olden days are gone when families would sit together and watch Pakistani dramas. Instead, today we get to see the ‘not-so-moving’ storylines that seem to be inspired by Indian soap opera. What is worse is that our entertainment industry’s portrayals often strap us with cultural and social values in direct contradiction with our own.
From pregnancies to feticide, from extra-conjugal undertakings to illegitimate kids and elopements, we have been exposed to different sorts and levels of ludicrous content in these dramatizations for the sake of modern entertainment. Even sacrosanct relationships are not spared.
I have seen incalculable shows where a person falls head over heels for his niece or his little girl’s girlfriend or a young lady begins engaging in extramarital relations with her brother-in-law, and plots all she can to join him in marriage.
These dramatizations even show domestic help being used as objects of physical pleasure and fulfillment by their male employers.
These are a few examples of all the absurdities that we are being entertained with in the form of dramas like Khawab nagar kishezadi, Sotan, Rang Mehal, Jalan, Mujy Bhi Khuda Pe Yaqeen Hai, etc.
The inadmissible trend of forced Nikkah’s is shown by Pakistani entertainment industry. Nikkah is the most blessed of bonds in a Muslim society. The terms and stipulations for nikah to be substantial are likewise very clear to even those individuals who are not knowledgeable or mindful. Nikah is truly a sensitive subject which the greater part of the Pakistani television soaps have managed to make the subject of a very uninformed discussion.
There are a couple of Pakistani dramatizations like Sammi and Udaari which offered importance to a man and a woman’s consent in marriage. This consent cannot be imposed on anyone and where there is coercion, the authenticity of the nikah is problematic.
Since most of the Pakistani dramatizations touch intimate issues and they show women explicitly as the individual being referred to, there have been a great deal of constrained nikahs in Pakistani television serials. Each time we believe that we have seen the more unfortunate, the creators and writers consider something substantially more uncommon and unpleasant.
The most upsetting component of a portion of these dramatizations has been that these constrained nikahs are seen executed with the participation of the general society. They appear to be the norm rather than the exception, and in the end everything turns out great.
In the event that these constrained nikahs appear as invalid and dangerous, just like the case with Rehaii then it is entirely fine however assuming they are utilized as ‘unexpected developments’ there isn’t anything directly about showing such circumstances.
Among the famous Pakistani dramatizations that didn’t just show such circum- stances yet in addition standardized constrained nikahs would be Gul-e-Rana, Beqasoor, Andaz-e-Sitam, Muqaddar, and Malal-e-Yaar.
Back in the heyday of PTV when there were no private Networks in Pakistan, we had famous and effective dramatizations – maybe more than any of the blockbuster serials of today – that would have the audience glued to their screens from 8 to 9 pm every day. Dramas like Tanhaaiyan, Alpha Bravo Charlie, Aanch, Dasht, Aroosa, Dhuwaan, Sitara aur Mehrunnisa, Marvi, Des Pardes, and Bandhan are few of the famous ones from that time.
Such was the allure of these shows that they were seen and liked in Pakistan as well as abroad. As far as I am concerned, this is adequate proof that even while remaining inside our social and cultural standards, we can deliver content that is loved by a broad audience.
By following blindly in the footsteps of global media, we are purposely obliterating our own culture and identity. This fixation with something that doesn’t concern us – to the extent our social qualities and culture are concerned – should cease at once since it affects and influences the mindset of our younger generation.
The media business should understand the effect such things can have on our citizenry. Every one of those related to this industry has a gigantic obligation on their shoulders to patch their ways for a better society.
On the other hand, since the Pandora’s box has been opened, it won’t be easy to fix the problem rapidly. We as consumers of entertainment need to understand that it is in our grasp whether to permit the media to control our brains, insights, and eventually our way of life. It is a fundamental duty for the audience – the adult class of the majority who are sufficiently experienced to discern good from bad – to tell media outlets what is worthy and what isn’t.
All things considered, media content depends on what watchers need to see. So if viewers voice their interests passionately enough, on the off chance that they blacklist certain channels or certain projects the appraisals will undoubtedly drop.
The entertainment industry can thus be influenced through their very business model to listen to the consumers and tailor their content according to their wastes and wishes: Ratings being synonymous with income, content producers will inevitably feel beholden to what the consumers want and what they do not want.
