Homosexuals In Pakistani Series – Breaking Taboos Or Crossing Limits?

The series Kitni Girhein Baaki Hei has always been known for its bold topics but this time it crossed all limits by showing the story of a woman (Sania Saeed) whose husband (Ijaz Aslam) was shown having an affair but in the end the woman who he was having an affair with (Farah Shah) turned out to be his wife’s ex-partner. This episode of Kitni Girhein Baaki Hei was titled “Chewing Gum” and it aired few weeks back. The real shocker was when Sania Saeed’s character eloped with her homosexual partner in the end, leaving her husband in complete distress.

There are many Pakistani dramas which tackle with bold topics but usually there is a logic behind showing such tabooed topics. Showing something which is not only a taboo but extremely objectionable on a television channel which is watched by families is highly irresponsible behavior. Showing these lesbian lovers did not highlight any important issues neither did it cause awareness but it was more of a selling tactic using shock and causing sensation.

The Kitni Girhein Baaki Hei team managed to achieve what it wanted to, getting a lot of attention from all quarters but not all attention is good! People complained to PEMRA, they showed their discontent on social media and as a result PEMRA finally issued a warning to HUM TV stating that what was shown in the show was against the norms of our society.

The viewers also criticized those actors who were part of the show because they expected someone like Sania Saeed especially to make better choices. Crossing such limits does not help anyone and it does not even start a healthy discussion on tabooed topics. Hopefully, Pakistani drama makers will not follow this bad example and we will not see any more such topics in dramas again.