By the end of 2012, we saw an alarming situation within the drama industry where the producers, celebrities and artists found the airing of foreign content a clear violation of their rights. News channels supported the local celebrities dedicating their program slots to the topic. We also saw artists protesting at Karachi press club demanding their rights as an actor. It was strange to find the TV channels that aired these dramas stayed neutral and avoid coming into the limelight by not talking about the issue. Geo TV still hasn’t passed any comments as a retaliation to the fingers been raised on it. However, it is Urdu 1s’ official who have finally given his words on the matter.

It is always a pleasure to know what our celebrities have got to share with their followers. However, due to the busy schedules they hardly get enough of time to interact with their followers especially on E-Media. It was lately found that Hina Khuwaja Bayat, a flawless actress of all time finally took out her precious time to write down her feelings about the Pakistani Drama Industry. Hina has always entertained the Pakistani Drama lovers through every role she picks. If you have a recap of all the successful dramas these days, you will find one similarity in them and that is the presence of Hina in them.

Here is what Hina had written for her followers, Have a look!

Let me start by confessing that I do not read novels but even a non reader like me knows the gist of the story of a play that is based on a novel or even one that is based on stories that get published in Urdu digests thanks to all the online discussions as well as those which I have with friends and family. I can’t help but go through all the drama discussions on daily basis even though I may not be an active part of them. There have been dramas that got me really excited, I remember when Shehr-e-Zaat was about to go on air I was really looking forward to it because the promos looked very intriguing and it was also going to be Mahira Khan’s first play after Hamsafar. But gradually by reading the discussions under the promo videos in particular and the ones I had with a few family members who read novels, I could easily make out what the story was going to be about; a girl who was not inclined towards religion to begin with goes through a complete transformation because of what life puts her through. People even mentioned the scenes they wanted to see in particular and others wondered how a novel which was very short was going to be turned into a 20 plus episodes play. When the play finally went on air it got a great response but the constant comparison with the novel was nothing short of annoying. Let me add that I do not blame the viewers for drawing such comparisons because that is bound to be their instinctive response. A non reader like me should jump to the idea of getting the opportunity of watching novels which are so renowned on screen because otherwise I would have completely missed out on them but because of some reasons that I have already mentioned and others which I am going to mention now, I think it is a good time to stop making plays based on novels and on stories taken from digests.

Firstly, people who have read these novels have very high expectations from the plays based on them. Many times the plays do not come up to the expectations and people feel more led down than they would be otherwise.

Secondly, readers like the novels the way they are and do not want to see any changes being made in them. A novel is usually very short and a play is much longer so it is essential to add additional characters and some sidetracks which people don’t often appreciate. The readers may not warm up to the new characters and the addition in the original story.

Thirdly, the constant comparisons with the novel are inevitable which result from the expectations of course, kill the fun for even those people who have not read the novel. While watching Zindagi Gulzar Hai I am constantly being reminded of what I am missing out on by those people who have read the novel and so often I am tempted to read the novel, which I am not going to of course at least not while the drama is on air. I think when you read the novel, the story unfolds gradually and so do the different shades of the characters and that is when you fall in love with the characters bit by bit and enjoy the twists and turns. Falling in love twice with characters maybe very hard and is not just the same watching the whole thing dramatized. I am not saying that no one enjoys these dramas, There are many people (who have read the novels) who enjoy these novel based dramas too and enjoy watching their favorite stars play the characters on screen.

Fourthly and most importantly for me (since I do not read novels), novel based dramas have no suspense; one can’t keep wondering what is going to happen next because most of the people already tell you what it is going to be. So you already you know the story and the characters all you have to do is to sit back and watch a plot you already know too well unfold on screen. For me most of the fun lies in sitting on the edge of my seat and speculating what the next turn of events will be.

Enough of talking about novel based dramas let’s talk about those dramas which are not based on novels or stories from digests but are especially written for television. Pakistani drama industry is blessed with very gifted writers who have tons of potential. But many of the dramas that are based on original scripts too lose half their charm when every single twist and turn is shown in the promos and even some of the OSTs tell you half of the story. What is the point of penning down an original script when the entire story will be given away in the promos? The people who are responsible for making the promos should be very careful not to give the entire story away. The promos should be short, sweet and enticing but at the same time keep the suspense alive. Who would want to watch an entire play when most of the story can be followed by watching the promos that come before the play and those that come afterwards too? I must give credit to whoever is responsible for making the promos of Bari Apa for keeping them short and sweet and even very often misleading too. The what-is-going-to-happen-next factor matters a lot to me and I really do not appreciate it when you can easily predict what is going to happen in the next episode due to detailed promos.

