{"id":220740,"date":"2019-04-08T16:21:36","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T11:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/?p=220740"},"modified":"2019-04-09T13:06:26","modified_gmt":"2019-04-09T08:06:26","slug":"its-high-time-that-pakistani-dramas-stop-glorifying-violence-against-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/its-high-time-that-pakistani-dramas-stop-glorifying-violence-against-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Its High Time that Pakistani Dramas Stop Glorifying Violence Against Women"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pakistani drama serials like Cheekh<\/em> and Deedan<\/em> are all the rage, largely thanks to how it handles themes underlying consent and harassment. The same cannot be said of Hum TV’s\u00a0Tu Ishq Hai,\u00a0<\/em>which ends up glorifying the cruel and evil custom of honor-killing.<\/p>\n

Quality dramas stand out from the rest because they have a pulse on current issues and treat their characters, both male and female, with the agency they deserve. Its no surprise then that\u00a0Deedhan\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Cheekh<\/em> resonate with audiences due to the fact that they have strong female characters. Despite the drama’s violent subject matter and plot, they don’t feature graphic footage to sell their stories.<\/p>\n

On these counts. the last episode\u00a0of\u00a0Tu Ishq Hai <\/em>falls short.\u00a0We see Raeed Alam’s character Ahmer kill off his sister Nazo, the main antagonist in the story.<\/p>\n

\"Ahmer<\/p>\n

Sonia Mashal’s Nazo was no doubt a despicable character. But the question is – was her on-screen murder justifiable?<\/p>\n

Pakistani Media Needs to Stop Romanticizing Violence Against\u00a0Women<\/h3>\n

Violence against women is a recurring theme in South Asian art and films. Kankar<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Udaari\u00a0<\/em>are two Pakistani dramas that also portray it.<\/p>\n

With some Pakistani dramas and films, there is this innate tendency to glamorize and romanticize this violence. Killing Nazo is not the only example of this. In Hum TV’s Barham<\/em>, Noor Khan’s character demands why Waji didn’t slap her when she suggested getting a divorce.<\/p>\n

If you think it’s romantic for a man to hit a woman if she wants\u00a0to break-up, they should go back to Consent 101<\/em> and How to Treat People For Dummies<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Romanticizing<\/p>\n

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Serials like ARY’s\u00a0Cheekh<\/em> and APlus’\u00a0Deedan<\/em> are moving forward with progressive content, while Hum Network needs to do better here.<\/p>\n

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ALSO READ<\/p>\n

These Are the 10 Best Pakistani Dramas of All Time<\/a><\/p>\n

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No More ‘Damsels in Distress’<\/h3>\n

There’s also this fixation with portraying female characters as weak-willed damsels in Pakistani drama serials.\u00a0The portrayal of women as weak characters who sit idle, waiting for a protagonist to save them, that’s just not going to work anymore. Not to mention they are obsolete and boring.<\/p>\n

How did we go from strong characters like Saba Qamar’s Mannat in Cheekh<\/em>;\u00a0Sohai Ali Abro’s Salwa in Adhi Gawahi<\/em>; and Aisha Khan’s Mahgul in Khuda Mera Bhi Hai,<\/em>\u00a0to weak damsels in distress like Saboi in Band Khirkiyan<\/em> and Kinza Hashmi’s Amal and Yasmeen Haq’s Fouzia in Tu Ishq Hai?<\/em><\/p>\n

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