KARACHI: Fans all over the world might be in awe of Pakistani plays but according to UKS — a local research, resource and publication center on women & media — believes that these productions are not highlighting women’s issues the way they should. Instead of promoting family values they are proposing ways to quit family and move on, which is one of the reasons why the standard of drama is declining.

The stakeholders of the drama industry were part of a ‘Roundtable Consultation on Depiction of Women in Pakistani TV dramas: Perception vs Reality’ at the Beach Luxury Hotel this weekend where people related to media — be it actors, writers, directors or journalists — gave their two cents on how things could be made better. And when you have distinguished panelists such as veteran actor/music director Arshad Mahmud, veteran playwright and actor Khalid Ahmed and award-winning director Mohammad Ehteshamuddin, things are bound to move towards positivity.

Former gender adviser to the United Nations Dr Salman Asif enthusiastically moderated the roundtable and took over after a digital story about the morals of our TV dramas was screened for the attendees. Arshad Mahmud compared the standard of plays from the 1970s and ‘80s with those produced nowadays, saying that a vast difference could be seen between what was ‘preached’ then, and now. He also emphasised that not all jokes are to be shared with family as some are kept for gathering with friends but sadly, people now are unable to differentiate between the two.

Theatre veteran and mentor to many Khalid Ahmed seconded what Arshad Mahmud had to say, telling the audience that you can’t find work as an actor in progressive countries without a diploma and that’s one of the reasons why they have been able to maintain their standards. He also emphasised that TV shouldn’t show what’s happening around us but be part of the solution by teaching the audience how to beat that evil. Actor and writer Abdullah Farhatullah represented the younger generation and discussed that as a nation, we may have become independent but we don’t know how to use that independence; that’s why more dramas are revolving around issues that aren’t issues in the first place.

People spoke about those plays that have changed the trend, including Udaari; director Ehteshamuddin said that until and unless we take the audience, the bar can’t be raised. The duo behind mega successful Sang-i-Mar Mar — writer Mustafa Afridi and director Saife Hasan — also debated that dramas can be made on other topics than marital issues but no one ventures into that territory. Writer Bee Gul believed that until and unless all stakeholders are made part of the roundtable, things can’t improve as every channel wants to show a crying woman, not the one that can stand for herself.

Officials representing their channels blamed the ‘Flawed’ rating system for the decline in drama writing while others termed the absence of guidance as one of the reasons. There was an interesting statistic shared by a writer that 70 per cent of Pakistanis (between aged 25 and 35) don’t even watch TV dramas which is alarming, considering all channels claim to target the youth. Whatever the truth, the ‘Gender Discrimination Lecture’ turned into drama decline one and as pointed out by Khalid Ahmed, the matter can’t be solved in one sitting. Some of the participants hope that the arrival of DTH (direct to home) service will break the monopoly of channels and it is only then people will venture out and make diversified plays, rather than cashing on the crying woman!

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2017