t leave Mr. and Mrs. Mehboob. He is previously a classical dancer, and his only desire is to earn fame with his skills in dancing.
4. Chaudhry Sahib, played by Arshad Mehmood, is Mehboob Ahmed’s neighbour. He is easily impressed by whatever Mehboob Ahmed says or plans to do.
5. Hamsheera Sultana, played by Durdana Butt, is Chaudhry Sahib’s sister. She is unmarried and secretly admires Mehboob Ahmed for his personality and character. Of course, she isn’t liked by Jehan Ara at all.

Trailer

Trivia

1. The name Aangan Tehra seems to be derived from the Urdu proverb: Naach na janay aangan tehra (ناچ نہ جانے آنگن ٹھڑا), which literary means that if someone doesn’t know how to dance, he complains that the flooring is not balanced.

Waris

Waris (وارث) by Amjad Islam Amjad is yet another PTV classic from 1980’s. It’s a story of a feudal lord, Chaudhary Hashmat, and depicts the greed and ruthlessness of feudal lords in rural Pakistan. Despite his cruelty and cunningness, the Chaudhary ultimately gets punished by fate.

The role of Chaudhary Hashmat is played by Mehboob Alam. He lives in Sikandarpur; he has a son and two nephews, and this small family has its ways to subdue entire Sikandarpur. As the story progresses, their land is under threat of compulsory purchase by the government for a new dam. The Chaudhary doesn’t vacate the place and meets a fatal end.

Waris was directed by Nusrat Thakur. Most of the shooting has been done either indoors or in a village setting, with occasional scenes depicting the city of Lahore.

Being an old serial, this drama serial would hardly impress the later generations. However, anyone who is fond of the glorious days of PTV will surely find this a treat; all actors have performed their best.

Main Cast of Waris

Abid Ali, Mehboob Alam, Munawar Saeed, Firdaus Jamal, Khayyam Sarhadi, Aurangzeb Laghari and others

1. Chaudhary Hashmat, played by Mehboob Alam, is the lead character of this drama.
2. Chaudhary Anwar, played by Firdaus Jamal, is one of the two nephews of Chaudhary Hashmat. He is greedy and always at odds with his brother.
3. Chaudhary Niaz, played by Aurangzeb Laghari, is the other nephew of Chaudhary Hashmat. He is not much interested in the land, and wants to escape away from the feudal system, but finds it difficult to do so.
4. Dilawar, played by then young Abid Ali, is another interesting character. He wins Chaudhary Hashmat’s loyalty by stealing a dog for him and joins his ranks. Inside, he wants to seek revenge of the death of his brother.

Can I watch it online?

Alif Noon

Alif Noon is a classical comedy series written by Kamal Ahmad Rizvi. The first season was telecast by PTV in 1965. It’s old yet it remains fresh even today. Several situations depicted in this series are applicable even to the modern times—something which is common between Alif Noon and the equally great Fifty-fifty.

The name Alif and Noon stood for Allan and Nannha, the two characters around which the whole series is based. Each episode is usually be about a business plan created by Allan, in which Nannha is used as a stooge. Allan is clever to think of ways to make quick bucks and he needs an innocent front-man for his plans, for which Nannha is suitable but sometimes he is too innocent to be of any good.

Main Cast

Kamal Ahmad Rizvi and Rafi Khawar

1. Allan played by Kamal Ahmad Rizvi is a devious businessman with least regard to ethical values in business. He starts one business after another with the hope to get rich as quickly as possible. In each endeavour, he needs an innocent front-man to assist him. The choice is always Nannha. Unfortunately, none of his get-rich-quick schemes actually work.
2. Nannha played by Rafi Khawar is a simple-minded friend of Allan. Sometimes he knows the devious nature of their business and sometimes he is kept completely in the dark. Even when he knows the actual plan, he has only good wishes for Allah but then his natural instincts and the desire to be an honest man overpower his desire to run a successful business. It’s usually one of the silly mistakes of Nannha which reveal the reality of their business to their customers, and thus each business they start is eventually doomed. 

