Over the past few years television has become a booming industry. More recently people flocked to their devices to watch shows and movies while in quarantine. Easy availability makes TV a much-needed medium of entertainment especially in times of hardship.

While most TV content on offer in Pakistan continues to follow some decades-old storylines featuring infidelity, polygamy, saas bahu conflicts and love triangles, a number of releases in 2021 have steered away from these tropes to showcase multidimensional characters and dynamic storytelling.

We saw the portrayal of loving familial relationships in Aik Hai Nigar, a tele-film based on the life of Lt Gen Nigar Johar. The film did a commendable job of displaying wholesome relationships between her and the men in her life. Her father encouraged her to reach for the stars and her husband supported her through the joys and sorrows of her life and career. This was a welcome departure from the traditionally unfeeling father figures and suspicious, ultimatum-voicing husbands found in a myriad of movies and TV shows.

In the same vein, Sinf-i-Ahan features strong female leads from diverse religious and socio-economic backgrounds looking to achieve excellence in the army. It showcases unique hurdles faced by six leading ladies and how they try to break out of societal expectations and succeed in a field that is still largely male-dominated.

Although the journey of every character in Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahin is unique, their origin stories revolve around socio-economic hardship and neglectful parents. This does a great job of highlighting the plight of the working class in Pakistan, as well as the obstacles that they need to overcome in order to move up the social mobility ladder.

Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahin featured an unconventional storyline that tackled subjects like child labour, exploitation, trafficking and animal rights. These subjects are often overlooked or deemed too serious for TV in Pakistan, but Amna Mufti has managed to execute the portrayal of these issues very effectively. Although the journey of every character in Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahin is unique, their origin stories revolve around socio-economic hardship and neglectful parents which does a great job of highlighting the plight of the working class in Pakistan, as well as the obstacles that they need to overcome in order to move up the social mobility ladder.

Raqeeb Say tackled issues of power imbalances in relationships and forced marriages, particularly through Hadiqa Kiyani’s character arc. Her character shows that you can find happiness even in the darkest of times, and that there is no specific age when it comes to chasing happiness. Having been married to an abusive man for most of her life, she decides to pursue happiness and regains touch with her inner child once her husband passes away, showing that you do not have to be a martyr to societal expectations at any age.

Although TV plays in Pakistan still have a long way to go in order to revolutionise storytelling and character arcs, these series have shown that there is a definite market for unconventional and out of the box storylines. Most of these shows and movies feature relatable characters and human interest stories that are a breath of fresh air and keep the viewer engaged. 2021 has been a good year for TV shows. Hopefully production houses will continue to explore innovative storylines that the viewers can see a bit of themselves in.

The author is a staff member