Pakistani drama industry has always been one of the most popular entertainment sources in South Asia. This region is always keen on watching well-knitted interesting stories from the genre of appealing and culturally relatable characters. These dramas provide a lot more than just entertainment, they are also known for playing the role of reflecting on societal norms or beliefs. An important aspect that these narratives contain is the portrayal of women. Since representation matters and can readily shape society's views and stigmatization of women, Pakistani dramas hold a lot of responsibility too.
It is important to see the subsequent idea of focusing on the representation of women in Pakistani dramas considering both aspects, one where Pakistani drama positively portrays women as well as the negative portrayals of women in the industry. Stuart Hall's model of representation depicts the idea of culture being important in forming meaning and language. Pakistani drama industry represents the role of women through the language used and women's attire as societal norms traditionalise. It is important to focus on how these representations shape the attitudes of culture towards women and gender roles.
Dramas that originated in Pakistan have come a long way from their earliest productions in the 1960s. In the Muslim world's first drama serial, "Dastak", female characters were portrayed in traditional roles, reflecting the societal norms of that particular time. The women were portrayed as submissive wives and mothers who had to endure the worst conditions without even complaining about anything. The women were shown to be nothing else but just supporting roles in the lives of the men around them. Nevertheless, when there were changes in people's perception of the roles that women should play in society, there were also changes in the roles assigned to women in the dramas. The subsequent decades of the twentieth century saw the gradual evolution of female characters into more nuanced ones, as authors and directors began to break free from the stereotyped portrayals of female characters of the earlier period. Shows such as "Tanhaiyan" and "Dhoop Kinare" depicted women who were career-oriented and who sought to make their own decisions which was a change in portraying women from prior shows. However, this does not mean that in modern dramas there are no examples where characters recreate those rather outdated prejudices, which proves the conflict between tradition and progress in depicting women in more varied and realistic ways.
Among the most appreciated dramas for focusing on a confident and decisive woman is "Zindagi Gulzar Hai." The main character, Kashaf Murtaza portrayed by Sanam Saeed, perfectly embodies the fact that women are not to be degraded and they can achieve everything they aim for. Kashaf who is raised by a single parent, faces many challenges on her way to success in terms of both academic and professional fields. Her story touches the lives of most people especially women and makes them realize the need to embrace education and determination to achieve their set goals. Kashaf's role has not been seen in dramas previously in Pakistan. She challenges cultural norms by being outspoken and aiming to be truthful and honest to herself and the ones around her. The drama was a breath of fresh air through its witty remarks making the viewers laugh and also learn about the struggles of a hardworking student aiming to support her single mom and sisters. The drama repeatedly mentions that she plays the role of a son for her family and breaks traditional norms of men being the only ones supporting and providing for their families. Kashaf is an exception by being the daughter and playing all the roles society deems for men to do.
Likewise, in "Humsafar" Khirad Ahsan played by Mahira Khan appears as a strong and honorable woman even though she had to face a lot of hardships. Despite being a victim of various unfortunate events inflicted on her by her in-laws, Khirad does not lose herself and comes out more empowered than ever. These characters help influence positive behavior and portray women as strong and capable of dealing with all sorts of life challenges. Such portrayals of women help society understand the positivity of strength and not giving up. It highlights the role of women in a positive light by appreciating their kindness and struggles.
Another great representation of women was portrayed by Ramsha Khan in one of my most favourite Pakistani drama "Ghissi Pitti Muhabbat" where the main lead went through multiple divorces as she did not tolerate any unfair treatment and unjust to herself or her morals through the hands of her in laws or husband. She was an aspiring chef and refused to tolerate any wrong in the name of love or respect. The character, Samia, was independent and headstrong and worked her way through the repressive societal practices and raised her voice. She married multiple times in the drama, but she always chose herself respect above everything setting an example for young women all around Pakistan and abroad. She negated the cultural and traditional aspects of women being confined to houses and marriage being the most important aspect of a woman's life. It was the first-time women were seen to be appreciated in roles that are not traditionally associated with women. From her old grandmother to the young women of the house, every woman in the drama was seen to be progressive in her ideas and actions.
There are many negative portrayals of women in Pakistani dramas, such as the one evident in "Mera Saeein" where women are depicted as helpless and suppressed beings designed to satisfy the wicked intentions of men. This drama perpetuates rather toxic stereotypes, highlighting that women's purpose in life is to suffer and give up one's joy for others. When Pakistani men watch such dramas, they get inspired and display unexplainable behaviors towards the women around them. One drama that was loved by almost every man in the country for all the wrong reasons was "Mere Paas Tum Ho". The main character of Mehwish played by Ayeza Khan is an unfaithful and materialistic wife who leaves her husband for money. This portrayal caused much controversy as people believed that this only served to reaffirm the submissive image of women and thus promote misogyny. The drama has received millions of views and people have different reactions to it, which even further emphasizes how much media affects the perception of society. The drama affirmed the popular idea people have of women being gold diggers and that was the perspective of the writer too. The writer, Khalil ur Rehman later on mentioned how he believes all women are like that and they only run after money. Such negative portrayals of women cause them to suffer in their relationships and create trust issues for men making their relationships difficult.
As discussed earlier, there has been some marked improvement in the depiction of women in Pakistani dramas. One such drama is "Cheekh" which moved the audience with its storyline and the selflessness of the lead woman. The character of Mannat played by Saba Qamer gathered immense love and support from people all around the country as well as from overseas Pakistanis. Mannat is depicted as a headstrong woman and a strict advocate of justice. She rebels against the traditional patriarchy, as well as corruption and injustice which I admired as well. It wouldn't be wrong to state that such prominent characters are a source of strength and determination for other women, particularly the ones who are suppressed and are eager to fight for their rights till the very end.