Trailer

Trivia

1. The initial episodes of this TV series were broadcast live as PTV didn’t use to have a recording system in 1965.
2. Kamal Ahmad Rizvi was born in Bihar in 1930. He migrated to Pakistan in 1951. His other relatives never moved to Pakistan.
3. Rafi Khawar worked in a financial institution before he tried his luck with movies but he could never make it into the film industry directly. Luckily, he was selected for the role of Nannha in the TV series, which opened the path to the big screen for him.

Shahnaz Khawaja

Shahnaz Khawaja rose to fame with the PTV Drama Series Alpha Bravo Charlie. Little is known about this actress as she soon got married and left the country after this drama series.

She now lives as a single mother of an 8 year old daughter. She is settled in the US since her marriage in 1998. Amongst other things, she is director of counselling services at Greensboro College.

Shahnaz was born in 1978 in Uganda. She studied at OPF and went to ICG for her inter-mediate. She completed her bachelors and masters from the US.

Interestingly, Alpha Bravo Charlie was not her first drama serial. She started her acting career on TV with Jamal Shah’s production “Kal”. She was later signed for another drama serial “Uraan” which was shot in different countries. However, it was really the 1998 drama serial Alpha Bravo Charlie which made her face known to almost everyone in Pakistan. When this drama was aired, she was 19 years old. Nobody could say that she was a beginner in acting.

Shahnaz Khawaja’s Interview by Nadia Khan

Shahnaz Khawaja was seen in Nadia Khan Show in 2010 as part of Nadia Khan’s interview of Alpha Bravo Charlie’s cast.

Shahnaz Khawaja’s Acting Career

Shahnaz appeared in the music video of the song “Let’s go get lost”.

Ankahi (the unsaid)

Ankahi PTV Drama SerialAnkahi (انکہی), which literally means “unsaid” is one of the most well-known drama serials of the 80’s. Like several other PTV drama serials of its era, the popularity of Ankahi grew out of Pakistan to all parts of the world where Urdu is spoken or at least understood.

The drama was broadcast by PTV in 1982. The play was written by Haseena Moeen and directed jointly by Shoaib Mansoor and Mohsin Ali.

Ankahi is a story of Sana Murad, a young girl with a mediocre background, who has big dreams. Her father dies when she is young, and that adds more to her problems, and consequently her desire to become rich gets even stronger. As luck would have it, she finally gets a job in a company. But she is not skilled in anything. Various hilarious situations arise due to her major blunders.

While attending a wedding, she gets liked by a young fellow who follows her to her office, and in order to get closer to her, finds a job in the same office.

Meanwhile, her aunt arrives from the US, while looking for a suitable match for her son. Sana and her family had boasted about themselves being well-off, and this causes several humorous situations when they have to live up to their claims during the aunt’s visit.

As the story unfolds, Sana has to make difficult decisions as marriage proposals start coming. The last few episodes revolve around these decisions and the complexity in human relationships which arise due to the “untold”.

Main Cast

Shehnaz Sheikh, Shakeel, Javed Sheikh, Jamshed Ansari, Badar Khalil, Salim Nasir, Behroze Sabzwari and others

1. Sana Murad played by Shehnaz Sheikh is the lead character of the TV serial.
2. Jibran, played by Faisal Ansari is Sana’s little brother who is a prodigy. He suffers from heart problems, and it’s partly because of his heart operation, Sana has a desire to become rich and afford his medical treatment to be carried out in the US.
3. Taimoor, played by Shakeel is a middle-aged. He is Sana’s boss.
4. Faraz, played by Javed Sheikh, gets to see Sana at a wedding. He falls for her, and later gets a job in the same company where Sana is working.
5. Timmy, played by Jamshed Ansari, is Sana’s neighbour. He adds a quite humorous touch to the serial. When Sana’s aunt visits from the US, in order to impress the aunt, Timmy is convinced to play the role of a butler for the family.
6. Zakia, played by Badar Khalil, is Sana’s aunt. She also happens to be the mother of Moby. She arrives from the US looking for a suitable match for her son.
7. The role of Sana’s Mamoon (uncle) is played by Saleem Nasir. You might also know him due to his excellent performance in Aangan Tehra.
8. Moby, played by Behroze Sabzwari, is Sana’s cousin. He is raised in the US and finds it difficult to adjust to Pakistani values. He has no desire to get married to Sana, yet his mother wishes the opposite.

