Pakistani dramas have come a long way and have a great deal to offer but recently most of our dramas seem to be following a certain set of stories and I think it is about time that we changed that. In this article I am going to discuss some of the clichés that are being continuously depicted in our dramas and it is my humble request to all writers to come up with some original scripts.
1. Women Being The Main Protagonists:
Except for Sirat-e-Mustaqeem and Sabz Pari Laal Kabooter, I cannot think of any other plays in which men were the main protagonists. All stories revolve around women and the difficulties they face. While I acknowledge the fact that our society is male dominated but it would be nice to see a story that revolves around a man or certain men for a change.
2. It Is The Responsibility Of A Woman To Make A Marriage Successful:
In every second drama we see women going out of their way to make marriages work, because they are expected to bear that responsibility on their shoulders. While, it is good that our writers are teaching women the lesson of compromise and self-sacrifice, it would be even better if men are taught a lesson or two through our dramas too. Our dramas should in a positive way put forward the message that both the spouses have to work to make marriages last and even if it is unsuccessful, it could be the fault of both the partners (partially) and not just the man. We see women being treated like door mats but they return to their spouses nevertheless, all it takes is one apology and everything is as good as new.
3. Extra Marital Affairs and Second Marriages:
Our dramas show married men and women both having extra marital affairs like they are going out of fashion and we see married men threatening their wives of divorce without having any fear of God. If a man is not happy with his marriage he can conveniently go behind her back and marry another woman. Yes, I do agree Islam does allow men to remarry but I know many couples around me who have troubled marriages and not half of the men go around looking for another wife. The obsession with extra marital affairs, second marriages and divorce is just plain disgusting.
4. Rivalry Among Sisters:
The formula is simple and is followed without any reservations; the older sister is not very good looking and extremely down to earth and the younger sister is very pretty and spoiled to the core. There is competition between good and evil and eventually good wins. The moral is excellent, no doubt but why involve the sisters in the story? How many such sisters do you know in person? I have seen this story on-screen so much that I have started to lose my faith in the relationship!
5. Bad People Smoke And Drink:
Why do dramas need to take aid of alcohol and cigarettes in order t o make characters appear negative on-screen? Do all bad people smoke and dink or are all the people who drink and smoke bad? The characterization I am quite certain can be done without showing people smoking and drinking on-screen.
Our drama writers and production houses really need to take a look into these issues and try to come up with new ideas so that these clichés are not engraved in people’s mind further.
Saud.
