''Dushman'' () is a 2022 Pakistani drama television series first broadcast on

PTV Home PTV Home HD is a Pakistani Free-to-air Television channel owned by the Pakistan Television Corporation. It also broadcast as a Terrestrial television Terrestrial television or over-the-air television (OTA) is a type of television broadcastin ...

as a part of night primetime programming. It is written by

Ali Moeen Ali Moeen (born 20 November 1968) is a Pakistani playwright and a lyricist. Early life and career Ali Moeen was born 20 November 1968 in Lahore. He completed his masters degree in English literature and political science from Government Colle ...

, directed by Abdullah Badini, and produced by Zeeshan Ahmed under banner Mont Blanc Entertainment. The series has an ensemble cast of

Nadia Afgan Nadia Afgan is a Pakistani actress who appears in Urdu films and television and films. She is known for her work in theatre and television. Her numerous work in television includes a series of plays in both Urdu and Punjabi. She rose to promin ...

Saman Ansari Saman Ansari is a Pakistani television, theater and OTT actor. She started acting in 2014 and is performing to date. . Career Saman Ansari started her career in the HUMTV drama Jugnoo opposite Zahid Ahmed and Yumna Zaidi. She is noted for pla ...

Nayyar Ejaz Nayyar Ejaz (or Nayyar Ijaz) ( ur, نیر اعجاز) is a Pakistani film and television actor. Ejaz has been working in television industry since early 1990s. He is famous for his side roles (villain) ''Kali Das'' in the television serial ''Laag ...

, Hassan Niazi,

Sabeeka Imam Sabeeka Imam is a British-Pakistani actress and model. She has established a career in modeling and ramp the walk for several designers. Imam appeared in a comedy-drama film ''Queen'' in 2014. She went on to play the romantic interest of the lea ...

and

Naila Jaffri Naila is a town in the Frankenwald hills, in the Hof district of Bavaria. Naila is from the larger city of Hof, on both banks of the Selbitz river. History The earliest documentation of Naila dates at 9 January 1343. The first settlements ...

in her last on-screen appearance.

Plot

There is a generation of adversey between the states of Rajkot and Malikgar. In this bloodshed game, all the male heirs have been murdered and then the feuding matriarchs fight for revenge. Waris and Sassi, the children of these matriarchs fall for each other and marry secretly. However, when Mai Lali of Rajkot comes to know about this, he murders Waris. Waris's pregnant wife and Mai's daughter, Sassi seeks shelter with the Maliks as she wants to hand over her unborn to Waris' family. Enraged by her brother's murder, Sohni returns from abroad and sets a trap for the last heir of the enemies, Mai Laali's son Zain.

Cast

as Malkani Bibi *

as Mai Laali *

as Durri *

as Sassi * Hassan Niazi as Waris *

as Ranjha *

Ayub Khoso Ayub Khoso ( ur, ; born 1959) is a Pakistani actor of film and TV. With a career spanning more than three decades - mostly in television - Khoso is a well-known name in Pakistan. He is known for his roles in films like ''Khuda Kay Liye''. Ear ...

as Billa "Munshi" * Mohsin Gillani as Malhar * Hadi Bin Arshad as Zain * Feroza Mohammad as Sohni

Production

The project was first announced by Afgan in an interview where she revealed that one of her upcoming series is titled ''Dushman'' which is directed by Abdullah Badini and written by

, and she will play the role of a powerful Saraiki head of the clan. The

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

started in

Bahawalpur Bahawalpur () is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. With inhabitants as of 2017, it is Pakistan's 11th most populous city. Founded in 1748, Bahawalpur was the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur, ruled by the Abbasi fa ...

in 2020. In a conservation with ''

DAWN Images ''Dawn'' is a Pakistani English language, English-language newspaper that was launched in British Raj, British India in 1941. It is the largest English newspaper in Pakistan, and also serves as the country's newspaper of record. ''Dawn'' is the ...

'', Afgan told that the series is developed by

Fawad Chaudhry Fawad Ahmed Hussain Chaudhry (born 7 April 1970) is a Pakistani politician and a senior member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, who was Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, in office since 14 April 2021 to 10 April 2022. Previously ...

, who worked hard for the PTV's revival. An accidental on the set led to the death of the series cinematographeemr Sarfaraz Ahmed. It marked actres Naila Jaffri's last appearance before her death due to

Ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

in July 2021.

Reception

The acting performances of the actors was especially praised by the critics. '' Youline Magazine'' praised the Moeen's writing and performances of the actors, except of Ansari. The reviewer criticised her nasal voice and her badly delivered dialogues.

References

{{Reflist Television series set in Bahawalpur 2022 Pakistani television series debuts