Can I watch it online?

The drama is available in several parts on Youtube. Below is the first part of the series.

Sona Chandi

Sona Chandi (سونا چاندی) is a classical PTV drama serial aired in 1983. It’s a light comedy enacted by Hamid Rana and Sheeba Hassan. They play the role of a couple who come from a small village to a city in search for work. Their fate takes them from one home to another, and while doing their work as servants, they solve various problems faced by the house-mates.

Sona Chandi is written by Manuu Bhai and directed by Rashid Dar.

The beauty of the play lies in the innocent personalities of Sona and Chandi and the humorous touch the play has. More than once, the story makes us see the life of relatively well-to-do families from the eyes of a poor couple.

Main Cast

Hamid Rana, Sheeba Hassan, Jamil Fakhri and others

1. Sona played by Hamid Rana is the simpleton of the two. While he is straightforward and knows what’s good, he cannot stop himself from getting advice on all matters from his wife.
2. Chandi played by Sheeba Hassan is more intelligent when compared with her husband. It’s her opinion which usually prevails over that of Sona.

Can I watch it online?

Trivia

1. It’s said that the play was inspired by a real couple with the names of Sona and Chandi, from a place known as Kallur Kot in Punjab.

Tanhaiyan

Tanhaiyan (تنہائیاں) literally means “the loneliness”. In fact, the Urdu word is stronger than its English counterpart. Tanhayian is a Pakistan drama serial, produced by Shalimar Recording Company (SRC), and originally played on Pakistan Television (PTV) in the 1980’s. It was written by Haseena Moin.

Tanhaiyan is the sotry of two sisters who lose their parents in an accident, and are shocked to know that their family was heavily in debt. Life is further upset when their family house is sold. Fortunately, an aunt makes arrangements for them to live with her.

The elder of the two sisters becomes determined to become rich and buy back their family house, and it’s her obsession with become financially sound versus the lack of attention she gives to people closer to her which is the main plot of the drama serial.

The drama serial belongs to the era attributed to be the “golden era of Pakistan Televsion.” Having said that, at that time, there was a sheer lack of a choice with the viewers in Pakistan, and the standards of television entertainment were completely defined by PTV itself. People do have fond memories of the drama serial, but with no doubt, younger generations will have a hard time believing that the acting and direction can be thought of being “extra ordinary.”

Main Cast of Tanhaiyan

Shehnaz Sheikh, Marina Khan, Behroze Sabzwari, Qazi Wajid, Badar Khalil, Asif Raza Mir and others

1. Zara, played by Shehnaz Sheikh, is the elder of the two sisters. She is determined to work hard and buy back her family house. She starts a business in partnership, becomes successful in that, and eventually manages to get what she wanted. But it doesn’t end the way she expected! In her quest, she distances herself away from everyone, including her younger sister. Eventually she also meets an accident and then realises how fragile it all was!
2. Sanya, played by Marina Khan, is the littler sister. After their parents death, she is emotionally dependent on her elder sister. But as time passes by, her elder sister has less and less time for her. Sanya is lively and loud; she loves to play pranks on others, especially on Qabbacha, who is her neighbours secretary.
3. Qutbutdin (aka Kabacha), played by Behroze Sabzwari, adds a light touch to the drama serial. He is an introvert and dry person who becomes victim to Sanya’s pranks.
4. Faran, played by Qazi Wajid, is also a light character. He is a thoughtful businessman, living next to Zara and Sanya’s aunt’s house.
5. Zubi, played by Badar Khalil, is the aunt who keeps the two sisters with her after their parents demise. She is eventually proposed by Faran.

Can I watch it online?

Trivia

1. A sequel of Tanhaiyan, with the name “Olper’s Tanhaiyan: Naye Silsilay“, was aired by ARY Digital and PTV in 2012. Most of the cast was replaced. This new 13-episode drama serial was co-written by Haseena Moin and Mohammad Ahmed. It was directed by Marina Khan.

