I will start this article by excusing beforehand for saying things that might sound or come across as bold because this is something which I feel needs to be addressed & I will definitely try to maintain the decency but I know I will have a hard time in selecting my words because the things that are being shown in our dramas recently are anything but decent.
It’s a known fact that Pakistani dramas fall into the category of family dramas because this is exactly how our dramas got a higher success rate, as people could relate to the stories based on realities of life & more than that I believe the best thing that distinguished our dramas from the foreign content was the quotient of decency that always ‘used to’ be a part of our dramas but recently, the criteria has changed & so has the approach towards the story telling. I believe an alarming trend has overruled all the previous parameters that were always considered while making a drama. The cringe-worthy & puke-worthy thing that I see in our dramas these days is the dependency on indecency between the characters. I have been observing this shift from quite some while now but a few dramas have actually compelled me to voice my thoughts & I believe, in fact I know that there are so many people out there who feel exactly like I do when it comes to this unnecessary boldness that is being shown in our dramas these days.
I believe a lot of people will agree that our dramas have lately started showcasing such things which no one wants to see where there is a lot more focus on the skinship & there is a lot more intimacy between the characters, no matter what roles they are playing. Be it a relationship of a husband & wife or friends or colleagues, I have seen that the unnecessary coziness is always made a part of each & every episode in most of the dramas that have gone on-air recently or are running currently. Whenever I see any such scenario I always wonder if this was actually really necessary or did such a scene take the story forward in any way & the answer that resonates in my mind is always in negation because let’s be honest, we all are well aware of all the aspects of life so no one actually feels the need to see certain things being narrated or elaborated as if they are teaching us something really important & without their help we can’t figure things out on our own.
There are so many dramas that have solely depended on the forced skinship to earn the ratings, best example would be Chup Raho because sorry to say the way Sajjal Ali was manhandled in this drama was actually quite disturbing & what disturbed me the most was the way she allowed that to happen to her. Yes, it was the demand of the script but I believe what happened to her character was enough for people to pay heed to what she has gone through but the way she was objectified time & again was actually quite disgusting. Last night I saw an episode of Khuda Dekh Raha Hai & there was a scene where Imran Aslam picks up Sajjal Ali; his bride in his arms & tells her that your place is not on the settee but somewhere else. The recently started drama Shart also showcases a friendship of another level where a husband Danish Taimoor is comfortably embracing his ‘friend’ Ayesha Khan & in some cases pecks on her forehead right in front of his wife Nida Khan & she seems pretty comfortable with the coziness between her friend & her husband!?!?! I am sure everyone remembers Aahista Aahista; super-duper, megahit drama of 2014, the way they insinuated indecent thoughts of Adnan Siddique whenever he looked at his young wife Mawra Hocane especially whenever she used to towel-dry her hair was quite bizarre too. Similarly, even though I loved Aunn Zara, there was also a scene in that drama which involved Maya Ali’s foot & OKB’s face & that actually made no sense because it seemed completely out of the line & unnecessary. I watched a few episodes of Mere Khuda as well & yes, my thoughts were just exactly similar to the name of drama because all I could say was Mere Khuda after watching them taking boldness rather hideousness & indecency to another level.
Those who have followed me or my comments know that I am not a huge fan of Humsafar but I have always praised that drama for the fact that there was nothing of such sort shown in it. They showcased romance & a growth of love & bonding between a husband & wife quite aptly where their chemistry spoke volumes without them having to come in contact with each other. Similarly, Shanakht was also one such drama where the pairing of Fahad Mirza & Maya Ali was done beautifully & their relationship & chemistry was evident without any forced chumminess between the two. Sanam Jung & Imran Abbas’s chemistry in Dil-e-Muztar was also very unique & special & I don’t remember any questionable scenes between the two of them. I remember Sarwat Gillani & Adeel Hussain in Mata-e-Jaan & their relationship & bonding was actually nicely depicted & the chemistry they both shared was amazing too but I never saw anything of such sort in that drama either. Sanam Saeed & Fawad Khan made a good pair in Zindagi Gulzar Hai & no matter what; the director never relied on showing the strength of their bond through these means. Imran Abbas’s pairing with Naveen Ali in Alivda was good & they looked amazing as a couple; they had a good relationship which was depicted without any contact between them either & the latest & our favorite; Sadqay Tumhare, where there was a lot of emphasis made on how much Khalil (Adnan Malik) respected Shano (Mahira Khan) which is why all their scenes together screamed chemistry but not even a single scene was added to portray how much they loved each other by relying on some contact between them. The point is, drama makers have given us beautiful romantic dramas & love stories now & before, but they have also set the precedent high by letting us know that the physical contact is never the criteria to showcase how special the bonding between a couple is & that has been the beauty of these dramas which struck a chord with so many people out there.
I actually hate seeing how easily the drama-maker these days picture such questionable scenes that are quite suggestive & in simple words bold & disgusting & it also makes me wonder what sort of briefing & in what terminologies the actors must be getting before they are being told about the scene that they are about to shoot. We don’t need to see what transpires between two characters if unfortunately they become a husband & wife on screen, we don’t need to see the wet locks of actresses to understand their situation, we don’t need to see a guy grabbing a face of a girl as if he is holding a packet of crisps. We don’t want to see any of that because we are immune to watching simple, decent & most importantly clean dramas that are free of any such questionable antics. Our drama makers need to understand that they need to up their intelligence & drama-telling techniques & when they’ll do that, they wouldn’t need these cheap tactics to sell their dramas. Share your thoughts rather vent out your anger at an alarming latest trend of boldness that is prevailing in our dramas these days.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.