Pakistani dramas are cherished by audiences worldwide. These shows often address various social issues that are prevalent in society and present genuine stories on television screens. Fans enjoy watching content that is relatable and mirrors real life. However, love stories and the “Cinderella syndrome” remain popular, and writers typically incorporate these themes into their shows to ensure they are light-hearted and easily digestible.
Young Love Stories Debate
A new trend is emerging in Pakistani dramas, with many recent stories focusing on young love among teenagers. These dramas often depict school and college students falling in love at a very early age. While some viewers find this content entertaining, many others are expressing concerns. They believe that these stories convey a misleading message to young people. Instead of motivating students to excel in their studies and work hard for their future, these dramas make love appear to be the most important aspect of life. Parents and critics argue that dramas should inspire young people to set high goals, remain focused, and develop strong values.
Some people believe that these stories reflect real life. They argue that young people do experience love, and depicting this in dramas is not inherently wrong. For these individuals, it’s not about promoting early romantic relationships but rather about illustrating what happens in society. They contend that those who criticize such dramas are being short-sighted and closed-minded. According to them, ignoring this reality won’t change anything. As a result of these differing viewpoints, a strong debate has emerged. People are now questioning whether these dramas are beneficial or harmful to society.
Here is a list of those Pakistani dramas where we saw some teenage romances on TV, and they elicited a lot of discussion amongst viewers:
Parwarish
Parwarish is a Pakistani drama that aired on ARY Digital, featuring a fresh storyline on television. In an era where love triangles and marriage often dominate the main plots, Parwarish addresses issues faced by Generation Z, as well as the parental challenges encountered by today’s mothers and fathers. This is another storyline that involves the love affair between two teenagers, Maya and Wali, who are both 17-18 years old and willing to go to great lengths to get married. This subplot has sparked debates about whether it is appropriate to portray such young characters in love on screen. Is it suitable to depict young love in dramas? Despite the discussions surrounding this topic, the show has become a hit.
Mohabbat Gumshuda Meri
Mohabbat Gumshuda Meri is a recent Pakistani drama featuring two young stars, Khushhal Khan and Dananeer Mobeen. This drama tells a heartfelt young love story, showcasing a romance between two neighboring teenagers. The storyline showed that the young couple even ran away from home to get married (Nikkahfied). After facing numerous challenges over the years, they ultimately reunite. The passionate depiction of teenage love sparked conversations among viewers regarding the portrayal of such intense emotions at a young age. Fans often shipped the two actors both on and off-screen, even expressing their enthusiasm when the actors attended an award show together.
Meem Se Mohabbat
Meem Se Mohabbat is another mega hit that just came out on Pakistani television. The show became a global hit with fans loving Ahad Raza Mir and Dananeer Mobeen. Once again, we had a 19-year-old girl, Ayat/Roshi, who was dying to get married. She was reading wazaif to get herself a groom. She goes on to fall in love with her boss, who was quite older than her. She did not care about her self-respect and kept pursuing the guy. She was even going to marry an abusive red flag to show her boss that she can GET MARRIED.
Jafaa
Jafaa was a mixed bag. In some aspects, people loved what it stood for, but by the end of it, it had severely deteriorated from its plot. We got to see a very young girl played by Sehar Khan who is in love with her class fellow played by Zarrar Khan. Once again, there were two teenagers who were in love, who would drive around the city for dates, and the guy even stealthily came to her house as she hid his presence from her parents. She goes on to commit suicide on her wedding day for the boy who is playing cricket in the streets. This elicited a lot of debate on how such young kids should not be shown falling in love in mainstream dramas and how this is sending a wrong message to viewers.
Kahi Unkahi
Kahi Unkahi is an old Pakistani drama starring Ayeza Khan and Shehryar Munawar. The show was a hit in its time and once again showed the love story between two youngsters. They fight classism and challenge the obstacles of society to be together. At that time again, certain people had reservations about showing a young love story on screens.
Divided Opinions on Young Love
In society, affairs at a young age are becoming common with children in schools and colleges starting relationships. This was, however, never showcased on television before. Debate is heated again as fans witness Wali and Maya fighting the world and forgetting about their studies to be together.
Most people from the media industry have been defending these stories. Many of them openly criticize those who speak against such content. However, the general public does not always agree. Many viewers, along with bloggers who reflect public sentiment, have raised concerns. They believe these dramas are sending the wrong message to young audiences. This difference in opinion has created a clear divide. Below are a few examples that show the nature of the debate and the range of views on this topic.
Parwarish director Meesam Naqvi recently shared his thoughts. He said that we should stop pretending that 15-16-year-old kids are not having affairs. He showed this reality in his drama. He is not saying this is right. But it is happening, and he wanted to show parents how to deal with this:
Kiran Naz was not happy with this and made her thoughts known openly:
@alibhaaiofficial Parwarish drama review 🔥 | Few words on Mayi Ri too 💔 | Are these dramas fixing society or ruining our culture? 🤔 #Parwarish #MayiRi #ARYDrama #PakistaniDramas ♬ original sound – Ali Bhaai Official
Atiqa Odho had a balanced opinion. She said that we have not seen such young stories on our screens before, thus, backlash is inevitable. We need more time to understand what such stories are telling us:
Right or Wrong?
It is true that teenage romances have become very common in Pakistan today, but they should be responsibly depicted on screens. Love is a natural human emotion and not inherently negative; however, romantic relationships at the age of 16 or 17 should not be glorified. For instance, in the show Pawarish, Maya fails her exam because she is more focused on her relationship with Wali than on her studies, and this serves as a wake-up call for her. Such storylines should be included so that young viewers understand that building their futures is more important than seeking love.
https://reviewit.pk/parwarish-lgbtq-agenda-turns-controversial/