I was talking to a very close friend Zubeida the other day about novel based dramas and she rightly pointed out that our writers are greatly endowed and they have oodles of new ideas to share but it seems like it is the channels who want to make dramas based on novels. One of the reasons can be that these novels are already popular and automatically ensure a certain fan following so the channels do not have to work extra hard on advertising them. Do you want to see more dramas based on novels and stories that have already been published in digests? And have there been times when detailed promos ruined the drama watching experience for you? Do share your thoughts.

Fatima Awan.

To become a legend in an acting career, it is not a long list of projects been affiliated with an artist’s name, but the work he does in all his projects. Marina Khan has always been my favorite, in fact I gave grown up following her ‘Dhoop Kinare’, Tanhaiyyan and since then, Marina has always been on the top of the list. 

Few people, with their endless effort and charismatic personality engrave their place in our heart forever and surely they were true believer of above facts. Their work, skills and professionalism were unique and no example is seen like them except themselves. Time passes but what left behinds, is the name of those personalities whom lives give something to the people around. Here are  my favorite 5 legendary personalities that I affiliate and consider as the most worthy resources of Pakistan’s Media industry!

Times have changed a great deal in every context, even when you look at the whole drama watching experience, it has undergone big changes. Now the drama watching experience is not restricted to our own selves or how we feel about plays. It is not just that we discuss dramas with a few family members or friends who are watching a particular play but there are so many online forums nowadays where we can watch dramas online, they review dramas as well and so many viewers come and share how they feel about the plays there and how can I forget all the facebook pages, actively promoting different dramas. Not only this the drama discussions under the video threads of sites like dramasonline are so interactive and active that it seems like one is a part of the drama world for real. I remember when I used to watch dramas before , there were so many things that I wanted to discuss with others but many times it was not possible because everyone around me was busy and there were most often other things to talk about. This latest trend of discussions on dramas would quench the thirst of any drama lover who wants to analyze and talk about every little detail about dramas but I also think that like everything else this latest trend has its positive and negative points. Here I will discuss both good and bad points based on my own personal experience, particularly while engaging on three different very active drama forums.

Good Points:

1. The viewers get a chance to share their thoughts and observations about drama and by watching dramas only you automatically become a part of an online community.

2. The discussions help you understand things and aspects of a drama that you may not be able to understand otherwise and by reading analysis and comments on these forums you learn many things about how people around you look at things.

3. You make friends online and have a strong bond with them and when you discuss dramas with them, it is like discussing it with a close friend.

4. The drama discussions help directors, writers and actors in getting an immediate, honest feedback which could not have been possible in any other way.

5. Many of the writers and actors also come to these forums and interact directly with people who watch their plays. If it wasn’t for these forums we could not have talked so easily with our favorite writers, directors or actors. We have seen people linked with a certain drama answering people’s questions and even explaining things to the viewers. There have been times when I had a totally different perspective or impression of a story or character but a few lines from the writer changed how I thought about it. When people are upset over something, it is very easy for the writers and directors to convey their point of view to people. Lately it happened in the case of the ‘little miss jihad’ controversy and after the dialogues in Zindagi Gulzar Hai.

6. Online discussions and Forums help us find out which dramas we should be looking forward to next and provide all the details about them. Every drama nowadays has a facebook page and even if you miss something related to an upcoming play on air, you are sure to catch it on the facebook page.

7. Most importantly if you miss a play or even the promo, which we very often do then all we have to do is to visit one of these online forums and everything is easily available there. We can see our favorite dramas and the promos to our heart’s content.

Bad Points:

The good news is that the good points outweigh the bad ones but sometimes it is because of these few bad aspects that I do not log in to the drama forums for weeks.

1. I think the biggest negative influence these forums had on my drama watching experience is that before watching dramas was a very personal experience, my likes and dislikes were based on what I thought about a character or the story but now it is greatly affected by the reviews and also by the different comments that people give about a play. There were many flaws that used to go unnoticed before but when so many people are watching something, there are a hundred opinions and I have to say that sometimes some of them maybe totally different from what I think but they do change my mind and that is not always good.
Let me explain, there are times when I watch an episode and I am so happy with it and think it was perfect but then all it takes is one critical review, pointing out all the small mistakes, a few comments to support the review and all I am left with is bad taste in the mouth, thinking if I was wrong in liking that particular episode or are these people more intelligent than me! Consider me a person who is easily convinced or is not very opinionated and for people like me these drama discussions can really be the deciding factor in what I watch and I am not completely okay with that.