Half Plate

If you can understand Urdu, Half Plate is the best one and half hour entertainment that television
could ever provide. And I seriously doubt if anyone would be able to produce anything better. On a scale of 1 to 10, one would like to rate this long play above 10.

It’s a humour filled story of an old aged Urdu writer/ poet who is unable to make both ends meet; yet, his pride and self-esteem is unmatchable. He lives with his wife and four sons. The wife is always cribbing against the activities of the father and the sons who earn almost nothing and spend all their time in frivolous activities related to literature and poetry.

Half Plate was aired by PTV in 1980’s. It has been written by Anwar Maqsood where the lead role has been played by the legendary Moeen Akhtar. The whole drama has been staged on a single set depicting a room in an old house. It’s worth watching again and again.

Main Cast

Moeen Akhtar, Khalida Riasat, Jamshed Ansari, Lateef Kapadia and Arshad Mahmood

1. Mirza Sahab played by the late, legendary Moin Akhtar (also spelled as Moeen Akhtar) is an old writer/ poet who over-estimates his literary capabilities, and has a very high self-esteem.
2. Begum Sahiba played by Khalida Riasat is Mirza’s wife. She has apparently been having very dis-satisfied with her matrimonial life; even at an old age, she doesn’t let any chance to mock Mirza and his interest in the literature. In fact, she insists that Mirza would earn more if he attempts to run a food stall (and thus, the name “Half Plate”).
3. Kaleem played by Jamshed Ansari is Mriza’s eldest son. He is a poet and lives with his parents. His father is very proud of his literary capabilities.
4. Iftikhar played by Lateef Kapadia is Begum’s cousin who has returned from Canada and pays a courtesy visit to the Mriza family. He immediately observes the poor financial condition of the family and offers some financial help. Surprisingly, the Begum refuses to take any kind of help.
5. Butt sahab played by Arshad Mahmood is the landlord who visits Mirza to collect rent, which Mirza tactfully avoids. He insists that his house should be vacated but doesn’t succeed in that either.

Can I watch it online?

Ashir Azeem

Ashir Azeem rose to fame in Pakistan in 1994 due to his super-hit action drama serial, Dhuwan (دھواں). Unbeknown to many, Ashir Azeem worked for Pakistan Customs, even when the Dhuwan was being recorded and aired on PTV.

His full name is Ashir Azeem Gill, though sometime people write his name as Ashar Azeem as well. Dhuwan was his only venture in the field of TV serials. He continued to work for Pakistan Customs until he got suspended. His last designation was Additional Director, Directorate of Post Clearance Audit, Karachi. That was the time when his name started appearing in news once again. It was due to a Customs Automation Project with the name of CARE. Some people severely criticize him due to his involvement and efforts related to the CARE project. Others think that the critics are the ones who don’t want to see Pakistan progressing.

He is said to have migrated to Canada, but then there were news of Ashir Azeem being reinstated by an FBR notification [document removed by FBR] on 1st Aug 2012.

He maintains an infrequently used Facebook account.

Dhuwan

PTV and action do not seem to mix well. But Ashir Azeem proved this wrong with his hit TV serial named Dhuwan. The drama was aired by PTV in 1994. It not only has an excellent story line, it’s one of its kind when it comes to outdoor shooting and action scenes.

Dhuwan has a short timeline where a group of five police commandos fight smuggling, narcotics and other illegal activities in the region of Baluchistan. The lead role was played by Ashir Azeem himself. Several of the other roles were done by new faces.

While the drama had lots of realism, the only grievance one can have is the way Information Technology (aka computer) has been used in this serial. However, back in the days it was aired, personal computers were not a household thing, and thus, the way technology had been used was not a hard sell.

The drama was directed and produced by Sajjad Ahmad. It was a production of PTV Quetta.

Main Cast

Ashir Azeem, Nazli Nasr, Nabeel, Nayyar Ejaz, Rohi, Asal Din Khan, and others.

