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Rutba: ARY Digital’s Cast, Timing & Episode Guide (Mehwish Hayat, Zahid Ahmed)

· 4 min read

Rutba (ARY Digital, 2026) — official teaser frame with the lead pair and the show’s title

Updated: 25 October 2026. Five episodes have aired since the 6 October premiere — Episode 5 on Tuesday 20 October — and Episode 6 airs on Monday 26 October 2026 at 8:00 PM PKT. Dates verified against ARY Digital's official episode uploads.

Rutba is ARY Digital's prime-time serial about power, influence and the price of protecting your principles — and it pairs four of Pakistan's most recognisable faces: Mehwish Hayat, Zahid Ahmed, Hiba Bukhari and Talha Chahour. Written by Umera Ahmed (who also writes Dar-e-Nijaat) and directed by Haseeb Hasan, it is produced by Six Sigma Plus and Next Level Entertainment. If you searched for the Rutba drama cast, the Rutba timing or Rutba episode 6 — this guide has all three, verified against the channel's own uploads.

Rutba timing: which days and what time?

Rutba — verified facts
ChannelARY Digital
Airing daysMonday and Tuesday
Telecast time8:00 PM PKT (8:30 PM IST; 4:00 PM UK during BST)
PremiereTuesday 6 October 2026
WriterUmera Ahmed
DirectorHaseeb Hasan
ProductionSix Sigma Plus & Next Level Entertainment
Where to watchARY TV live; ARY Plus after broadcast

The Monday-Tuesday 8:00 PM hour is the slot Bas Tera Saath Ho held through the summer, and Rutba shares the band with Hurmat — the same nights over on HUM TV. The channel's own YouTube banner confirms the slot as "Mon & Tue at 8 PM", and the upload record matches it exactly.

Every Rutba episode and its air date

The serial premiered on a Tuesday — the first night of its Monday-Tuesday pattern — and has settled into one episode per night, twice a week. Episode 5 went out on Tuesday 20 October, so the next new instalment is Episode 6 on Monday 26 October, with Episode 7 following the night after. Every episode page here carries the air time and where to watch, and the Rutba show page keeps the full dated list current.

Rutba cast: who plays whom

  • Talha Chahour as Hadi — an assistant superintendent of police and a devoted family man whose integrity collides with powerful forces after a challenging new posting
  • Zahid Ahmed as Meer — the influential businessman who views power as the ultimate measure of success
  • Mehwish Hayat as Shelly — Meer's wife, standing beside him in his pursuit of political power
  • Hiba Bukhari as Mahnoor — Hadi's loyal wife and a devoted mother
  • With Ali Tahir, Salma Hasan, Irsa Ghazal, Shehryar Zaidi, Aamir Qureshi, Usman Chaudery, Ahsan Murad and Sikandar Nawaz

For Mehwish Hayat it is a return to prime-time television after a run of film leads, and Talha Chahour's Hadi anchors the moral axis of the story: the announcement described a man whose commitment to duty puts him on a collision course with Meer's money-first worldview. The full cast list lives on the show page and is updated as ARY reveals more character names.

What the story is about

ARY's own log line frames it plainly: a relationship built on respect, a bond meant to be protected — but what happens when the very person meant to honour it begins to forget its worth? The title — rutba, meaning status or standing — is the thesis: the serial follows four lives from four different worlds bound together by choices where nothing comes without a price. Expect the Umera Ahmed signature of moral questions wrapped in a family drama rather than a simple hero-villain face-off.

Where to watch Rutba

Live on ARY Digital at 8:00 PM PKT, then on ARY Plus — the official app and aryplus.tv — after broadcast. ARY Digital's official YouTube channel has carried the episodes with English subtitles as well, with Episode 1 passing seven million views in its first two weeks. There is no subscription wall on any official option.

Which day does Rutba air?

Monday and Tuesday at 8:00 PM PKT on ARY Digital — two new episodes every week since the 6 October premiere.

When does Rutba Episode 6 come out?

Monday 26 October 2026 at 8:00 PM PKT on ARY Digital, streaming on ARY Plus after broadcast. Episode 7 follows on Tuesday 27 October.

Who is in the Rutba cast?

Mehwish Hayat (Shelly), Zahid Ahmed (Meer), Hiba Bukhari (Mahnoor) and Talha Chahour (Hadi), with Ali Tahir, Salma Hasan and Irsa Ghazal in key roles.

How many episodes will Rutba have?

No total has been announced. Weekly ARY serials typically run 25-plus episodes; we publish counts only as episodes actually air.