The fault in our dramas

GUJRANWALA: In light of our precarious political situation and hectic metropolitan lives, the least we deserve is lighthearted entertainment. We watch television for a lot of reasons: to unwind, to space out and to pass a rainy weekend or a lonely night. But did you know that TV could be a source of happiness, too? Unfortunately, our entertainment industry strives to deprive us of this opportunity of minimal relaxation and joy.

Our dramas are laden with grief, hardship and misery. Instead of being an outlet for stress relief, our entertainment networks garner the exact opposite effect.

Programming in other countries offers a wide array of genres to watch from and not just shoves intense drama down everyone’s throats. For instance, The Office always cheers me up if I need to give myself a little boost and want a peaceful distraction. It’s a purposeful watch when one can say “I’m watching this for a reason, to be happy… I’m going to get what I want and when I have it I’ll be done.”

If television is done the right way, there is a lot of positivity that could come out of it. Television could not only have a calming effect, but it could open doors to creativity and novelty. Hence, such a change is the need of the time, for a shift from banality and traumatic entertainment.

Meher Ali

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2017.

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