The Verdict
If Pakistani dramas want to succeed, they need to compete!

If Pakistani dramas want to succeed, they need to compete!

Complaining that a Turkish drama is threatening the entire industry is simply outrageous!

Asad Zaidi December 22, 2012

While browsing through the idiot box the other day, what caught my attention was a press conference hosted at the Karachi Press Club by representatives of the Pakistani media. They were complaining about how their industry is under threat from foreign content being relayed on our local television channels nowadays.

Yeah, yeah the controversy about the Turkish drama Ishq-e-Mamnu is all the rage these days, but what really perturbed me was the kind of statements they were giving out.

I do not happen to be a fan of any of those Turkish, Spanish or Indian soaps, but what irked me was that these people were trying to force the ‘be Pakistani, buy Pakistani’ mantra.

Hey, wait a second- aren’t these the same people who promote and wear glitzy designer labels from Paris and Milan?

They drive around in imported vehicles, their favourite tourist spots are Thailand and Malaysia, and they only travel by foreign airlines.

The list can go on and on.

Doesn’t that speak of outright hypocrisy on their part?

Complaining that a Turkish drama is threatening the entire industry is simply outrageous.

Either they feel insecure about the quality and content of their own work, or they are just being a bunch of monopolists in a crony, capitalist world. Similarly, our automobile industry is lobbying the government to ban imports of used cars again, since they are so vulnerable!

Why pretend to be cultural activists and staunch patriots when in reality, our actors and directors are just scared of losing their jobs?

This does not surprise me because these are the same people who were whining and becoming hysterical when the government was not taking any action against the relaying of Indian movies, and also channels by our cable operators a few years ago.

It was the same line; Indian channels are taking away our business and intruding our cultural norms and now a Turkish drama.

Déjà vu, much?

My mother, along with several other Pakistani women, used to be huge fans of Indian soaps. Names such as Tulsi, Parvati, Jassi became our household names. While I admit that they were a complete drag, compared to what was being aired on Pakistani channels in those days, they didn’t seem to be all that bad.

My mom stopped watching them around 2010 and I guess for the right reasons. Ekta Kapoor had gone too far with her starry stories. Balaji’s decade-long honeymoon with Star Plus came to an abrupt end. Who could have thought that Tulsi Mayya with her cult like followers would have such a disgraceful fall?

On the other hand, my mother switched to Pakistani channels. According to her, the stories were far better and she had that instant connection with them!

A few of the Pakistani dramas are quite close to reality. Initially, I would poke fun at my mom for watching them; I had that stereotyped impression of them. Later, I realised that it is the quality of the content being relayed that matters, and not the person relaying it.

Take a look at Humsafar.

I didn’t get a chance to finish watching all the episodes. I watched just one and I really liked it. The script, storyline and the actors were refreshing. There was no typical ‘bahu’ (daughter-in-law) whining all the time, making unrealistic sacrifices, but a woman who dared to rebel.

Despite the grudge I have against the content being aired on several Pakistani channels, being a Karachiite, I happen to be a major fan of Quddusi Sahab Ki Bewa. I believe Hina Dilpazeer could easily knock out Smriti Irani or any other actress for that matter.

She is that good!

And so are many others; they just need to stop being insecure and believe in their abilities.

Lastly, as a consumer, it is my right to decide what I choose to watch. Isn’t this what a democratic society should be about? Freedom of choice?

My advice as a consumer to these people is; let competition flourish. Do not be scared of the Indians, Turks or anyone else. If you are good, we will choose you over them. Just stop imposing yourself on us!

However, if your slogan remains ‘be Pakistani, buy Pakistani’, then my friends, charity begins at home.

WRITTEN BY:
Asad Zaidi A student of finance and auditing in Karachi, Asad is currently studying French culture and language.

The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (63)

Olivia Mukhopadhyay | 11 years ago | Reply @Saya: Hi Saya what's the anger about? No body is trying to impose anything on you.Vishnu is just talking about a common and shared ancestry which leads to budding of a similar culture.And about Partition-"we" didnot push you out,we werent even born then(dont know about Vishnu though,I wasn't).If you were a "carbon copy" of Indians then you would be exactly they way you are today because let's face it I have seen Indians who are exactly like Pakistanis and vice versa(I have Pakistani friends who are not virtual and Indian friends who are pious observing Muslims).In the end Pakistani culture is not monolithic and is quite as diverse as Indian culture.We are definitely different in subtle ways but very similar in broad strokes.A shared culture actually starts as a common talking point and then maybe we can make a freindship out of a discusiion,what say?

Olivia Mukhopadhyay | 11 years ago | Reply @Umair: Really? "pollute your youngsters?" I am an Indian ,Hindu and love Pakistani serials,does that mean I will somehow pollute my mind through watching them? Culture usually enriches and yes people do follow POP culture for a bit but then they grow up and nobody will ever follow what their heart doesnot truly want.So my advice is instead of banning Indian serials,lobby very hard so that Pakistani channels and content can be aired in Indian homes.You will find a lot of aprreciators and no I dont think any of us will get "polluted".Also let me say where I got the idea to watch Pakistani serials from,when I was a kid ,PTV used to be aired in India for sometime and I would watch my parents stay up till wee hours of the morning praising Pakistani dramas.That doesnot mean we have become Pakistanis,does it? Holding on to ones culture is one thing but banning other people because they "pollute" you is really heartbreaking to us impure people.We have good things in Indian culture too and no Tulsi Mayya is not a representation of that.Hindus dont bite you know,give us a chance in your POPular culture too.