"Alif" was another heart-touching drama with a lot of emotional twists and turns. It also depicts another progressive character Momina Sultan played by the versatile actor, Sajal Ali. Even though the drama revolved around the teachings of Islam and considering its principles, it still showed progressive women helping the viewers understand that there is freedom and respect for women in Islam. The drama aired around the same time as “Mere pass tum ho” which gained more popularity as it was not breaking set stereotypes. Momina is a young woman aspiring to become an actor along with supporting her family financially but as one can expect she also faces the numerous challenges of this male-dominated society. Her journey shows us an empowered woman who is ready to go through her life struggles alone without needing a man by her side. These dramas surely represent a shift in terms of portrayal, but there is still a very long way to go.
Such representations of women in Pakistani dramas have received various reactions from the audience, which can be regarded as a sign of the attitudes prevailing in the society of Pakistan. Not to forget the role that social media has played in all of this. Facebook and Twitter have become the discussion battlegrounds where people put forth their thoughts and opinions. This critique is particularly important for the drama makers, so they get to know what the audience is expecting from them the next time they create a character. The overall reviews show that the positive depictions usually attract appreciation, as well as trigger discussions regarding the number of issues that affect women negatively, looking for ways to find a solution. Meanwhile, the negative portrayal can cause resentment, and backlash and calls for more responsible storytelling.
It can be seen that the most important form of representation for women in Pakistani drama is their attire. Every woman that is seen to be modern, rich, or dressed up in western attire is shown to be a villain. Whereas mostly the characters dressed up in desi attire are shown to be positive, innocent, and helpless at the hands of other characters. There is a notion of showing that modern women are relatively eviler and are influenced by progressive ideas which is not acceptable in the typical Pakistani society.
The cultural impact of these dramas cannot be overstated. Entertainment is not the only contribution they provide but are also responsible for educating and creating the general public mindset about how the times are progressing. It therefore becomes the responsibility of writers, directors, and producers to notice the more prominent issues of society and help shape a better society whilst ensuring that their narratives contribute to a more equitable and inclusive society.
Summing up the discussion, it is evident that the portrayal of women in Pakistani dramas has turned out to become a strong tool that can bring change and control social opinions. However, for the reviews and ratings, the drama makers can not solely rely on negative portrayals. Thus, it is necessary to identify the problems, assess and then portray them in a way that resonates with the general public. Through the newfound awareness within Pakistani society, viewers can recognize the harmful impact of negative portrayals of women in dramas can have on women in real life. This shows that there is a grand opportunity for Pakistani dramas in the process of improvements in gender equality and women's rights in Pakistan.
Here is a link to the drama "Ghissi Pitti Muhabbat's" first episode, do watch it and share your feedback:
Pakistans drama industry has a long way to go in becoming progressive. While I believe that some dramas have started portraying women characters as strong and independent with female lead roles, most still remain traditional. These dramas are liked by most of the masses and even have a huge international audience but we repeatedly see the same plots where cousins are marrying each other and there is household controversy. Another aspect is that women who play the negative role in dramas are usually women who are shown as modern and wear westernized clothing whereas the innocent and kind characters wears eastern clothing and fits in the traditional gender roles that are prevalent in Pakistani society.
While Pakistani dramas have provided glimpses of progressive and powerful female characters like as Kashaf in "Zindagi Gulzar Hai" and Mannat in "Cheekh," it is clear that these examples are overwhelmed by more stereotyped representations. Dramas such as "Tere Bin" and "Deewangi" frequently rely on traditional narratives in which women are portrayed mostly as victims or passive characters whose lives revolve around love relationships or family disputes.
The industry's reliance on these stereotypes has the potential to reinforce outdated gender roles and standards, limiting the representation of women as independent, career-oriented persons capable of making decisions outside of familial or romantic obligations.
To have a lasting impact on public beliefs, Pakistani dramas must continually promote themes that honor women's independence,…
this was a very well researched article and it shows the importance of intersectionality when. it comes to feminism in particular. white feminism is not something that takes into consideration the challenges pakistani women face in terms of race, class and culture and so it cannot be translated into our dramas. dramas like yakeen ka safar highlight the multiple obstacles pakistani women in particular have to go through in order to be seen as strong and independant with the main character grappling with her abusive family. i love how you have highlighted the positives in dramas such as humsafar but part of me thinks that even those dramas still have a long way to go when it comes to truly…
This blog was an amazing read a so well written. You did a very good job in describing the media landscape and how it has changed. I love how progressive Pakistani dramas have gotten but would you not say there still exists so many problems within it. Even in the shows where women were seen as independent, the main storylines still revolved around the idea of being and falling in love with a man. This reminds me of the article we discussed in class whereas seen in Shrek as well, these dramas in subverting ideals are actively reinforcing them. Also, would you say these representations have included minorities which is something I think is missing in drama. There is a…
This is a comprehensive and insightful analysis of the portrayal of women in Pakistani dramas. You've highlighted how these dramas serve as more than just entertainment, but also as reflections of societal norms and cultural beliefs. It's commendable how you've discussed the evolution of female characters from traditional roles to more nuanced and empowered roles, citing examples from various iconic dramas like "Zindagi Gulzar Hai," "Humsafar," and "Ghissi Pitti Muhabbat." Your critique of both positive and negative portrayals is thoughtful, noting how certain dramas challenge stereotypes while others reinforce them, impacting societal attitudes towards women.