Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) enforced a blanket ban on all displays of affection on television. Now television content creators are in a bit of a pickle because of PEMRA’s PDA ban.
The directive strictly prohibits ‘objectionable’ content in television dramas, which isn’t very objective, given the subjective understanding of objectionable. So PEMRA spelled it out for everyone defining such ‘objectionable content’ as;
“hugs/ caress scenes/ extramarital relations, vulgar/ bold dressing …[and] intimacy of married couple [sic].… of married couples.”
In short all displays of affection, which the TV regulatory body described as;
Something “being glamorized [sic] in utter disregard to Islamic teachings and culture of Pakistani society.”
Director Nadeem Baig asserts that directors and producers already exercise self-censorship in order to keep content general suitable for audiences of all ages.
“They can’t place these impositions on a creative art and besides, we know what we can show on TV and what we can’t. Rulings like these are embarrassing for us because they seem to imply that we don’t know what we are doing. A husband and wife holding hands appalls Pemra but the domestic violence shown at large in so many dramas is evidently acceptable.”
He told Dawn Images that he feels such bans normally target one drama serial but affect all content.
“Usually when Pemra has an issue with certain subject-matter or scenes, that one project is singled out. They have to pay fines and sometimes even make a public apology. In this case, though, this all-encompassing, vague statement has been made with no details that add sense to it.”
He also called out how PDA makes PEMRA uncomfortable but violence against women doesn’t.
“Rulings like these are embarrassing for us because they seem to imply that we don’t know what we are doing. A husband and wife holding hands appalls Pemra but the domestic violence shown at large in so many dramas is evidently acceptable.”
Meanwhile, filmmaker director Wajahat Rauf called out the unrealistic expectation to censor extramarital affairs. Censoring this reality on TV won’t affect how rampant such practices are in society.
“I suppose Pemra wants us to be dishonest in our narratives and storytelling, … Also, this restriction on stories that involve extramarital affairs puts a halt to so many narratives where such affairs are part of the main plot or sub-plot.”
The Chhalwa director called out how PEMRA issues these directives without consulting those concerned, TV content creators.
“My problem is that they issued these directives without even once consulting directors and producers who have been part of the industry for years, and maybe could add some sense to them. At this point, we may have to chop off entire scenes from scripts and leave our stories disjointed.”
Do you agree with these filmmakers? Do you think this ban is hindering storytelling on TV? Or do you support PEMRA’s PDA ban? Let us know in the comments below