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KanwaL | 11 years ago | Reply The woman who dared to "rebel" - Humsafar changed the concept of dramatisation and how us as society are coward to give strength to women who are kicked out on the basis if bad character! If we opt to see HUM Tv,, or This Turkish craze , then its us whose heart has to be touched by the dramas, not that we change ourselves inside. I dont know about everyone, but concerning myself I watch or have watched Dramas to seek happiness from them as life surrounds us with conceit and depression. Now if we analyse what depresses us and sees on a wall mounted LCD, a drama which shall boost our ego, we will in turn keep watching it, whether its indian stuff or from turkish border! Every person has a spark , its just that we need to search inside us how to ignite it! Dramas WERE a source of culture change , once upon a time, like when my mom used to read me fairy tales,, now my daughters want to read blogs of their age groups and want iPhone. and fancy IPods to carry in their pockets! When fairy tale is converted into a e-book, then we as consumers should use what to watch. And who are giving us the dramas,, its their turn to turn the old fairy tales into something new and as per the rules of digital environment. We do not want to see extra marital affairs blooming in TV only to destroy our youth's minds . but to tell them that every person is strong. you just need ti search inside! And I think now the dramas should do some soul searching for truth to sell good stuff to us rather than boasting of second marriages ad affairs culture! So all Tv channels need to compete on the "content" basis and whoever gives the best , we will choose the best!

Hmmm | 11 years ago | Reply @Turyal Khan - unfortunately, Slackistan was a flop. That was an extremely poor example. My friend's younger sister was an actress in that movie so for the sake of being a good friend, I watched it. It has ZERO references to Pakistani culture and depicts a lifestyle of approximately 0.005% of Pakistanis. If I would rename that movie, I'd call it, "Kaathey Angraiz in Islamabad Jin ko Burger or English bohat pasand hay". We DO have good films and they ARE shows in cinemas. Slackistan isn't one of them and I would like to see sources for the figures you just suggested. Also, I disagree that we watch foreign stuff because of "bikinis" and such. You just insulted the entire population watching foreign shows just by making that insane generalization. Please give Pakistani population credit where credit is due. If people are really that desperate, they could use a proxy and access any porn website that they like. They wouldn't need foreign shows.

Turyal Khan | 11 years ago | Reply @Asad Zaidi: Plz refer to the thing I said about the film industry in my other comment.And although HUM TV does not air Turkish shows,It does air Indian content,And the reason we dont watch PTV is because its our actual culture.They all wear decent dresses e.t.c. thats why we dont watch it,we would love to see actresses in bikinis e.t.c,no matter how good the quality is of decent shows,take Veet Super Model for example and besides another thing is that where is your source of Information,that Turkish are replacing our bankers,doctors e.t.c.I have never seen one and FYI what you are referring to is not called replacement.You yourself have said that we assist each other in our fields,well that my friend is called assistance not replacement.and the thing u said about USA and Europe,is wrong,though they air international content but not on cbs,bbc,nbc,fox that are their local channels,but there are separate channels for that,even in India,Hollywood movies or western tv shows have never been shown on star plus or sony but on Star World and HBO.so if we want the turkish shows not to go away so badly,there should be a separate channel,take an example of Telemundo in USA,which have aired the spanish shows currently airing on Urdu 1

Turyal Khan | 11 years ago | Reply @Hmmm: Yes in a way you are right,but the thing is today's films are not that bad,maybe some films have girls dancing,the guy having a large beard but those are very few today. I have seen telefilms and Independent films,they actually have a strong and interesting plot,and though they do not have an all star cast.Let me give you an example Slackistan is an Independent Pakistani Film that was build on a budget of 20 Million whereas its response was of 165 million.Pakistani films are good but Independent films have strong dialogues and they are banned in our country.If our Telefilms and Independent films,are released on big screens instead of showing on TV and at film festivals. Pakistans film industry will flourish and I don't think you have ever seen a Pakistani film released after 2010.Watch them (Independent and Telefilms) and You Will forget about Bollywood.Trust Me

Bablu | 11 years ago | Reply Drama-queen!

Gohar | 11 years ago | Reply Observation is absolutely spot-on.....I couldn't agree more with the author......Thumbs up

True | 11 years ago | Reply I completely agree with the author! rather than bashing the dramas we need to create our own dramas of this standard like we used to see on PTV during the last few decades. but now the channels fondly copy others rather than improving their own content.

Ahmed | 11 years ago | Reply @Umair, and opposers of the article. I was born and raised in the United States, and whereas I am not into Pakistani dramas, my mother is. There are array of channels that are broadcasted in the America for people of all backgrounds and tastes. If you expect think that Turkish dramas are "infiltrating" pakistani society, then be an example and petition the Pakistani studios to stop broadcasting their contents abroad. If you have issues with the Turkish show, then change the channel, watch PTV or ARY or whatever. The whole point of a republican democracy is people have choice. It sort of upsets me that there is this notion among many traditional Pakistanis that "we are the best, so we MUST be right", as if all other cultures and societies are inherently inferior. The most ludicrous stance among traditionalists is that they criticize western lifestyle, just because it contradicts with their values and faith, and they see it as an affront to humanity, but they expect westerners to accommodate their customs (and they are accommodated), such as cousin marriage, arranged marriages, asking for dowry from the bride's family, wearing shalwar kameez, all of which is openly practiced in America among Pakistani immigrants, yet there is no protest against that here, there is no controversy nor does anyone feel threatened. A lot of such practices in America (i.e. cousin marriages) is just as disgusting to most Americans as marrying one one's own sister, yet it is allowed and commonly practiced among Pakistanis here. So, is it really that unfair, if Pakistanis also reciprocally respect the point of views of other cultures?

