Tanhaiyaan (Urdu: تنہائیاں, English: The loneliness) is a 1986 Pakistani drama serial which is now considered a cult classic.

Tanhaiyan featured an ensemble star cast of veterans such as Shehnaz Sheikh, Marina Khan, Asif Raza Mir, Badar Khalil, Behroze Sabzwari, Azra Sherwani, Qazi Wajid, Durdana Butt, Yasmeen Ismail, Jamshed Ansari, Amir Hatmi, Subhani Ba Younus and Sultana Zafar.

[1] Tanhaiyaan is the story of two sisters who lose their parents and with them their affluent and carefree life and go to live with their aunt.

Two sisters Zara (Shehnaz Sheikh) and Sanya (Marina Khan) go to Karachi to visit their maternal aunt Zubi (Badar Khalil) while their parents, back home, meet with an unfortunate car accident and die.

Sanya, on the other hand, soon befriends their landlord Faraan (Qazi Wajid) and becomes a humorous pain for his secretary Qutbutdin (Behroze Sabzwari) whom she calls Qabacha.

Faraan has a sister Apa Begum (Azra Sherwani) who lives in another house with her trusted servant Buqrat (Jamshed Ansari).

It is implied to the viewer that she has lost the will to struggle as she realizes that she has pushed everyone away from her in pursuit of what she thought was important and was all alone when what should have been her biggest triumph of finally buying the parents' house back.

Zara notices that Saad has lost interest in her and decides to return the engagement ring, which she eventually throws away in the garbage.

In a quick transition, the music and surroundings come back into focus with every body crowding in a loud cheer around them.

[7][8] After 27 years, a sequel named Tanhaiyan Naye Silsilay was broadcast by PTV Home and ARY Digital.

The plot is about gaps in relations developed over the years in lives of characters owing to events they faced and how, going forward, things change for the better.