1. Azhar played by Ashir Azeem is a police officer (an ASP) who is given a special assignment to build a squad of five commandos. He is not a stereotypical officer; he relies more on this group than his office comrades. He makes use of information technology and lives a lavish life.
2. Dawood played by Nabil is the closest of Azhar’s associates. He is good-humoured and remains loyal to Azhar. He is the first one who dies during a commando operation.
3. Sara played by Nazli Nasr is a lady who becomes an acquaintance of Azhar during the course of events. It’s later revealed that she is also on a special mission of her own.
4. Salman played by Nayyar Ejaz is the lead negative role. He runs the biggest racket in the region. He is the toughest opponent for Azhar.

Trailer

Can I watch it online?

Trivia

1. Ashir Azeem worked in Pakistan Customs. He is recently reported to have emigrated to Canada. He was last interviewed by ATV in 2008.

Alpha Bravo Charlie

Back in 1998, as soon as the clock would approach 8pm, the streets would get deserted; the markets closed and everyone would confine themselves to their homes. No, the reason wasn’t the law and order situation. It was all due to Alpha Bravo and Charlie—the ISPR’s drama series—being aired by Pakistan Television Network (PTV) at that time.

Alpha Bravo Charlie was a sequel to Sunehray Din (سنہرے دن), though it can be seen as an independent TV serial in itself.

Direct by the acclaimed Shoaib Mansoor, it is the story of 3 Pakistan Army officers who came from completely dissimilar backgrounds yet became best friends. The drama involves romance and comedy while depicting the life of young army officers. The story very cleverly handles the relationship the three gentlemen with a single girl whom they all want to marry at different stages in their life. There are some episodes dedicated to the Pakistan Army’s military operations in Bosnian War and Siachin Conflict.

Main Cast of Alpha Bravo Charlie

1. Faraz Ahmad played by Faraz Inam is son of a rich landlord. He is the best in terms of his academic and professional background but as the story unfolds, he is the one who doesn’t get the best chances.
2. Kashif Krimani played by Captain Abdullah Muhammad is son of a senior Army officer. He is a happy-go-lucky sort of person who initially is least interested in his professional life but gradually starts to become more responsible.
3. Gulsher Khan played by Captain M. Qasim Khan is son of a JCO (Junior Commissioned Officer) whose father dreamed his son to do better than himself, and the son fulfilled that dream.
4. Shahnaz Sher played by Shahnaz Khawaja is the niece of a retired Lieutenant General. She is a Cambridge-educated elementary school teacher of special children and has her own philosophy of life.

Trailer

Theme Song

آنکھیں دیکھتی رہ جاتی ہیں

سپنے دور نکل جاتے ہیں

اور سپنوں کا پیچھا کرنے والے

اپنے نام گنوا دیتے ہیں

کبھی الفا، کبھی براوو، کبھی چارلی

Trivia

1. Malik Ata Muhammad, Faraz’s father in the drama series, is a real landlord of Kot Fateh Khan.
2. Farz Inam joined PAF as an Engineering Cadet but later quit. He later completed his MBA from LUMS and move to Dubai to work as a banker.
3. Shahnaz Khawaja got married and move to the US after this drama series was finished.
4. Several years after Alpha Bravo Charlie series went off TV, the cast was interviewed by Nadia Khan on Geo TV in Nadia Khan show.

Pakistani Drama Serials

Pakistani Drama Serials were made famous by PTV—the national television of Pakistan. Even during the black and white days of TV, PTV produced some excellent drama serials which set the standard very high for Pakistani dramas. Some of these TV series have become legend in their own respect where their popularity crossed borders, and made their way into all countries and constituencies where Urdu was understood.

Here on this website, we have reviewed the best of the work produced in Pakistan. This ranges from the hit TV serials like Aangan Tehran to the later days of Alpha Bravo Charlie.

The work is organized in categories such as TV serials and Long Plays. Search this website and you’ll definitely something worth watching!

Some people believe that PTV Drama Serials were a hit only because people didn’t have anything else to watch. While the statement about the limited choice is true, the deduction is not. I, for one, still enjoy watching many of these serials. However, this website is about Pakistani Drama Serials in general, and we’ll surely cover drama serials other than PTV’s old classics if we find something worth sharing.

Please help by sending in your recommendations!