gul | 11 years ago | Reply I agree with the writer's point of view to a certain extent. We usually feel threatened by something because we know that our work is not up to the mark. What Pakistani dramas need is to focus on some real issues not the stupid saas bahu drama . Now a days the most commom topics i come across in dramas are divorces and sister marying her own sister' husband. What kind of culture is this? If turkish dramas were to leave any impact on pakistanis will not these pakistani dramas? Lets take a look at pakistan fashion induastry, what influence that will have on pakistanis? Veet super model is a good example in this case. Pakistan drama industry should make dramas that can compete. Dastaan, Humsafar, meri zaat benishan and many more are some of the best dramas ever made. We need to make dramas like these. But we should always keep in mind what our culture really is.

Asad Zaidi | 11 years ago | Reply @anwar suhail: I never mentioned that anywhere buddy! However, I did mention that it is my favorite, and that the channel showing it must have moved it to the prime time slot on Sunday because of the high ratings it is receiving (It used to be aired on the Friday prime time before). For example, I personally disliked several Pakistani dramas such as Scheherzade, which was aired recently, or Tanhayan Nayay Silsalay which is being aired these days, but apparently they have been highly successful. But at the same time, I do understand you do not like it, and mainly because it is kind of very old fashioned, however, for me, that is kind of nostalgic and reminds me of a gone-by era

anwar suhail | 11 years ago | Reply @Asad Zaidi: Agree 100 percent. However, still in disblief on why you included Qudusi ki Bewa among top rated Pakistani dramas.

Asad Zaidi | 11 years ago | Reply @Turyal Khan First of all, as I have mentioned above, I am talking from the perspective of the viewers and I did not in anyway tried to justify what our profit thirsty channels and media groups are upto. Secondly, yes I still stand by my stance that competition be allowed to flourish. Thirdly, we did not kill our film industry, they killed themselves by coming up with such absurd story lines which used to revolve around a bunch of gangsters in the villages of Punjab with a middle aged woman jumping around in the fields next to a canal in each and every movie. Do you live in this world for that matter? Everyone knows that! Even the television industry admits how our film industry suffered like this. However, Bol, Khuda K Lyay, Raamchand Pakistani etc have been highly successful and many cinemas ran them for several weeks with reportedly full houses till the end. As far as these television producers are concerned, if they are going to come up with such ridiculous concepts such as portraying the prostitution culture in such a good light, then no one is going to watch them. Either they failed to take into consideration what their viewers expect from them, or they just live in an ignorant world, like you my friend. Fourthly, while I have my full sympathies with the technical staff, but I have often heard that these producers fail most of the time in paying salaries etc to start of with. But again, if the quality is so terrible, either we are just going to stop watching them, like we did to PTV, or we are just going to switch to better alternatives. Not all channels are showing Turkish dramas, in fact Hum TV has simply refused to do that because they are getting very good ratings already for their Pakistani dramas. And 23 more Turkish dramas? What is your source of information of that btw? About bankers, doctors and engineers, well buddy, surprise, we are already doing that. Several major projects have been undertaken by these people. However, they also provide training and work with their Pakistani counterparts in executing these projects as far as I know. There are several examples of such professionals working in the industry so I will not go in detail. Policemen should definitely be replaced by the way, that is my personal opinion. Lastly, there is nothing much happening on our Pakistani media anyway except Maya Khan raiding a bunch of dating couples which she later retracted as a setup, Meera spoofing again with her English, or Veena Malik being a drama queen again. Again, I do not speak on behalf of our Pakistani channels. Protectionist policies only kill innovation and competition which is harmful for the entire economy since it leads to the development of a black market. Competition does not take away job opportunities at all. The Indian media on the other hand has worked on its content, even though industry veterans criticize how it is going through a downslide, however, I did mention how Ekta Kapoor failed miserably. Again, I speak as a viewer, and not a representative of these industries. And no nation? Are you serious? Then the Americans are the stupidest nation to have done that, followed by the Europeans and other developing countries from around the world. Including Turkey for that matter. @Hmmm Thanks! @HSKhan While I agree with you, but unfortunately, most of our people can not understand or speak in English. That is why Hindi dubbed cartoons are the best alternative. Though I remember PEMRA did ban Cartoon Network from airing in Hindi a few years ago due to protests by viewers.

Hmmm | 11 years ago | Reply @Osrun - it is also not Pakistani tradition to have any pre-marital affairs or have an affair with one's brother-in-law. You clearly haven't been watching Pakistani dramas. Ever watched Veet Supermodel Show? I suggest you do. The bottom line is: each generation thinks that the next one is being led astray. Try asking your grandparents what they think of the current Pakistani dramas. @Turyal Khan - your language and the way you talk alone is enough to determine the calibre of people opposing foreign shows. I agree that local content shouldn't be blocked in favour of foreign content. I am also in favour of removing foreign content from prime time. But to blame the failure of film industry on imports is absurd. Read first few comments in regards to that. And grow up, please.

