I have been wondering this for quite some while now that every time the viewers come across something questionable in our Pakistani dramas, they raise their voice against it loud & clear, but have we seen anything changing in our dramas lately? I feel the drama-makers are imposing their choices on the viewers without being conscious of what they would like to see & what they wouldn’t approve of & that is why I see more & more drama-makers pushing the trend of boldness in every other drama. After constant reminders & discussions; especially these days when everyone has a chance to put forth an opinion through social media & every channel gets a feedback by a common man directly, I see the drama-makers ignoring what the viewers usually say & just focus on what they feel like doing. I really feel that gone are the days when the channels used to be conscious of people’s choices & used to make such dramas that would appease the viewers. I think the connection between the drama-makers & the viewers is lost because these days, I feel those who’re in the drama-making ‘business’ are only concerned about themselves & don’t really pay heed to what the viewers expect from them.
I think our demands have always been very simple where we have always wanted ‘decent’, ‘family oriented’ & ‘quality-ridden’ dramas, but I really think the channels have shut all the doors that give them an access to the viewers demands & honest opinions because they really don’t seem to care. I sadly feel that the channels & drama-makers are now bent on changing the perspective of people & for all the wrong reasons, that is why the dramas that we get to see these days have nothing to do with ‘decency’ & ‘quality’.
We always hear the channel owners & the drama-makers saying that they make these dramas for us, so why is it so hard for them to deliver us something that we’d like to see? Ohkay, let me pose some questions here; which one you wants to see a closeness between a husband & wife on the screen? Which one of you’d want to see a peck on the forehead in our dramas? Which one of you wants to see sensationalized rape scenes on TV? Which one of you wants to see awkward & suggestive chemistry between a couple on-screen? Which one of you wants to see a husband & wife sticking to each other as if they are the brand ambassadors of Fevicol? Ohkay, in simple words, which one of you wants to see boldness in our dramas? I know, I have recently written an article on the same subject but I feel, when the writers, producers & actors can do the same thing over & over again after ignoring what we all say, why can’t we discuss this issue time & again in a hope that someday, they will pay heed to what we have to say, in a hope that may be the things that we say will strike a chord one day, in a hope that our drama-industry will start producing quality dramas without having a need to depend on cheesy boldness in our dramas & in a hope that they would stop relying on unwanted skin-ship that serves no purpose whatsoever!!!
There was a time when every single Pakistani drama used to attract the viewers, it was a time when people had lesser time but more dramas to follow but now sadly the trends have changed where we hardly get lucky & get to watch a good drama after months. Why is it that they don’t make dramas like Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Shanakht, Digest Writer, Diyar-e-Dil every single time? Why do we see the dramas like Aahista Aahista, Dusri Biwi, Izteraab, Tumhare Siwa, Chup Raho, Khuda Dekh Raha Hai & Shert flocking on our screens with some very weird underlying themes & messages? I remember back in those days tuning to every Pakistani drama used to be a guarantee of a quality entertainment within itself but sadly, that trend has been long overruled & it’s like we have to fetch a torch & search for a good, decent & simple drama as if we’re out on a treasure hunt.
Every time these actors get awarded for their brilliant performances in award functions, their speeches are filled with gratitude towards their fans that support them, so when they can see the support, why can’t they see what the expectations of their fans as well? Our drama industry boomed because of the continuous support of people of Pakistan, so why is it that our dramas now come across as anything but Pakistani? I really think this is an alarming situation where the actors have stopped doing self-policing & they agree to do whatever they’re asked to do by the directors & the producers in a hope that these antics will bring them more ratings. I really hate to say this but looks like our drama-makers are resorting to boldness just in a hope of fishing for some TRP’s, which makes it all is very unfortunate & also unnecessary because our dramas used to gain popularity even back in those days when they used to be very decent – anyone remembers Dhoop Kinare? I am sure all of you guys do. It depicted such a pure form of love without any needless contact between Dr. Ahmed & Zoya. I really don’t understand how the actors these days bring themselves to perform such scenes that are quite objectionable. I hate to point this out but the way they have introduced the peck-ism in our dramas makes me cringe. First Ayesha Khan & Danish Taimoor did the honors in the drama Shert of APlus & recently Saba Qamar & Mikaal Zulfikaar followed their lead in Sangat of Hum TV as well. I really do understand that they try to be as ‘realistic’ in their dramas as possible but some realities are better when left untouched because no one wants them to go an extra mile in this regard. Media is an outlet that gives the rest of the world an access to any country & its society & sadly, the way women are being objectified in Pakistani dramas, as if they came to this world for this purpose only sheds a light on the mindset of a society & lets the outsiders misunderstand that these are the values & ethics, we; Pakistanis endorse. Media has a very important role to play & our dramas are more like a picture of Pakistan but sadly, the drama-makers are ruining everything.
Excuse me for saying this but I have a feeling that our drama makers are working day & night to put a dent on Pakistan’s image & Pakistani values. They are working really hard to destroy the institution of marriage by brain feeding impressionable youth that marriage is the root cause of all the problems. How many times we have come across such dramas that highlight the problems (along with the highlighted physical contact) that a newly married couple faces but we never once got to see such a drama that gave solutions to these problems too. I really hate to say this but looks like those who have no intelligence have become the writers & the directors & the producers, that is why, all of a sudden the quality of our dramas has deteriorated & the things that remain dominant are the glamorized & negatively sensationalized marital problems, objectification of women & the forced chemistry between the lead pair which is anything but decent.
To be honest, I so am waiting for the time when our dramas will regain their charm by resorting to the beauty of simplicity. Take my word on it, no one likes to see the unnecessary coziness between the actors on-screen because we’re not used to that & also because we know that our dramas can gain popularity without having these bits & bobs at all. We’re used to the chemistry that doesn’t need to be conveyed through a physical contact & we’re used to seeing the love being conveyed through expressions & words, not the actual actions. I really think the producers should stop worrying about the ratings, the directors should stop encouraging this trend, the actors themselves should say no to such scenes & they all should work together to give us clean & quality entertainment because Pakistani dramas look perfect when they open a window for the whole family to be sat, watched & enjoyed together.
Please share your thoughts on this subject; we’d love to hear your take on it too. :)
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
