Young actors still flock to PTV
Gone are the days when Pakistan Television (PTV) was bursting with young artists and creative minds.
Gone are the days when Pakistan Television (PTV) was bursting with young artists and creative minds. Now the television station bears a forlorn look and hardly receives any visitors because there are a number of new private production houses and TV channels that have sprung up and gained popularity.
Sara Malik has been on the acting scene for two years and is a newcomer to PTV. She still considers PTV to be a hub for talented individuals and said, “Like in the past, this is still the institution where scripts and rehearsals take place and it is still considered a learning ground for the youth of today who plan to enter this field.”
According to Malik, “PTV still promotes and projects the true societal and cultural values that are prevalent in Pakistan, unlike the rest of the private channels which copy the Star Plus model of a man marrying twice or thrice! The soap operas made by private production houses are not showing the real family picture. The dramas produced by private houses are rubbish.”
However, while Malik is full of praise for PTV and its management, the organisation has been slow on the uptake, unable to compete with glitzier entertainment channels.
Despite having resources at its disposal, PTV has not been able to produce plays of the same quality that it used to.
Malik says, “People here are divided and this makes it impossible for new artists to grow here, even if one has talent you need to have enough networking to be able to grow as an actor.”
Regardless of this fact, Malik has not lost hope and believes that things can change.
“PTV is where people like Uzma Gilani, Shabbir Jan, Saba Pervez and Rubina Ashraf found fame. It must be noted that whatever they accomplished in life was from here and others can also follow suit,” said Malik.
On a closing note she said, “Today PTV hardly produces any of its own plays, 90 per cent of the plays that are shown on television are private productions. One hopes PTV is able to generate better plays as it does still generate larger viewership.”
Published in the Express Tribune, June 16th, 2010.
Sara Malik has been on the acting scene for two years and is a newcomer to PTV. She still considers PTV to be a hub for talented individuals and said, “Like in the past, this is still the institution where scripts and rehearsals take place and it is still considered a learning ground for the youth of today who plan to enter this field.”
According to Malik, “PTV still promotes and projects the true societal and cultural values that are prevalent in Pakistan, unlike the rest of the private channels which copy the Star Plus model of a man marrying twice or thrice! The soap operas made by private production houses are not showing the real family picture. The dramas produced by private houses are rubbish.”
However, while Malik is full of praise for PTV and its management, the organisation has been slow on the uptake, unable to compete with glitzier entertainment channels.
Despite having resources at its disposal, PTV has not been able to produce plays of the same quality that it used to.
Malik says, “People here are divided and this makes it impossible for new artists to grow here, even if one has talent you need to have enough networking to be able to grow as an actor.”
Regardless of this fact, Malik has not lost hope and believes that things can change.
“PTV is where people like Uzma Gilani, Shabbir Jan, Saba Pervez and Rubina Ashraf found fame. It must be noted that whatever they accomplished in life was from here and others can also follow suit,” said Malik.
On a closing note she said, “Today PTV hardly produces any of its own plays, 90 per cent of the plays that are shown on television are private productions. One hopes PTV is able to generate better plays as it does still generate larger viewership.”
Published in the Express Tribune, June 16th, 2010.