HSKhan | 11 years ago | Reply No offence, but I seriously don't like the way these Hindi dubbed cartoons sound and kids do learn the way they talk and their accent changes! It doesn't sound sophisticated and definitely causes embarrassment.

Osrun | 11 years ago | Reply Pak dramas cannot compete on a technical level with the kind of low budgets they can afford. Turkish and Spanish dramas may have been bought by Urdu 1 very cheaply, but the production costs were much, much higher and you can see it on the screen - sets, outdoor filming, costumes and quality of the picture. However, Pak drama can beat them on an intellectual level - with good storylines and acting, This is what they should try to do. Remember that the foreign dramas represent foreign culture and values while Pak drama represents our culture and values.

Osrun | 11 years ago | Reply Pakistani drama employs more than just actors. There are cameramen, lighting crew, sound crew, makeup, wardrobe crew, set builders, editors, catering, drivers - anything that is required for producing a drama. Its an entire industry on which thousands make their living. Turkish dramas are also a threat to Pak identity, culture and values. The Turks maybe Muslim, but their brand of Islam is Western and much more liberal society in its outlook. How many Pak women would dress up and walk in the streets with the kinds of dresses they wear in the Turkish dramas? Urdu1 itself knew, because it blurred out cleavage/legs and completely cut intimate kissing/making out scenes (and there are many of them - available in their uncensored form on youtube). The behaviour of the characters on that show are antithetical to Pak society - eg . Father encouraging his daughter to freely go out alone with her boyfriend.

Umair | 11 years ago | Reply @Asad Zaidi First of all while it is your right to disagree with me, but nowhere in my entire article did I promote any Indian channel, rather I just gave an example of how one of the most popular drama in the history of Indian television suffered from such a tragic demise. Second of all, again, it is the right of viewers to decide the kind of content they would like to watch. Because you do not like something, does not mean it should be completely banned and blame the liberals for ruining your children. Thirdly, I have yet to come across households where women have started wearing the sari and the mangalsutra, children greeting me with namaste or individuals using Hindi words. I really do not know the kind of company you keep! About countries filtering content, well, most of them happen to be those who have the habit of following protectionist policies which eventually fail them, or their governments feel politically insecure, and you have given the example of China here. Fifth, thank you so much for giving me a great idea about the topic of my next blog! Lastly, I did not discuss the cultural impact, rather, I was giving the perspective of an average viewer towards the entire drama being created by these people. The only thing in my comment related to your blog was disagreement rest of my comment reflects my perception. I wrote my opinion using my right as a viewer which you mentioned in your reply. I read some blog on ET (I think) that in a wedding one kid asked his parents, when bride & groom would do PHERAY thing. I read on ET (few days back) regarding rameez raja commenting in urdu & hindi. Our PM spoke hindi words during SC hearing. Believe me neither rameez raja nor raja pervez ashraf are my friends & I swear aforementioned kid is not mine. So after clarification regarding my company I’d like to say political instability concept is related to either in Middle East or 3rd world nations (where people can do anything for few dollars). Lastly, I admire your honesty for mentioning that you took idea from a reader’s comment.

JB | 11 years ago | Reply Finally a blog which talks some sense! Yes, the problem is not in the transmission of foreign content, it is in the public's tastes. I personally do not like to watch any drama-whether Pakistani, Indian or Turkish. Indian soaps are a waste of time whereas Pakistani soaps have a very 'sad' content most of the time. The Turkish soap (Ask-e-mamnoo) was somewhat different. Instead of blaming the failure of our industry on foreign content, wouldn't it be nice if our media tried to figure out why exactly is the public preferring the foreign content instead of our own? Maybe, its because they don't like them? Might as well ban english movies...and english movie channels as well!

bigsaf | 11 years ago | Reply @Perfume: I have no strong opinion on the matter of Pakistani or Urdu versus foreign content. A lot of good and interesting points by you and the author and other commentators. I do want to however address this

5) Foreign countries do not show their people Pakistani content so why are we doing showing our people theirs?

Before satellite and cable digital content, I remember ages ago when Pakistani dramas, such as Tanhaiyan or Tipu Sultan, used to be shown and subtitled in Arabic on Sharjah TV in the UAE, and this was also the case for a lot of Bollywood movies (and probably still is). While I haven't seen such subtitled or dubbed Pakistani programs since, there is a proliferation of channels such as Geo TV, ARY, HUM, etc which are shown in the ME, Europe and in North America, due to the large Pakistani diaspora and Urdu/Hindi market. TV One is a Canadian-Pakistani Urdu speciality channel that hosts both Canadian and Pakistani content.

