TV talk

Given the increase in the number of local entertainment-based TV channels in the last couple of years - there are over a hundreds of them - it’s obvious to miss out on a lot. It’s technically impossible to catch each and every drama when there are at least five different dramas airing on one channel each day. Only a few of them catch the spotlight because of their star cast or the fact that they are being aired on a top channel; most of them go unnoticed. One of the major reasons that make a play popular among masses is the hype it creates and the way it is promoted on social media days and weeks before it goes on air.

To one’s surprise, the list of top 10 TV plays for the month of February according to Medialogic Pakistan (that compiles the data based on viewership across the country) does not include many of the hyped drama serials that became talk of the town. While Noman Ijaz-starrer political drama Khan had just begun at the time these ratings were observed, it is surprising to not have prolific names on the list. Whether it is Mawra Hocane’s ongoing social drama Sammi or Ayesha Khan-starrer Khuda Mera Bhi Hai that tells the story of a transgender, or Adnan Malik and Sanam Saeed’s love tale Dil Banjara - none of these productions made it to the top rated plays in the month of February. Here are four TV plays that are among the top 10 names that received the highest ratings in February.

One of the serials that has been included in the top 10 most watched small screen projects is Shaquille Khan’s Choti Si Zindagi that stars Shehzad Sheikh, Iqra Aziz and Nimra Khan in lead roles. It revolves around the life of Urwa, played by Sheikh, who falls in love with Azra (Nimra Khan) but is forced to marry his young, less educated cousin Ameena (Iqra Aziz) as per his father’s will. Urwa not only wanted to marry the girl of his choice but also wished to pursue his dreams instead of bearing the huge responsibility of marriage. He’s torn between his responsibilities and his dreams and is always complaining about what fate decided for him.

Though the play doesn’t have an all-star cast, it does highlight some very important issues that are relevant to the society we live in. It not only points out that a boy too can be under societal and family pressures to get married at a certain age to the girl of his parents’ choice but also focuses on the struggle of a young couple as they try to get along with each other. It is progressive in the sense that despite her young age and less education, Ameena supports her husband in every way she can, even financially. So we’re not really surprised to see this play taking a top spot in the rating chart.

Imran Abbas and Sadia Khan-starrer Khuda Aur Mohabbat is also on the top-ten list. The play hit the small screen with a second season after the overwhelming response it received on season one. It follows the story of a rich, good looking guy Hammad (played by Abbas) who falls in love with Moulvi Aleemuddin’s daughter Imaan (Sadia Khan) who is committed to her cousin Abdullah (played by Humayun Ashraf). His love for Imaan is unconditional and results in his complete transformation. In an attempt to become ‘suitable’ for her according to her father’s wish, Hammad leaves his house, starts earning on his own and gets inclined towards religion but nothing works for him. In this stressful situation where Imaan is stuck between her father’s will and Hammad, she falls severely ill and dies. Hammad returns to his world and continues with his studies but he’s not the same person anymore. Will Hammad ever be able to fall in love again? The next few episodes will tell.

Another TV play that got great ratings during the month of February is Waada that features Faysal Qureshi as Shahab and popular morning show host Shaista Wahidi as Sumaira. The two are happily married with one daughter. However in a strange turn of events, Shahab falls victim to their maid’s clever daughter Jaana (played by Saboor Aly) and ends up marrying her. The play then follows the story of Sumaira who does nothing but weeps throughout the play. Is this the reason the play is ranked among the highest rated ones? We’re a bit confused about the popularity of this one.

The last drama in our list is Kambakht Tanno that comes across as an extremely regressive play, as the name suggests. It’s all about Tanno, played by Nousheen Ahmed, and people who make her life miserable. She is considered to be ‘kambakht’ who ruins every occasion and is the one to be blamed whenever something bad happens.

These and most of the other serials that constitute the list of top 10 dramas are either romantic tales or focus on the miseries of women and society’s unfair treatment to them. Women in these plays are weeping all the time. Is this what the audience likes to watch on their TV screens? Majority of the audience comprises women and perhaps these are the scenarios women can instantly relate to when they see other women in similar situations. But then what other options do our viewers have?

There was a time when drama serials like Ankahi and Tanhaiyaan ruled the TV screen; of course, there was only one channel back then: PTV. But these dramas were real and they had characters that made us laugh, cry and get attached to. No matter what the ratings, one thing is for certain and that’s the need for progressive and optimistic story telling.