Television viewers never had it so good as they do now. After all, unlike the days of the one and only channel, PTV, today, viewers have access to literally hundreds of channels to choose from - with niche channels just for news, food, music, sport... and, of course, entertainment. As a result, there is no shortage in the number of soaps and dramas on the idiot box, and viewers seem to be pressed for choice.

Should they watch the rich, glamorous, Indian soaps that boast of bejewelled Tulsis and Parvatis on Kiyun Ke Saas Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahani Ghar Ghar ki, which are aired on Star Plus, the channel that is the bane of every Pakistan based channel?

Or, maybe they can catch an episode of Desperate Housewives, which takes place on lovely Wisteria Lane and focuses on the lives of the strong-willed Lynette, the awkward and sometimes annoying Susan, the anal-retentive nightmare Bree, the spoilt (and hot!) Gabrielle and the man-eating Edie Britt?

Or maybe, just maybe, they can tune into a Pakistani channel, and watch an episode of a Pakistani drama?
After all, today, Pakistani dramas are more glamorous, they have bigger budgets, which allow them to narrate the stories of the rich and famous. They are shot on breathtaking foreign locales; the production values have improved drastically... producers, writers, directors and actors are paid a lot more now, and their work is treated like a “real” profession, rather than just a sideline as it was before.

And now that the media is supposedly free, dramas are able to tackle a lot of more `controversial` subjects such as extramarital affairs, rape and even ... prostitution.

So keeping all these factors in mind, the question arises is the quality considerably better? Are they as memorable and addictive as those that were aired in the 70s, 80s and 90s?

The answer, unfortunately, is “not really”.
Because, for one thing, it seems that with the exception of perhaps a Moomal Productions` play, or one directed by Mehreen Jabbar, most of the dramas that are aired today seem to be hell-bent on aping their Star Plus counterparts, and in doing so end up portraying an unrealistic, and sometimes bizarre alternative reality. In fact, if you are an average Pakistani, you will probably find the grand lifestyles that are depicted in these dramas totally alien, given the opulence and characters that are portrayed in them.

As a result, most of the dramas that are aired today, are nothing more than a bunch of people wearing trendy clothing, which is usually of the Western `jeans and t-shirt` variety, sporting affected Urdu accents, prancing around, living supposedly `aspirational` and `controversial` lifestyles.

It is perhaps safe to say that, in the last 10 to 15 years, not many of the dramas that have been aired can even remotely compete with those that were aired in the 70s, 80s and even the early 90s.

Despite the censorship during Zia`s time, dramas such as Kurbaitain our Faasley Parchaiyan and Teesra Kinara were aired in the late 70s. Based on novels - Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev, Portait of a lady by Henry James and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand respectively, these dramas tackled many controversial issues in a subtle manner, making them memorable and classics in their own right. And for comic relief you had Hasina Moin`s Shehzori and Uncle Urfi.

As the 80s began, you had the memorable Ankahi, Tanhaiyan, Dhoop Kinare, Aangan Tehra, Khaleej, Tapish, to name just a few which boasted of stellar performance that are remembered to this day.

Granted that the production values utilised in them were not as glossy as they are today, these dramas are still a treat to watch because of their engaging and well-written scripts, brilliant performances, and because they also tackled issues that audiences could relate to then and even today.

Sadly enough, although the majority of these plays are available (some have been lost forever) on DVD, they have been slashed mercilessly in order to fit on two DVDs, which is a darn shame, and speaks volumes on how we value the good work that we have done.

Clearly, if we are ever to produce dramas that can match the quality of those produced in the past, it would be a good idea to stop aping the Indians Soap and the West. After all, a little originality never hurts.