Hmmm | 11 years ago | Reply @ Perfume. You stated a demand from the local industry as follows: "let Pakistani viewers view Pakistani content on Pakistani channels and Urdu-subtitled/Urdu-dubbed foreign content on foreign channels" Unfortunately, this is not all they are demanding and even within the industry, everyone is making their own demands. Firstly, Urdu 1 is a foreign channel that was granted landing rights in Pakistan and being a foreign channel, they are well within their limits to repeat the dubbed shows. The first problem is the definition of "foreign shows". Pakistani producers say that foreign dubbed shows should not count as foreign programs. Well, if they don't count as foreign programs then what category should they be placed in? If dubbing in Urdu makes them a local program then the issue of dubbed shows shouldn't exist in the first place. Besides, dubbing is not a new thing so it's only become a problem AFTER the overwhelming and unexpected success of Ishq-e-mamnu. Secondly, local channels are allowed to air foreign content up to 10% of their total programming. This has always been the rule. Why are the producers now demanding a change in this rule after the success of a few dubbed shows? If we should watch foreign programs on foreign channels then what is the 10% allowance for? Again, this demand was made AFTER the unexpected success of Ishq-e-mamnu. Lastly, a lot of celebrities are demanding complete bans, which is unrealistic and frankly, it's never going to happen. They are in denial and refuse to believe that viewers want a change. They bring in the "vulgarity" argument, which goes out the window because as of late, a lot of Pakistani shows like VEET SUPERMODEL SHOW have crossed all limits and boundaries. The thing is - we live in a global village now. While we can restrict the amount of shows that can be aired and keep them out of prime time slots, we can't demand that they be only subtitled (like Humayun Saeed demands) or that they be left to foreign channels only. I also doubt the authenticity of claims that Urdu 1 is linked to a political party. As far as I know, the CEO of Urdu 1 is an ex-employee of the famous, Ten Sports. No political affiliations. I will leave you with this - the foreign content is not forced upon anyone. Most Pakistanis have welcomed the change, especially Turkish shows. The fact that Ishq-e-mamnu set rating and TRP records speaks volumes in favor of this. If foreign shows were not welcomed, then no one would have aired them in the first place. Food for thought.

anwar suhail | 11 years ago | Reply @Asad Zaidi: We agree to disagree on Qudussi Saheb ki Bewa. Hinayana Dilpazir is superb character actress, but needs to be bit selective. Take care.

Rince | 11 years ago | Reply @Anoop: Yes we know that Urdu originated in India, but it is Pakistan's national language, hence it is very much OUR language. Urdu is the language we use if we want to capture the entire national market, and the fact is that there are a lot of dramas and other programs being made in local languages in Pakistan too, hence there was no point in asking if we're ashamed of them. Moreover, Indian cultural invasion is Hindi words, circulations around a fire during weddings, and the like. This isn't something abstract, we do know what we are talking about.

Perfume | 11 years ago | Reply @Hmmm: I forgot to say that I'm in support of foreign content "in principle." Anyhow, PEMRA is not keen on enforcing its regulations; according to Marvi Sirmed, there are entire channels running without a license at all but PEMRA doesn't question them because they air religious programming, she says that's an issue she keeps fighting but so far without success. Moreover, regulations also say that in a one-hour program the total duration of commercial breaks cannot exceed 10 minutes, but we all know how much each channel tortures its viewers with long ad-breaks, yet PEMRA takes no action. Plus, if my information is correct, foreign channels are also severely limited by law in how much of their content can be in Urdu, but a foreign channel like Urdu 1 is allowed to get away with this violation because allegedly it is owned by three influential People's Party MNAs (the front man is someone else of course). Urdu 1 may air only a few Turkish or Latin American shows but they are re-run over and over, hogging most of that channel's air-time. Your point about why Pakistani dramas aren't competitive abroad is well-taken, and you are also absolutely right that more than a few local celebs and production houses are worried about their pockets, but "let Pakistani viewers view Pakistani content on Pakistani channels and Urdu-subtitled/Urdu-dubbed foreign content on foreign channels" is what the local industry people are demanding, I'm just saying I would have liked an examination of whether it's unfair to viewers to shove foreign content down their throats from the platform of Pakistani channels.

Perfume | 11 years ago | Reply @Asad Zaidi: Hello and thank you for clarifying to me the perspective you wrote your article from. I forgot to mention earlier that I do agree with what you have written in your article and I'm already a fan of European and East Asian pop music which I would appreciate being shown in this country more, so in the same spirit I support greater healthy competition from foreign soaps, and their quality is certainly much better than ours. My issue is really with the points I listed earlier if they inhibit fair competition by skewing the playing field in favor of foreign content because they are cheaper for channel owners to procure. The consumer's perspective is certainly a core issue and at the same time this is also a matter concerning an entire industry and of whether any legal issues arise from it. Thanks for paying attention to what I wrote and I look forward to anything you write on the matter in the future. Have a good day.

James | 11 years ago | Reply Very nice blog I wish I could marry the writer loved it !

Asad Zaidi | 11 years ago | Reply @Anoop, the same reply as in for Yatharth We are not at all ashamed of our cultural heritage, in fact, we are very much proud of it. My article was about how we viewers conceive their argument based on our perception, rather than a Turkish or Indian cultural invasion. Moreover, Urdu and Hindi are very similar to each other. @ Anwar I watch Qudussi Sahab ki Bewa because I like that program, and if you do not like it, then that does not mean the rest of us do not like it either. It is a very popular show which is why the channel has moved it to Sunday due it very high ratings. I gave the example here of this drama because it is very original, the script and acting have been lauded every where. Hina Dilpazeer happens to be a very good actress, and we as viewers look forward to talent, and not beauty exactly even though it has its own appeal though very temporarily! Even Smriti Irani is not exactly a beauty queen herself. However, I respect your choice, and I would definitely check out Noor upon your recommendation. @Everyone Thank you so much and I hope we as viewers also get our message delivered and known, and do not let these people hijack our entertainment industry. They already had their chance; by shedding tears to gain sympathy does not work out for me at least. Some of them can be very arrogant in real life and attitude, and just care about their popularity ratings and nothing else. PEMRA is already a very strict regulator, ask any channel representative, and takes viewer complaints very seriously. In fact I have begged my cable operator many times to replace many of the lousy channels with foreign ones, but he says he can not do anything because of PEMRA regulations.

