Competition is improving the Quality of Dramas

With the onset of the new millennium came a relaxation in the PEMRA laws, as well as a more ‘enlightened’ government. All these new changes resulted in a lot of channels and a variety of Pakistani dramas for the viewers. Over the years, viewers had to ignore many shows because unfortunately a lot of Pakistani directors had taken to producing overly glamorous and unrealistic dramas. Recently however the tables have turned and now most viewers have to choose between two or more most-watch drama serials, which air at the same time on competing channels. Every Saturday for instance, I keep switching between GEO and HUM TV to find out the story of both ‘Meri Zaat Zare Benishan’ and ‘Vasl’. Both dramas have an extremely realistic storyline and a very moving performance by the casts.

With such strong competition directors are making a lot of effort to come up with new stories and good casts for a good production. Instead of making glamorous sets and spending a lot of budget on appearances, most directors are producing dramas closer to home and trying to depict details, dialogues and circumstances that the viewers can relate to.

Interestingly the two earlier mentioned dramas “Meri Zaat Zara Benishan’ and ‘Vasl’ both show a mix of lifestyles. In ‘Meri Zaat’ the drama shows the mindset of a conservative family, and then shows the resulting poor lifestyle of the heroine Saba. At the same time we observe the hero Arfeens’, who works in France, lifestyle. In Vasl the drama also shifts between New York and Karachi, showing an average middle class families outlook. Therefore, these dramas have come up with a nice mix of ideas, so that the resulting drama can cater to Pakistanis abroad as well as lower and middle class Pakistanis.

Other channels such as ARY and TV One are making a great effort to keep up with the strong competition of GEO and especially HUM TV. ARY has recently started a new drama serial ‘Diya Jale’ which has raised quite a bit of interest amongst viewers. It basically focuses on how a woman when reaches an age above 25 doesn’t get marriage proposals and later on she ends up marrying a heartless aged man- so father of two young children. It’s a theme that gives a woman the strength to fight back for her rights. The lesson that it gives is that there is a certain limit that a woman can bear a torture, beyond that she gives up. This drama is very well watched and appreciated among all the viewers, esp. women. It gives them hope that a woman should not be taken for granted.  All she demands is for a little care and affection. Even if there are marriage problems that a woman goes through, that certainly doesn’t mean that she keeps on compromising to save her marriage. It’s totally unfair to let her keep bearing the torture just for the sake of saving her marriage. She is a human being after all. She has a right to opt for a life which makes her happy, not the one that requires compromises and only compromises!..

Similarly TV One has aired a dram serial ‘Kharashai’ with a good cast including Fahad Mustafa. He is one of the most dashing good looking TV stars who is appreciated for his multi talented acting skills.

Author :Anum Saulat