Nayyab Batool
ISLAMABAD, Mar 15 (APP): Dramas, whether on stage or on television, have the power to captivate audiences and convey important messages.
By portraying relatable characters and situations, they can make audiences feel deeply and empathize with the story. On the contrary, if this power is used negatively then it can lead to perpetuating stereotypes, normalizing negative behavior, and distorting society and culture. Such is the case with Pakistani dramas as well.
From ‘Chup Raho’ to Gul e Rana’, ‘Kaisa Hai Naseeban’ to ‘Dil e Veeran’ and ‘Muqadar’ to ‘Bashar Momin’ are cruel examples of not only whitewashing crimes against women but also normalising Stockholm syndrome; a psychological condition under which people develop positive feelings toward their captors or abusers over time.
The question arises here is that why in the 21st century our dramas are still treading the same path rather than changing the course for something better and positive which can help to improve society.
While talking to APP, veteran actress & legend of the Pakistani drama industry, Samina Ahmed stated: “Domestic violence, abuse & crimes against women do exist in our society and must be portrayed in dramas as well but what result we show in the end is the essence of the story. If the story is normalizing such acts without showing any consequences then it’s actually reinforcing the act in the society.”
“Television has excessively become commercialized and there is a race going on to catch the eyeballs. TRPS, followers and million views led to businesses deciding the base of such drama due to which in a society like ours, where the majority of people are less educated & suffering from the same social issues, they start to relate themselves with these stories ultimately giving the views & ratings for such dramas,” she added.
Media practitioners and experts have a firm stance that media has a very strong impact and people tend to follow the trends created by media perhaps knowingly or unknowingly.
“Just like in conventional media if fake news is continuously hammered then people start to buy the propaganda and fake news as reality. Same is the case with entertainment media, if negative content is consecutively being portrayed in dramas then it will likely become a reality and a common thing for its audience,” stated Zulqernain Tahir, Senior Journalist and Visiting Faculty Punjab University School of Communication Studies.
“It is an established theory that whatever is shown in media people perceive it as real and get themselves emotionally attached to the actors and stories and eventually many try to implement the scenarios seen in dramas which is why dramas can create a long-lasting effect,” added Assistant Professor Abdul Rehman Qaisar Communication & Media Studies, University of Sargodha.
Meanwhile, Content Head at a private media channel, Ali Imran shared:
“I would never justify stories in which abuse, crime or other issues are being glorified but we should also accept the fact that these stories are the real reflection of our society as well. Sometimes chaos also brings a new shade of hope, so by portraying regular stories we try to at least highlight what’s actually going on for society to become more aware & cautious. As of now, if we compare our society from 10 years back, people have started questioning the abuse & violence or mistreatment of women in real life because of such issues being highlighted in dramas. But I do agree that when we are showing any such story then we should also put a comment on it for the viewers to make them realize about the good and bad sides both.”
“We all want that industry should get a positive and improved direction and we have done this effort many times. If audiences are not supportive then creators can’t put up their whole channel at risk with failed attempts. Despite getting the true essence of the drama which weaves the themes of gender equality and social inclusion while highlighting social stigmas affecting women & other marginalized groups, some people made out-of-context tweets and it affected the actual cause of the drama, causing other channels & creators to be hesitant to follow the same,” he added.
“Dramas can bring a change in real life by showing how as an individual, family, or a citizen we can eliminate the ills of society rather than surrendering to it. For this, we need to target the ones who hold the power as creators, producers & project heads. We have to start choosing difficult options as creators,” opined Samina.
“If entertainment media is free from the return of investment obsession then it will truly serve the definition of performing arts,” added Zulqernain Tahir.
“Regulatory bodies all around the world play an important role but unfortunately it’s not the same here due to multiple reasons, with cross-media ownerships being the biggest. We have conglomerates all around the media industry because of which there are fewer independent media, resulting in the lack of different viewpoints and vocalization about various social issues, ultimately hijacking the good content in the race of profit making which needs to be changed,” stated Noman Yaser, Assistant Professor / Incharge dept. of Communication & Media Studies, University of Sargodha (UoS).
“We can’t stop the dramas or story narration at all but what we can do is to go for opting media literacy. There should be media literacy programmes to create awareness about media content and how it can be improved. When the audience will be aware they will uprightly reject the bad content which will mould the media industry to create good content,” suggested Abdul Rehman Qaisar, Assistant Professor UoS.
Women represent half of the population of Pakistan and their issues and solutions must be addressed rightfully while getting rid of such content which is legitimizing the crimes against women.
Though according to Imran, “Our society is deteriorated & filled with chaos where cult following is a common practice. So, in such a society things should change from the grass-roots level but then critics argue how we will justify the role of content here?”
Women activist & former chairperson NCSW Khawar Mumtaz said, “We can only change when we decide what actually we want from our society, either we want it to remain as bad as it is by showing degradation, discouragement & crimes towards women as a normal practice or we want to pull out our society from all such evils by showing the consequences of all such acts & paving out a way forwards for women to cope with it bravely.”
An idea portrayed well through performing arts can change a whole life. If we say that drama is already depicting what bad is happening in society then all we need to put an end to the practice of glorifying the criminal. One good example can save many Raima of Muqaddar & several Rudaba of Bashar Momin. All it takes is the decision of doing what’s right.
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