dair_hushiyar | 11 years ago | Reply Acha hai

Asad Zaidi | 11 years ago | Reply @Vishnu Dutta Well with all due respect to your culture and religion, you do not have to remind us of our cultural values or lecture us like a bunch of mullahs ranting in Friday sermons about what is Haram and what is Halal. Our ancestors might have been Hindus, but we are Muslims today, and we have full respect for our heritage which connects us with our homeland which is Pakistan, and not India anymore. Thank you so much! @Yatharth The dramas shown here are in Hindi and Punjabi. Hindi and Urdu have almost the same vocabulary and grammar according to many experts, despite the fact that many words in Hindi have been gradually replaced with words from Sanskrit. Same goes for Punjabi which is widely spoken in northern India, together with Sindhi and Gujarati. The scripts however are different.

Asad Zaidi | 11 years ago | Reply @Perfume Well buddy, I am just giving a consumer's perspective here and it was never going to be about giving an answer to the issues being faced by our industry. Obviously, I might sympathize with them but that does not mean I would start torturing myself by forcing myself to watch them when I have better alternatives available. Let us grow out of that era when PTV used to be our only option! I am an average viewer, and we are like examiners sitting in a professional examination. What you present during the entire length of your examination, you are given marks for that. Your examiner does not know the kind of miseries you are going through, he just demands quality work and that is that. Either you do it, or you fail. But I will try giving an answer to all your questions the next time I write.

Asad Zaidi | 11 years ago | Reply @Umair: First of all while it is your right to disagree with me, but nowhere in my entire article did I promote any Indian channel, rather I just gave an example of how one of the most popular drama in the history of Indian television suffered from such a tragic demise. Second of all, again, it is the right of viewers to decide the kind of content they would like to watch. Because you do not like something, does not mean it should be completely banned and blame the liberals for ruining your children. Thirdly, I have yet to come across households where women have started wearing the sari and the mangalsutra, children greeting me with namaste or individuals using Hindi words. I really do not know the kind of company you keep! About countries filtering content, well, most of them happen to be those who have the habit of following protectionist policies which eventually fail them, or their governments feel politically insecure, and you have given the example of China here. Fifth, thank you so much for giving me a great idea about the topic of my next blog! Lastly, I did not discuss the cultural impact, rather, I was giving the perspective of an average viewer towards the entire drama being created by these people.

Basim Ali Jafri | 11 years ago | Reply Agreed. I can relate quite well to your story. I mean Anime is so famous in the West and I think a lot of people would agree than Korean TV series and movies are one of the best in the world. Still they don't give competition to American shows in the US (and mind you, they DO show dubbed versions on television there). Also, there's just a single channel I know of that shows the Turkish drama. There are atleast 10 other successful, large channels which show Urdu dramas. The people of the Pakistani television industry protesting against the Turkish drama is simply accepting that the Turkish drama is better than all of their dramas put together (when it's not).

Dr. X | 11 years ago | Reply Bottom line is Compete or Die !! Agreed. That's how things work in the World.

Anoop | 11 years ago | Reply Another point is Urdu, the language of many of these dramas, is an Indian language. Not a Pakistani one. So, its really strange that people fight Indian "cultural invasion" and argue against it in an Indian language!!! What happened to Pakistani languages? Ashamed of them?

Yatharth | 11 years ago | Reply Hello dear neighbours I am an Indian. I want to tell u all the real fact about the indian soaps or serials....as a middle class indian I too feel that the indian serials are not close to reality.the household ladies are very eager to watch these channels... even in india also ..its a very sad news that ur local channels are making u force to watch these indian channels....I think u all should protest against these things(as we all do in India to force the government).... I think u shuld not spoil ur culture so just protest in front of telecom and communcations ministrys office..I hope that they will take some serious steps to restore ur channels and film industry......

Haroon | 11 years ago | Reply I don't see what the big deal is if other countries' shows are aired here. Besides, the entertainment industry, along with the rest of the country, is headed down an unknown path. Its when your extremely desperate that you employ every possible strategy to save face. I dont agree with what the writer but the reality is had to ignore.

Adnan H. Jafri | 11 years ago | Reply Well i would totally agree with the author's point of view. I don't think that Pakistanis need to be insecure because i candidly believe that Pakistani dramas are far better than the Indian soaps. Pakistan dramas are short and well scripted whereas Indian soaps are sinfully long and far from reality. Stop imposing your choices on the viewers - let the viewers be the judge !!

dair_hushiyar | 11 years ago | Reply Acha hai....well done Asad

Danish Qazi | 11 years ago | Reply I am in complete agreement with the writer and I must say it is a very thoughtful piece of work. This is one issue which is being felt by the industry at large. But the fact of the matter is what is written in the article itself. The industry should draw its audience and viewers to themselves rather than playing Nationalism triumph card. My family has watched the infamous ishq-e-mamnun but to be honest when, in the end, the story got really slow, they started disliking it. So it is clear that that drama was being liked when it was able to draw the attention of the audience, but as soon as people felt that they are simply dragging the story, I am sure many people out there lost interest in the serial. Like the author, even I don't agree on using the Nationalism triumph card.

Maroo | 11 years ago | Reply We desperately need blog writers from Turkey as well.

