Pakistani television is ruled by two dramas these days and they are Tere Bin and Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha. Both Wahaj Ali starters are getting big numbers on TRP charts and trending on YouTube every week not only in Pakistan but India as well. The drama has brought Wahaj Ali much-deserved recognition and he has become a superstar overnight. But many have their reservations with the scripts of both these dramas.
Omair Rana is one actor who has not only acted like a pro in different projects but he has also taught students how the craft goes. His wife Maira Omai Rana is also a writer and she has shared her disappointment with these dramas and has criticized the audience for giving ratings to such scripts.
Maira said that she was told by a famous director of today years ago that audience is stupid and they do not understand quality scripts. She had not believed him and she still has many of the scripts she has written which are not okayed by the production houses today and they contain the substance. She also pointed out that her own husband’s drama Piya Bedardi was a bad story but he got a lot of fame from the said drama and people praise him for the performance.
Maira said that she is a writer who grew up with Haseena Moin’s uplifting scripts and strong women characters and she cannot take this type of television. She, however, commended Wahaj Ali, Yumna Zaidi, Zaviyar Nauman and Hania Aamir for picking these scrips as they did wonders for their careers.
This is what she had to say:
“Our audience is stupid”
A well known and sought after TV Director of Pakistani drama industry said this to me a couple of years ago when I shared a script of mine with him – and he asked me to edit it. He said “if you think the audience is intelligent enough to digest this, you’re being naive (I am sure he wanted to call me stupid as well)”
I remember being offended and I told him he’s insulting our audience. He just smiled this peculiar smile which clearly said “ Sure. Live in your own little world.”
Fact is – he is mega successful today, Mashallah. And I am still sitting with a Google Drive full of scripts I refuse to edit – because I believe our audience is NOT stupid.
But. Dramas like Tere Bin and Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha prove me wrong time and again.
Piya Bedardi proved the above mentioned director right for a 100 episodes! It gave my husband a lot of fame – and steady income – but it was a terrible storyline. Shockingly, to my horror, 95% of the audience who wrote to Omair, met him personally to applaud his performance and generally expressed appreciation were women!
I can see that Wahaj Ali, Yumna Zaidi, Zaviyar Nauman and Hania Aamir have played a master stroke in their careers to sign these – and to be fair to the actors – they are doing absolute justice to their characters. Wahaj is phenomenal!
Omair Rana did an awesome job at playing the psychotic Sahir – a sign of a good actor.
But what is wrong with our audience? The TRPs of the current dramas with their bizarre scripts have gone through the roof. And guess who’s the majority watching them, drooling over them and discussing them to no end – women.
I am a woman. And I refuse to accept the title of stupid audience. I take pride in being a girl raised with Haseena Moin values and her progressive content – with the bold woman image that Shoaib Mansoor promoted – with Anwar Maqsood Sb’s humour and fearless Sitara aur Mehrunnisa.
I related to Zara and Sunniya from Tanhayyiaan
I aspired to be like Zoya in Dhoop Kinaray
I admired Sana in Ankahi for her courage and drive
Shehnaz from Alpha Bravo Charlie taught me to be myself unapologetically
Mehrunnissa taught me to never give up no matter how tough the tide is.
What happened as we moved to the 21st century? Please tell me – where did we go wrong and where are we headed?
Here is what the internet thinks:
Audience is really stupid as still they are supporting actor like Umair whohas been involved in sexual harassment. Log sach m beqoof hen jaldi bhool jatay hen
Yes you are right
Very true! But after all apart from Pinjra( Omar Raina starrer) no such drama has an intense or thought provoking content. So it may be perceived like this : the audience is compelled to digest and eventually like this superficial dramas. When your platter is garnished with spicy things which are certainly not healthy, you are bound to intake those as there are no other options.
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You are absolutely right.
I also watch Tere bin.
actors are doing good job but story is not as such strong .
Time waisting is too much on scenes like India dramas.
And all the focus is on love story of yumna and Wahaj.
I also don’t like some of scenes of drama.
Absolutely right
Absolutely correct. Dragging stories with absurd scrip. 👎🏻👎🏻
Agree, business is business !
More nonsense dramas are going on than these dramas. Why is no one talking about them? #terebin is being seen globally. Are the whole world mad?? Sometimes a person wants to see something different from his life. Wants to see some light-hearted. At least this drama is better than those dramas in which brother-in-law and sister-in- law are going on an affair or on the night of marriage, twin sisters are changed. When such dramas are made, where are our media and people like you? Now what to do if there are no writers like Haseena Moeen? Shut down the drama industry? It would be easy to make words. After watching #terebin, people in foreign countries are also watching other Pakistani dramas and I hope they will also watch DHOOP KINARY and KUCH ANKAHI. Thanks, Yumna and Wahaj for introducing Pakistani drama industry to foreign countries.
💯agreed. Couldn’t be more accurate than this.
So u r only clever who gonna decide which is the best. You have to prove your work indeed
In serials no two humans talk to each other directly, clearly to clarify though live together, it is just to irritatingly prolong the duration,
Tbh this is the reason y i stoped watching Pakistanis dramas🙂💔