Dramas, whether on degree or on tv, have the energy to captivate audiences and bring critical messages.
By portraying relatable characters and conditions, they are able to make audiences feel deeply and empathise with the story. On the contrary, if this electricity is used negatively, then it could result in perpetuating stereotypes, normalising bad behaviour, and distorting society and tradition. Such is the case with Pakistani dramas as well.Gul e Rana, Kaisa Hai Naseeban, Dil e Veeran, Muqadar and Bashar Momin are a number of the merciless examples of now not simplest whitewashing crimes in opposition to ladies but also normalising Stockholm Syndrome; a psychological circumstance beneath which human beings increase superb feelings towards their captors or abusers through the years.
The query that arises right here is, why is it, that in the twenty first century, our dramas are nonetheless treading the same path rather than changing the direction for something better and superb that can help to improve society?While speakme to APP, veteran actor and legend of the Pakistani drama industry, Samina Ahmad stated: “Domestic violence, abuse and crimes against women do exist in our society and need to be portrayed in dramas as properly but what end result we show in the end is the essence of the tale. If the story is normalising such acts without showing any outcomes, then it’s honestly reinforcing the act in the society.”
She added, “Television has excessively turn out to be commercialised and there may be a race occurring to trap eyeballs. TRPs, fans and million perspectives cause corporations figuring out the bottom of such drama due to which, in a society like ours, where most of the people of human beings are much less knowledgeable and stricken by the same social issues, they start to narrate themselves with those tales, in the end giving the views and scores for such dramas.”
Media practitioners and specialists have a company stance that media has a completely strong effect and people have a tendency to follow the traits created through media possibly knowingly or unknowingly.
“Just like in traditional media, if faux information is constantly hammered then humans start to buy that propaganda and pretend information as truth. Same is the case with leisure media; if terrible content is consecutively being portrayed in dramas, then it will probably end up a reality and a common thing for its target audience,” stated senior journalist Zulqernain Tahir, who’s additionally a travelling college member at the Punjab School of Communication Studies. “If leisure media is loose from the go back of funding obsession, then it’s going to sincerely serve the definition of performing arts,” he brought.
“It is a longtime concept that something is shown inside the media, humans understand it as actual and get themselves emotionally attached to the actors and memories and in the end many try to enforce the scenarios visible in dramas, that’s why dramas can create a long-lasting impact,” opined Abdul Rehman Qaisar, an assistant professor of Communication and Media Studies on the University of Sargodha.
Samina Ahmad went on to remark, “Dramas can convey a trade in actual lifestyles by displaying how, as an man or woman, we will remove the ills of society as opposed to surrendering to it. For this, we need to goal the ones who keep the energy as creators, manufacturers and mission heads. We need to start making some hard selections as creators.”
On that observe, Ali Imran, Content Head at a non-public media channel, stated,
“I might in no way justify tales in which abuse, crime, or other issues are being glorified however we have to also be given the reality that those testimonies are the real mirrored image of our society. Sometimes, chaos also brings a brand new colour of wish, so by portraying ordinary testimonies we attempt to at the least highlight what’s absolutely taking place for society to end up greater aware and cautious. As of now, if we examine our society to the way it became 10 years in the past, we are able to have a look at that human beings have commenced questioning abuse, violence, and mistreatment of women in real existence because these issues are being highlighted in dramas. But I do agree that when we are showing this kind of story, it have to include a disclaimer.”