2. Because of these forums and the discussions that are done on them, the drama watching experience has become somewhat complicated since very little detail about a play can create havoc.

3. Some people use facebook pages in particular to promote certain celebrities and I am guessing they get paid for it too because they do it with such devotion. A dramas page should only promote dramas and not continuously promote a certain celebrity or their page.

4. The attitude of the people who are discussing dramas can be very disappointing at times. Some of the people do not understand that there is a difference between sharing your thoughts in a decent manner and starting a fight. There are also viewers who use abusive language and get personal; the admins of such pages should moderate the comments on regular basis in order to avoid such things because people come to these forums to have a healthy discussion and not to engage in ugly fights. The drama discussions should be limited to the drama and getting personal with other viewers or even leaving personal remarks about the actors should be strictly prohibited even though I am sure many people will not agree with this point since that would hinder the concept of freedom of speech but I personally feel that people take undue advantage of this freedom. If people are being given the right to engage in these discussions, it is their duty to be more responsible and not leave comments that will hurt anyone’s feelings.

5. Some of the admins and even the people writing reviews and articles can be so defensive about what they write that they do not even want to hear a word against their wishes; this would be another extreme and some thing that can put a reader/fan off.

You can tell by reading the article that the advantages of these drama forums are much more than the disadvantages and all I can say is that where would we be without them! Although, I have to say that reading reviews, engaging in discussions, checking out the facebook pages for updates etc is proving to be fairly addictive but it is an addiction that can’t possibly be bad for a drama addict such as me. Please share with us how you feel about these drama forums. Which are the good and bad points based on your own experience?

Ayesha Ahmed

Time can be considered as the biggest enemy for the female celebrities who enjoy a great fan following and admiration for their looks and beauty when it comes to the Pakistan entertainment industry. Although we have actresses like Rubina Ashraf, Shagufta Ejaz, Sania Saeed and many more who have made a jump from the lead roles to the supporting ones, realizing the requirement of time and generation. Ayesha Khan is one of those actresses who have been ruling the entertainment industry for years, making her debut as Sajjal in Mehdi, starring against Humayun Saeed back in 2003. Ayesha, no doubt, is a capable actress who knows how to adapt any role to be performed on screen.

There was a time when we had to wait for an entire week or even a month to look at the photographs of our favorite celebrities because only the weekly or monthly magazines had the best photo shoots. Well, gone are those days and now all we have to do is Google images and there you have it, all the pictures you want to see and more. In my spare time I like to Google images of my favorite celebrities and I save the ones that I really like. Here are a few pictures which I have not seen on too many web pages and are also very nice, so I decided to share them with you. This is NOT an article but just a fun post. Hope you like the pictures.

 Aimen and Minaal twin sisters.

Alishba and Palwasha on Shehroz and Syra’s wedding. I was so happy to see a picture of them since no other pictures of the wedding had Syra’s sisters in them.

Ibrar-ul-Haq with his wife.

A beautiful click of Nazia Hassan with her son, May her soul rest in peace.

 Neelam Munir with her mother.

 Shehryaar Munawar with his mother on his graduation.

Resham, Nadia Jamil and Juggan Kazim.

Ali Haider with wife on their wedding day.

Anita Ayub, do you rememeber her?

Kanwar Arsalan and Fatima Effindi, cute click.

Hira and Mani with son.

Meera Ansari (daughter of Bushra Ansari) with husband.

Freiha Altaf and Bushra Ansari on Syra and Shehroz wedding.

Hira and Mani on their wedding.

Nazia Hassan and Zoheb, blast from the past.

Sana Bucha and Nimra Bucha – sisters.

Nida Yasir with her daughter.

Sunita Marshal on her wedding.

Fairytale wedding?

Shaista Wahidi with her daughter.

Nazia and Zoheb.

Sanam Baloch and Imran Abbass.

Nimra Bucha with her husband and son.

Yusef sisters with Shehroz Sabzwari.

Shehroz Sabzwari and Moomal Sheikh – cousins.

Sanam Baloch with her sisters.

Fawad Khan in Q Mobile commercial.

Waqar Younus with his family.

 A sketch of Fwad Khan drawn by Syeda Sara Haider.

Saba Qamar and Adnan Siddiqui on the set of Maat.

Imran Khan’s sons – adorable.

Hamza Ali Abbasi

Mahira Khan with her husband.