Risqué subjects get banned easily: Ushna Shah to user comparing local dramas to international ones

Actor blamed budget constraints, production monopolies, and restrictions imposed by PEMRA

Actor Ushna Shah recently engaged in a thought-provoking Twitter exchange with a user who criticised the Pakistani drama industry for its lack of creativity and outdated storylines compared to international dramas. In her response, the Parizaad actor shed light on the challenges faced by the industry, including budget constraints, production monopolies, and frequent bans and restrictions imposed by regulatory bodies.

The conversation began when a Twitter user wrote, "Watching international dramas really brings into perspective how limited the Pakistani drama industry is in terms of stories. There is literally no creativity."

Watching international dramas really brings into perspective how limited the Pakistani drama industry is in terms of stories. There is literally no creativity. The maximum anyone can venture is to bring in a jinn. It’s mildly infuriating honestly

— Husn Hai Suhana (@Fatmounh) May 23, 2023

They further lamented the prevalence of stereotypical characters such as scheming saas (mother-in-law), wailing bahu (daughter-in-law), and clueless men in local dramas.

Scheming saas, wailing bahu, clueless men, bas that’s all there is to it. What about the modern day loneliness, the search for companionship, the absence of true human connections because everyone is too busy, the sudden onslaught of motherhood, the longing of living far away

— Husn Hai Suhana (@Fatmounh) May 23, 2023

I don’t think I will ever watch a Pakistani drama again if I can help myself until they really truly update plots because frankly we’ve seen all of them when we’ve seen one.

— Husn Hai Suhana (@Fatmounh) May 23, 2023

However, Shah offered a detailed response that not only defended the industry, put production houses and PEMRA in the spotlight, but also put the onus on the audience for not giving out-of-box ideas a chance. She said that the influence of the majority audience's preferences often discourages producers from taking risks with unconventional stories.

"We are limited by budgets (you'd be shocked what we work with), a production monopoly and PEMRA," Shah explained. "Producers don't want to risk spending money outside the 'formula' that works, usually when they invest outside the box it doesn't pan out so well, we can thank the majority of the audience for that as well."

The Habs actor also pointed out the challenges faced when attempting to explore risqué subjects, citing the example of Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha, which faced a ban shortly after its release due to its “controversial content.” She also highlighted that such incidents are proof that we need a more open and accepting environment that encourages diversity and experimentation in storytelling.

Nevertheless, Shah is optimistic about the future of Pakistani dramas with the young generation of filmmakers eager to break away from conventional narratives and explore fresh storylines. However, their aspirations are often impeded by a lack of financial support. "A young generation of filmmakers are itching to do something different, story-wise and screen-wise, just need someone to fund them in good faith," she concluded.

Shah’s detailed response, now deleted from Twitter, sparked a debate on which Pakistani dramas have recently broken stereotypes and are worth watching with some “underrated” gems coming to the surface.

True to some extent, but don't forget PTV created masterpieces like #Parizaad which highlighted real societal issues people face today among the many other human themes. PTV is still much more realistic than other industries not talking about the daily soaps. https://t.co/eodRDPXN8F

— Ghanna (@Ghanna_26) May 23, 2023

I was watching doom at your service and it made me so sad that we just cannot explore anything here. The last time (and only?) we had a pure magical realism/fantasy genre thing it was Masuri. Was talking to my sister about it that we can not even imagine to delve into https://t.co/V9ysz9ri8B

— Pressure Cooker ki Rubber | Levi simp akont (@khubsuratkhatun) May 23, 2023

Users named Parizaad, Bakhtawar, Dila Na Umeed Toh Nahi and Masuri. A user even suggested story ideas for sitcoms.

I once messaged @mehreenjabbar about an idea to create a sitcom about a new age therapist who meets a range of different patients and personalities such as, a bored housewife, a reluctant businessman and a very unforgiving maulvi.
Can someone greenlight this so I can create it https://t.co/U6hylNBE9F

— FriedChicken (@NabilaShiraz) May 23, 2023