Some of my fondest memories are of times spent watching television with my mother. Those days, watching television was an enthralling experience. There was a palpable excitement in the air as television found roots in the country. It was a huge change, and it swept us all along with it.

Our days would be full of anticipation. My mother would run the household errands and I would wrap up my homework before dusk. Then, chattering excitedly, balancing paper cones filled with roasted peanuts, we would curl up on our faithful old diwan and reach out for the TV remote.

We made elaborate preparations so that we could enjoy our favourite teleplay Fehmida ki Kahani Ustani Rahat ki Zabani. The play was penned by Ashfaq Ahmad. It starred Arifa Siddiqi and Khursheed Shahid.

Fehmida ki Kahani, Ustani Rahat ki Zubani engaged with the themes of class and economic disparity. Centred on the story of Fehmida, an orphaned girl who came from a modest background, the teleplay highlighted the implications of a materialistic culture and the problems it creates in the lives of the underprivileged.

Too young then to understand all the nuances of the exquisitely penned play, I remember being mesmerised by the simplicity with which the story was narrated. There was depth to the production focused on a social issue that people noticed in their daily lives. It resonated with them.

Those were the days most of us relied on Pakistan Television for our daily dose of entertainment. Some of the productions compelled whole families to huddle around their cathode ray tube television sets around eight in the evening and not budge until nine.

On the days plays like Waris were scheduled to air, the streets would be deserted and social events would be postponed so that people could watch the latest episode of the riveting play that engaged with the intricacies of the feudal system. Productions like Waris were yet another link in the long chain of television dramas that brought the whole neighbourhoods together and served as a catalyst for late-night conversations.

There was less competition within the broadcasting industry and viewers were content with picking their favourites from a limited pool of productions. These productions, transformative as they were at the turn of the century, were often shot with modest budgets. Despite shoestring costs, these plays were lapped up by the eager audience. It was clear that for them, matters like set design paled in comparison with understated performances by the actors and the creative execution by the production team.

The television industry was neither saturated nor as commercialised in the eighties and nineties as it is now. In spite of this, our television was giving stiff competition to Bollywood.

Playwrights like Amjad Islam Amjad, Bano Qudsia, Ashfaq Ahmed and Haseena Moeen, came up with layered plotlines provided food for thought. Marina Khan, Badar Khalil, Shahnaz Sheikh, Khalida Riasat, Roohi Bano, Noman Ejaz, Atiqa Odho and Sania Saeed graced our screens, making these productions a treat to watch.

This era was foundational, giving rise to a television revolution in Pakistan, pushing the symbiosis of culture and television to the forefront as entire households converged around a single television set to enjoy drama serials, endless cups of chai and light banter. For the first time in history, electronic media was bringing people together and shaping their perspectives.

The TV drama these days is different. Nowadays, we see more big-budget productions; a natural consequence of rampant commercialisation. The number of channels airing TV drama has increased exponentially over the last decade. Many production houses have stepped into the arena and are telecasting around the clock. There is a great demand for content. This explains the industry’s obsession with quantity as opposed to quality.

For the viewers today, this shift has certain advantages. There is a lot to pick from and some of the productions are exploring new subjects. An increasingly large number of individuals is turning to television for their livelihoods as writers, actors, producers and directors. Current social issues are being highlighted in an effort to increase the mass appeal of television productions.

At the same time, nuanced stories are getting replaced with big-budget productions. There is a greater focus on costumes and sets, which are becoming more lavish by the day. The understated acting style of the past has long been replaced by loud, oft-times over-the-top histrionics in a bid to attract a wider audience.

This has had a spillover effect on the actors too. While television actors in the past preferred simplicity and had a no-frills approach to their craft, the TV actors and actresses today live like big-screen stars and are embracing high glamour. They have more exposure, and some of them have attained global recognition.

The TV celebrities of today have become household names, owing largely to social media. A number of them have set up side businesses, are endorsing brands and have millions of followers on Instagram and Twitter. Social media has opened up new avenues for them and introduced new streams of income. The plethora of TV channels also means more opportunities and more competition. This can swing both ways for the audience who, on the one hand, have the freedom to simply switch to another production if they do not enjoy what they are watching, but on the other, are also craving for quality content amidst all the din.

Be that as it may but then why do we miss old productions? I posit that, in addition to the praiseworthy acting and realistic plotlines of the ’90s drama, we yearn for what the experience of watching television used to entail. We miss spending time together and we pine for a chance to make conversation about our recent watch, an experience that we sorely miss in these times of solitary viewership.

The invasion of smart devices, meant to bring individuals closer, has ironically done just the opposite. Families seldom sit together to enjoy quality time catching up on their favourite play when they know they can watch the entire play on YouTube later on their smartphones or tablets.

Our youth find it harder to identify with their parents. This colours their choice of content too. These days, the young generation turn to Netflix and other OTT platforms instead of drama serials on local channels. Watching television has gone from being a group activity to a solitary one. The conclusion makes me cherish my memories even more.

The writer is an educationist and can be reached at gaiteeara@hotmail.com.

This era was foundational, giving rise to a television revolution in Pakistan, pushing the symbiosis of culture and television to the forefront as entire households converged around a

single television set to enjoy drama serials, endless cups of chai and light

banter. For the first time in history, electronic media was bringing

people together and shaping their

perspectives.