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Drama — it’s in the air
If one counts out the wide variety of Urdu drama serials from PTV’s prime time slot, irrespective of how meticulously or not they are produced, one is left with very few entertaining programmes which can prove their worth by winning the attention of the viewers. So, by all choices, serials continue to be the front runners in attracting sponsors and giving viewers reasons to tune in to PTV, rather than the rest of the channels.
Recently, drama serial Gunehgar came to its conclusion, following the typical pattern of previous serials which, somehow or the other, wrap up with “and they lived happily ever after.” The serial was written by Shahid Kazmi and directed by Qasim Jalali. Though it revolved around the mundane topic of a manipulative saas and extremely meek bahu, what saved the story from being categorized with other run-of-the-mill dramas was its fairly good treatment which was thankfully not swamped with glamour and pomp. As a result, it succeeded in gaining a quarter of the overall viewership. But one feels that it could have left a deeper impression had the director taken notice of the finer details, which could not escape the keen eyes of the viewers. As one housewife commented, no attention was given to the make up of Zeba Bakhtiar and Shagufta Aijaz, who looked the counterparts of Ali Afzal and Tahir Kazmi instead of their mothers. A lapse of 20 years, it seemed, was not enough to whiten hair or leave wrinkles. Another viewer pointed out that Tahira Wasti, one of the leading actresses of the serial, was shown wearing the same purple dressing gown after a time lapse of 20 years. Directors beware! Some keen-eyed viewers just can’t let go even a minor oversight.
These slip-ups may sound trifling but they do spoil the overall finishing and a carefully produced programme or story. Whether it is the wardrobe, make up, set design, etc, everything is significantly important to lend colour to the final product. Predominantly, make-up is the most ignored area in our plays as one usually sees female artists, mostly young ones, laden with full make up whether they are running a temperature or shedding tears in an hour of grief. This certainly leaves a bad taste in the mouth and directors should see to it that artists fulfil the requirements of the situation, which may demand an actress to look aged or shabbily dressed.
Watching Sania Saeed in Shayad kay bahaar aaey yet again convinces the brilliant acting prowess of the actress, who plays the role of a lawyer, Sara, trying to cope with the problems occurring after her marriage to Ali, played by Humayun Saeed, scion of a feudal family. Penned by Haseena Moin and directed by Raana Shaikh, the serial has expectedly pulled viewers and it can be voted as the pick of the lot. It is time Shafi Mohammed gets an award for playing record feudal roles in his acting career, and in this play he once again appears in a role tailor made for him.
The serial, which serves as a launching pad for a number of fresh artists, interweaves in a subtle manner various human relationships and emotions, mainly of females and how some women are subjected to survive in a constrained environment and become subservient to the unchallenged dominance of men. Overall, it can be adjudged as a good production, the only drawback being some slow and long scenes.
SKBA is devoid of the trademark comical touch of Haseena Moin, but the veteran writer has rightfully compensated for that in her play, Ik naey morr pay. This serial stars Talat Hussain, Samina Ahmed, Qaisar Khan Nizamani, Rohaina Hussain and Shamyl Khan. Although it is stuffed with comical (read farcical) situations and attempts have been made by the writer to give viewers a drama at par with her earlier plays, it is not creating the desired impact. Seven episodes have been aired but the story has still not picked up and has left one figuring out where the writer went wrong in her efforts to provide the comic moments.
Coming to the serious programmes aired by PTV, Islam Today — The Global Image, is appealing to viewers keen on thought provoking and serious stuff on the tube. It invites speakers from various disciplines to reflect upon the issues needed to be addressed for the image building of Islam. The one featuring a talk by Javed Jabbar, former information minister, was certainly enlightening as he focused upon the desired ways to tackle the issues head on pertaining to the wrong interpretation of the religion by the international community. What disappoints one is that PTV always falls short in properly publicizing such programmes, which provide food for thought.
And in the end, those who sat down to watch Meera Hashmi interviewing Tina Sani in An evening with a star, were left a bit confused as the interviewer turned out to be Mehtab Akbar Rashdi. The blatant mistake in the slides shown prior to the programme was doubled when at the end of the interview, the name of the interviewee was written as Javed Sheikh, though at one corner of the screen the picture of the much admired singer was quite visible. Such silly oversights were the last thing one expected from Moomal Productions.
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