Pakistani drama viewership numbers have been increasing since the 1960s. The only thing stagnant, however, is the backstory in most, if not all, of the shows.
Following the success, and ultimately the lackluster ending of Mere Pass Tum Ho, we figured that surely there weren’t other dramas that ended with a whimper.
But boy, were we wrong.
Here are 4 major Pakistani dramas that had a promising future, with well-known artists working on the project. However, as the plot progressed, the fortunes of these major dramas took a nosedive as people relied on word-of-mouth reviews to inform their judgement.
Talking of word-of-mouth, let’s see what the public has to say in general about the state of Pakistani Dramas:
Some Pakistani dramas portray such a misogynistic, patriarchal, regressive and pseudo religious view of our society that it runs the risk reinforcing the same retarded ideas in the minds of a population whose median age is 23. We all know most talk shows are cock fights. 😂 https://t.co/ilUM4Y6Sso
— Yousuf Nazar (@YousufNazar) January 26, 2020
most pakistani dramas, if not all, come from a place of aggressive masculinity and perpetuate misogynistic beliefs. khalil ur rehmans ‘mere paas tum ho’ is widely watched across the nation not because it’s revolutionary, but because it reinforces yalls inherent hatred for women.
— deep rest (@izzalllgood) January 20, 2020
https://twitter.com/Mahvesh_N/status/1221895272927842304
now pakistani dramas are toxic, reflecting a toxic society where people plot and scheme to ruin people’s life with no real motivation behind the plan either. they do it just because they’re vile and jealous and perpetually unhappy who can’t see others be happy. change this shit.
— Asad (@heyitsasad_) January 21, 2020
https://twitter.com/starryskiesxx/status/1219710778384822273
Phew, it seems like the public is just about done with the portrayal of our society in these shows.
Let’s dig into the 4 shows that disappointed an already disheartened audience.
Daasi (Hum TV)
The first episode of Daasi aired on 16th September 2019. With Mawra Hocane, Adeel Hussain and Faryal Mehmood as the lead actors, the show showed a lot of promise. Famous writer and director, Misbah Nausheen and Mohsin Talat respectively, failed to portray the side of our society that we have longed for.
What was supposed to be an innocent, romantic journey turned into a typical misogynistic show after the first few episodes. Goes to show that it will take some serious rebooting for the industry to take a different take on desi households.
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Mein Na Janoo (Hum TV)
Have you heard of the love triangle? This show is a story of the love hexagon. The plot goes beyond one’s logical comprehension and we couldn’t make head nor tail with the whole point of the show.
There’s cunning women, “Bechari” (innocent) girls, and love that could never be together. The show delivered yet another kick in the gut to Pakistani viewers with its same old stereotypes.
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Thoda Sa Haq (ARY)
When we talk about cousin marriage and forced marriage, we can’t help but think about certain stereotypical aspects of desi society.
This show has it all, from cheating to lying and everything in-between. With famous actors like Imran Abbas and Ayeza Khan, the viewers expected a sensible story-line, but to their dismay, they were proven wrong.
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Bewafa (ARY)
If you are indecisive about whether or not this show is for you, let us help you answer it; Think man marries woman, same man marries another woman, and starts to torture his first wife. You’ll be watching the repetitive cycle of her getting tortured and abused, episode by episode. Doesn’t get any more cliched than that.
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Why Do Married Couples Cheat? “Bewafa” Has Some Answers
Do you think these episodes could have been better? If it was in your hands, which side of our society would you want to portray in Pakistani Dramas?