Muhammad | 11 years ago | Reply I don't think the government should ban Turkish and Indian dramas as it will only give them more attention. I didn't even know about these Turkish dramas until everyone started talking about whether they should be banned or not. However, I do think there should be a limit to airing foreign content. We have to create our own identity in the entertainment industry and the government needs to support this cause. Not only will it show a positive side of Pakistan but it will create so many jobs as they are so many talented Pakistanis!

Parvez | 11 years ago | Reply Spot on...........you couldn't have said it any better. Our industry instead of behaving like a spoilt child should quickly analyse why these Turkish soaps are so popular and give the public what it wants to watch' Another perspective, which no one has addressed as yet is the business angle of airing these foreign soaps. How and from where are these aired ? What taxes or dues are paid ? Does the government benefit or this a scam which will surface later ? .......just thinking aloud.

Saad Durrani | 11 years ago | Reply First thing first, Ishq-e-Memnu was placed at 9pm Weekdays slot and 8pm Weekend Slot. Sadly, after Bilkius Kaur, there were no good dramas on TV. Mera Sayeen 2 and Muhabbat Jaye Bharr Mien were pathetic. Yeh Zindagi has become redundant. On weekdays, Ishq-e-Memnu (and more recently Khalil and Minahil and Fatmagul), are at 9pm. This slot is usually the newshour. No drama gave immense success at 9pm. Furthermore, please do not preach us about traditions. Bundh Khirkiyon Ke Peechay, Man-o-Salwa, and Sanjha all had alcohol, prostitution, and suggestive language in them. The problem is that these Turkish plays are tough to beat. They bring fresher faces and more urban view. Humsafar was successful because it had a very fresh looking cast with a very urban story. Though, one can see it was clearly influenced by South Korean drama.

Saya | 11 years ago | Reply @Vishnu Dutta: Would you Indians please stop trying to impose your cultural identity on us? It doesn't matter what our ancestors followed because we have our own identity now; we are Muslims and that's that. We are a separate culture and nation from Hindus. You are just showing your typical partition trauma by making it look like we're carbon copies of you. Get over it. You were the ones who pushed us into creating a separate country for ourselves so now learn to live with it. And besides, what business do you (an Indian) have in an issue about what's being beamed into Pakistani living rooms? I know that Express Tribune is a magnet for Indians because this paper keeps putting out political content that you people love but this article and the issue discussed in it has nothing to do with you. Please post your spam somewhere else.

Philosiraptor | 11 years ago | Reply TLDR: More smooching and less preaching.

anwar suhail | 11 years ago | Reply Evolved societies don't impose unnecessary restrictions on what not to watch. I welcome Turkish dramas. That will promote healthy competition.

anwar suhail | 11 years ago | Reply Hinayana Dilpazir is great actress but not a beauty Queen. I spot her in at least 10 dramas currently, performing multiple roles. Over exposure induces boredom and yawns.

anwar suhail | 11 years ago | Reply Agree with thrust of this article. However, Qudusi ki Bewa is most inappropriate example. It's crude, coarse and devoid of aesthetics. I'm a Karachiite, but won't watch this just to enjoy outdated parochial Urdu. Drama like Qudusi ki Bewa make me run for Turkish dramas. Try drama 'noor' at 8.30 pm on GEO Tv, week days. Cheers

Umair | 11 years ago | Reply @Vishnu Dutta: You are hindu because your ancestors were hindu. So it makes very clear that I’m Muslim because my ancestors were Muslim. Your facts & your conclusions. I just mentioned that we should limit foreign channels like every other country does. It’ll not hurt anyone’s freedom of choice.

Umair | 11 years ago | Reply @waqas: After reading your comment I can say now reading & understanding are two different things.

Hmmm | 11 years ago | Reply @ Perfume The foreign content is NOT being brought in illegally. If that was the case, PEMRA would have availed the opportunity to place fines and make money. Trust me. Yes, Turkish shows are being aired on Prime Time and it is unanimously agreed that this is an issue. HOWEVER, Urdu 1, the channel that started it all, is a foreign channel so they were within their legal limits to do so. They are not a Pakistani channel and this restriction is only for local channels. Channels are not violating any laws. Each of the three channels is only airing ONE or at max TWO Turkish shows. If anything, I think the amount of Indian dramas may be surpassing the limit, but not Turkish. Urdu 1 is a foreign channel with landing rights. No one is stopping Pakistan from promoting its serials abroad. Unfortunately, our quality is just not that good. Exceptions like Humsafar HAVE made their mark abroad. Yes, that is true that Geo and Express have done this. And for this reason, these two channels deserve to be scrutinized. What's basically happened is that Urdu 1 did something which they were allowed to do. No one even fathomed that Ishq-e-mamnu would conquer Pakistan, but it did. So in reaction to that, the other two channels played a cheap game, which resulted in Pakistani celebrities getting ticked off. Regardless, asking for a ban is pathetic because that won't resolve anything. It's time to improve our quality.

