While the mindsets within our society have seemingly developed with time, our national television channels still run abhorrent plays that have little to no resemblance with real life issues. The scenarios and characters depicted on screen are nothing short of laughable, especially the women who are all immaculately dressed and made up with not a hair out of place. Thus, the foremost problem prevalent within the drama industry in Pakistan is the portrayal of a perfect body image.
Female actors have been told to shed their weight and many, thus, have to undergo various cosmetic procedures to enhance their looks. By flaunting near-perfect depictions of women, our plays and dramas add to the notion of an ideal body type that young girls aspire. If one is to look at the subject matter of famous dramas watched by citizens all across the country, the only three problems prevalent in our society seems to be marriage, divorce and remarriage. No other problem appears to be of any significance.
Is it so hard for us to produce better plays and focus on the relevant social issues? It is about time that screen writers stop portraying women as second-class citizens. If progressive and thought-provoking themes are introduced and violence on the small screen discouraged, it may foster some sense of responsibility that are youngsters desperately need to learn.
Gaitee Ara Siddiqi
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2020.
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