|
|
‘There is no third generation’
PTV boasts of having produced many classic serials that glued viewers to the screen. But those were the days when the satellite boom had not occurred in Pakistan and the state network enjoyed a monopoly over viewership. The first generation of producers — Yawar Hayat, the late Mohsin Ali and Shahzad Khalil — ruled the roost, producing one interesting serial after the other. Then the second generation took over and the tradition carried on. One of the leading lights of this second wave of PTV producers is Haider Imam Rizvi. Now in his fifties, he joined PTV in 1976 when it was basking in its glory days. .
Rizvi’s serials have mass appeal and keep viewers hooked to the screen. The reason for this, he says is his attention to detail and emphasis on the script. A staunch believer in the fact that if the script is strong and well written, the serial will click, he elucidates on his recipe for success.
“I demand an error-free script and for that, at times I do the corrections myself. I had many altercations with Asghar Nadeem Syed while we were doing Chand girhain, because of this.”
‘The fault lies with us, the second-generation producers. We were well equipped as our predecessors passed on their knowledge and expertise to us. Now, we are above 50, and have given nothing to the third generation. When they should have been learning the art of producing a drama, they were given minor programmes’
Particular about the writers he works with, he considers Noor-ul-Huda Shah the best in town.
“Her sentences are compact and very well-written. Zubair Ansari is another good writer, as is Zoha Hasan, a new arrival in the writers’ circle. She is the next Haseena Moin in the making.”
Rizvi is also very fond of introducing new faces. Having an eye for talent, some of the notable performers of today have been brought to the limelight by him, such as Mehmood Akhtar, Babar Ali and Komal Rizvi, to name a few.
The ’80s and mid-’90s was the peak era for PTV, after which the dish and cable onslaught bit into its pie. In the face of competition, the quality of plays deteriorated and people switched to other options. Commenting on this, Haider Imam Rizvi says, “the fault lies with us, the second generation producers. We were well equipped as our predecessors passed on their knowledge and expertise to us. Now, we are above 50 and have given nothing to the third generation. When they should have been learning the art of producing a drama, they were given minor programmes. All of a sudden they have been burdened with the production of serials in which they are not too well-versed, and so the quality has deteriorated.”
Another reason he points out for the deterioration is the lack of proper education.
“Drama is a science. To master it, proper education is required. Unfortunately, in our country even a matriculate is given the opportunity to produce dramas by the private channels. The result is that they end up churning trash.”
Though he is not very happy with the work being done nowadays, there are a few names he thinks have the potential to take over the reigns from the second generation such as Mehreen Jabbar and Farooq Mengal. Commenting on the fact that the veteran producers of PTV also lend their services to private channels under pseudonyms, Rizvi says “the reason is the lure of lucre. Private channels pay far more than PTV. We are not allowed to work for other channels without permission, but everyone goes for greener pastures. It’s an open secret.”
So why doesn’t PTV take any action?
“Because they cannot afford to lose us. We earn a lot of profit for the channel. As I said earlier, there is no third generation,” or none ready to shoulder the seniors’ burden, at least.
Though hard times for the national network are inevitable and the near future does not seem to be very bright, Haider Imam Rizvi is optimistic that PTV will still continue to hold its own in the face of tough competition.
“In Pakistan, only 15 to 20 per cent of the people watch satellite channels. In the interior of Sindh, women are not allowed to watch them due to the vulgarity they project, and the same is the case in other provinces. Five years down the line this might not be the case, so it is of utmost priority to decide a future line of action to combat the international channels.”
But then again it all comes down to the absence of a properly trained third generation. There is no one to improve the quality, and this is where PTV needs to work hard to redeem itself.
|
|
