Aazmaish, a drama series airing on ARY Digital every day of the week is a real azmaish (trial) in every sense of the word. The show has completed nearly fifty episodes and all we see in every episode is more of the same. Sub-standard material is being churned out by nearly every TV channel, portraying women as devious and conspiratorial characters, reinforcing the misogyny in society. It is quite evident that the script-writers are running out of ideas and are grasping at straws to keep up the ratings.

Most of the shows, except for a handful, depict women as scheming and calculating individuals out to destroy everything and everyone around them. What pleasure do we derive out of portraying women as treacherous and conniving characters? Rather than celebrating the achievements and accomplishments of women, these screenplays tend to focus on their worst attributes. The female characters in Haseena Moin’s plays were far more progressive and enlightened than the characters shown in today’s serials. Is this a reflection of the mindset prevalent in this society, where women are seen as inferior beings and second-class citizens?

Many would argue that the channels are churning out plays for mass consumption and are not interested in catering to the niche audience that prioritises quality content. Some writers like Bee Gul (Raqeeb Say) and Afia Mufti (Dil Na Umeed toe Nahin) have taken risks by telling stories that go against the grain. Rather than painting characters in black and white, they present layered stories and multi-faceted characters that encourage viewers to think and reflect. According to them, the going has not been smooth or easy for them, and they have had to face a lot of opposition.

Shows like Aazmaish exemplify the kind of meaningless stories being churned out for mass consumption. Most of the viewers, it seems, would rather watch women parading around in designer outfits, with blow-dried hair in palatial homes and mouthing profanities or conspiring against other women. Men are generally shown as weak-willed characters unable to stand up for themselves and being browbeaten by women. In Aazmaish, the central character, Baasit, appears to be a puppet, browbeaten by his wife, Shiza, who has nothing better to do than indulge in character assassination of one of the other female characters, Nimra, and constantly accuses him of having a soft corner for her. The father also comes across as a weak character who cannot put his foot down, as far as his headstrong daughters are concerned. Honestly speaking, the play is an insult to the viewers’ intelligence.

The show Nand is another example of a television production that only reinforces the stereotypes prevalent in the society. It was a huge success and raked in the moolah for the producers, who went on adding episodes and prolonging it in an effort to make as much money as possible. The average middle-class housewives seem to feast on these stereotypical productions and with more and more channels cropping up, more and more material is needed to satiate the voracious appetite of the consumers.

Cinema is dead, and so all the attention is focused on television. Shows, like Khuda aur Mohabbat, with massive budgets have turned out to be blockbusters and have turned the actors featured in these productions into stars overnight. During the pandemic, television viewership has grown. With people confined to their houses, the only source of entertainment was television, which provided a modicum of relief from the monotony of daily life. For the discerning viewers, the options are limited. They turn mostly to digital platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime, which offer a wide variety of programmes to cater to every kind of viewer and pose a stiff competition to the TV channels.

Although the main aim of these channels is to maximise their profits, with rapidly emerging digital platforms on the television horizon, quality should not be compromised. Mindless and senseless television serials should not be unnecessarily prolonged and quality content should be prioritised because it serves to cement the reputation and standing of a television channel. Stereotypes should be challenged and rather than playing to the masses all the time, the tastes and preferences of discerning viewers should also be kept in mind.

Let’s hope and pray that with time, more channels will start churning out quality productions and produce thought-provoking and meaningful content. This will pave the way for more educated and enlightened script-writers to step into this field, raising the quality of productions.

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