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SPOT LIGHT: A serial that is making waves
Local television channels often come under fire for not being able to depict the problems of various cross-sections of our society in an apt manner through the drama serials that have become such an integral part of viewership in this country. After a long while, though, a serial has hit the mini screen that is making at least one section of the society acknowledge their genuine representation.
Set in a humble locality of Karachi, Khala Kulsoom Ka Kunba is about a lower middle class family dominated by idle women busy in intricate domestic issues. Directed by Atif Hussain, KKKK is aired on PTV-1 every Monday at 7pm. The serial is immensely popular among the PTV viewers and is receiving a lot of attention from the sponsors in a rather ‘off-primetime’ slot also. The point of contention, however, is the unprecedented usage of strong language on PTV. “We are only showing what actually happens in those areas,” director Atif Hussain and writer Fasih Bari Khan contend.
KKKK seems to have provided a much-needed break. There are no glamourous faces; no dolled-up women meeting rich beaus in plush restaurants; no cross-continent jetsetting to scale roads and shop in big malls; and no multi-million rupee assets to fight over
When asked about KKKK’s impact or lack of it on the other, more afluent sections of the society, one can sense a hint of disdain with which the director dismisses the whole argument. “How many of the viewers live across the Bridge?” Atif asks and, to be fair, there couldn’t be a timelier question.
The ‘Nineties have left us the trend of high gloss, super-glamorous, lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous-type drama serials, a majority of which were shot abroad. A handful of faces are repeated in every major serial and the main focus of the writers and directors has largely shifted to sponsors’ preferences instead of the viewers’ appreciation or artistic satisfaction.
KKKK seems to have provided a much-needed break. There are no glamourous faces; no dolled-up women meeting rich beaus in plush restaurants; no cross-continent jet setting to scale roads and shop in glamourous malls; and no multi-million rupee assets to fight over. Still people meet and fall in love, egos’ clash, agony and ecstasy juxtapose themselves and life continues to bloom in all its colours.
“Atif and I have done serious theatre for ten years,” says Fasih. Theatre shows more reality. It has been hard for me to adjust according to the PTV standards, but still I believe that in order to meet the challenge of media war, we need more liberty in the choice of topics. Until 1978-79, PTV handled very liberal themes and showed amazing plays. Khuda ki basti was a classic serial that handled very bold themes. It cannot be done today,” Fasih goes on. “One of my earlier plays that is stuck in the censors, deals with a woman having an extra-marital affair. Why can’t we show it on TV?”
Rubina Mazhar, teaches in a school. She follows KKKK simply because she is fed up of glamorous plays. “For me the novelty wore off after the first play only. If there is any substance in the story and the acting is good, then only will I watch a drama seriously, otherwise the unabashed show of wealth is nauseating as, it is removed from reality even for the upper class. The language in KKKK is not being shown for me to adopt or learn. I can only identify such characters around us and appreciate the writer’s attention to detail.”
Atif Khan claims this is the first time in so many years that a drama serial in the time slot of seven o’clock is being watched with such interest, especially in Karachi. “We are getting 10-12 minutes worth of advertisements and are topping the ratings in that time slot. As far as language is concerned, this is the prevalent language in that area. If the people are listening to it in their neighbourhood all the time, what’s the harm in watching it on TV then? We are showing reality. We are showing just the way people in that area talk and live. If you talk about romance, these people cannot afford going to restaurants. They come across each other in the dirty back lane over a pile of garbage. We have shown romance in the kitchen because this is what actually takes place.”
Mrs Amna Kamal, ex-principal Sir Syed Girls College says, “It is a realistic depiction of a class of people in our city. It is okay to show such dramas once in a while to hold a mirror to society but too much of the same trend will definitely have a bad effect on our language and mannerism. There have been so many dramas, especially long plays, in the recent past that were also very close to reality minus the strong language, for example, Pohnchi waheen pey khaak Ab mera intizaar kar, and Half plate. Reality can be shown that way also.”
At the end of it, do we need more down-to-earth, realistic plays? The answer is a definite yes.
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