A- | 11 years ago | Reply The article in short answers to many generalizations blindly made by people nowadays, it's balanced out the pros and cons very distinctly; it doesn't lay unnecessary blame on anyone/anything. Great job!

zareen sattar | 11 years ago | Reply but the disgusting thing happening these days is"display of indian and turkish dramas on geo" at prime time,when in our society we usually switch on these drama channels expecting some good,local,indigenous dramas to watch and recently our dramas have proved their mettel and captured the viewers attention..so it was disturbing to watch lame indian dramas being shown at that time on geo..isnt it imposing that content on us..when we can see a lot of indian content on indian channels,whats the need of showing that on pakistani channels as well,substituting our dramas...when i watch an indian drama on an indian channel,that's my choice,but when i'm forced to watch it on a pakistani channel,that is compulsion/imposition..then stop calling them pakistani channels and regard them as international ones

Vishnu Dutta | 11 years ago | Reply @Umair: Do you realize what you call foreign or hindu culture is your own culture. Your ancestors followed it for thousands of years. The Arabic culture you are trying to follow is a foreign culture. Now i understand that your religion has changed, but that doesnt change the fact that hindu culture is your own and is product of the very land where you live.

emos | 11 years ago | Reply i totally agree with da writer

waqas | 11 years ago | Reply @ umair, stupid arguments! no one should be forced to follow islamic traditions! everybody should be free, and i know under islamic laws, there is no freedom/rights, but still lets people live their life as they wish to! and beside humanity is above all religion even above the so called religion of tolerance/peace ISLAM! and beside there is more to worry about wether generations are following islamic traditions or not, there is a lots of poverty, minorities are discriminated, there is no jobs for young people, focus on these problems instead poking your nose in someone's business!

Klitch | 11 years ago | Reply Actually, every country protects its entertainment industry from any uncontrolled flooding of foreign content, Pakistan is doing nothing unique. There should be healthy competition but showing foreign content on prime time is NOT healthy competition that's handicapping our industry and creating an unfair competition.

Perfume | 11 years ago | Reply This article only took issue with the "be Pakistani buy Pakistani" mantra and did not address some of the other more substantive grievances the anti-Turkish soaps lobby has voiced: 1) The channels broadcasting dubbed Turkish content are bringing this content in illegally without paying import duties to the government. 2) The Turkish soaps are being shown on prime time hours which puts Pakistani content at an automatic disadvantage. 3) The channels airing Turkish soaps are violating laws under which no more than 10% of foreign content can be shown on Pakistani channels (that's 6% for Indian, 4% for other countries). They say these channels have tried to bypass this law by dubbing that content in Urdu. 4) For fair competition foreign channels themselves should obtain landing rights in Pakistan and broadcast their content (dubbed into Urdu) in Pakistan legally and pay their taxes and duties, instead of having Pakistani channels showing them for cheap. 5) Foreign countries do not show their people Pakistani content so why are we doing showing our people theirs? 6) The owners of the channels showing foreign soaps have stopped airing some Pakistani soaps before all their episodes were completed and replaced them with dubbed foreign dramas without compensation to the producers of those axed Pakistani soaps. Personally, I am not saying I agree or disagree with the above 6 points because I needed substantiation of them. I would have appreciated this article exploring these aforementioned issues so that greater real understanding could have been reached of the entire matter. This article has sadly failed to do that. If any commentators can shed some light for me here I would find it very helpful.

Hmmm | 11 years ago | Reply @ Umair - have you ever seen that Pakistani drama where one sister is having an affair with another sister's husband, and then one woman runs away with a Hindu? No? Well, as an avid follower of Pakistani dramas, I have. Please don't talk about Islamic traditions because if you really want to go there, then stupid love story based dramas are discouraged in Islam. You can always watch QTV if you want, but leave the foreign contents to those who enjoy variety. Also, Turkish shows air in the Arab world, particularly Saudi Arabia. No impact on their culture reported whatsoever. So stop fearing some kind of a cultural apocalypse. Parenting starts at home. Teach your kids and be better parents, stop blaming dramas.

Hmmm | 11 years ago | Reply I completely agree with this article. Our film industry had Indian movies banned from the cinema and Hollywood flicks were never as popular. The only few I remember running in the cinema from my childhood were JURASSIC PARK, SINDBAD, etc. So to blame the failure of Pakistani film industry on foreign imports is absolutely RIDICULOUS and pathetic. Let’s accept the truth – our industry FAILED to produce something creative. When competition started again recently, we produced excellent films that were even popular across the borders. KHUDA KEY LIYEY and RAMCHAND PAKISTANI are two prime examples. Same goes for the drama industry. A simple lesson in economics will teach these people that competition is a healthy thing. 95% of our television content is Pakistani. If producers think this is not in their favor then they need to wrap up and get out of business. You don’t hear the Arab world crying over foreign dubbed shows. Stop. Entertainment means entertainment. You can’t force people to prefer local shows if they find them boring. That is called ZABARDASTI and it doesn’t mean that Pakistanis shows are of good quality. It means we suck and we are forcing people to watch something. Even China, which is famous for all its protectionist measures, allows 25% foreign content whereas Pakistan only allows 10%. Iss 10% mein bhee aap sab ki jaan nikal gayee? Wah Pakistani Wah!

dair_hushiyar | 11 years ago | Reply Excellent piece, agree with the writer.

Umair | 11 years ago | Reply I don’t agree with author at all because Indian dramas (I didn’t get chance to watch Turkish drama) are promoting their religion & culture. Our youngest generation now speaks hindi words & is more aware of hindu traditions than our Islamic traditions. We should completely ban Indian channels (including hindi dubbed cartoon network) & their shows on Pakistani channels as these channels & contents are polluting our children. We have already lost our film industry without any competition. Now so called liberals are trying to destroy our culture & values by display foreign contents 24x7 in order to earn few extra dollars. Every country shows foreign contents in certain limit but in Pakistan it seems that some opportunists/liberals always try to limit ourselves. South Korea, Japan & China are the few examples.

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