Presenting something on screen is a way to familiarize audience with certain situations and people can relate their problems with what they see on the screens along with entertainment. Life is a bumpy ride but bumps are always followed by smooth path. Conversely our drama makers seem to have forgotten that the happy times are also part of life. The fact that we step into the shoes of characters and relate with them makes them timeless and unforgettable. But these remarkable characters and dramas which are always constituted by joyous moments of life always accompanied by gloom and sorrows have lately been substituted by drawbacks and demerits of a society.
What we see on screen is a complicated web of deceit, fraud, debauchery, dishonesty, deception and wickedness. These things are rampant in our society and news channels are doing their part of creating awareness of the crucial circumstances, entertainment channels have no need to join hands with them in this sacred task. Contrarily entertainment channels or majority of the dramas are spreading despair and hopelessness in society by focusing on bitter realities of life. These issues cannot be evaded and they should be portrayed on screen but to a certain extent, excess of these sufferings and social flaws are further adding into the depression and pessimism created by news channels. Apathy replaces empathy and resultantly individuals become indifferent to the sufferings of others.
Apart from this dramas like Kadurat and Darmiyan (probably inspired from Revenge series) are setting a trend for a new genre of dramas. Revenge and vengeance has been central issue of many dramas in the past but none has gone to extremes like these two. Dramas are not reality but they are a reflection and representation of reality and they influence people in ways the dramas makers cannot even imagine.
A lot many people have altogether stopped watching entertainment channels as well because we seldom see a lighthearted and easygoing drama. By this I don’t mean comedy shows, and honestly the sitcoms now days are even worse than gravely serious dramas. The realities of life doesn’t necessarily have to be horrible and nasty, they can also be elaborated in the form of loving parents-caring and obeying children, beautiful and affectionate relation instead of sister-friend rivalries, a happily married couple, a motherly mother-in-law for change (the kind of Seher’s is Shak) and what is more endearing than adorable bro-sis relation but what we see is usually are arrogant, demanding brothers and self-sacrificing sisters. There is a desperate need for positive and progressive aspects of these relations.
The happy and content moments also have their stories, it is the duty of the drama makers and particularly writer to dig and create blissful stories as well without spreading despair and hopelessness.
Do share your opinions.
Faiza Cheema