Syed Mukhtar Ahmed: ‘Dramas should be a realistic escape’

Syed Mukhtar Ahmed believes dramas should be a reflection of society and its realities.

KARACHI:

Syed Mukhtar Ahmed launched his career in 2000 in the PTV produced serial “Sahab Bahadur” by Qaiser Nizamani. Soon after, he got an offer to work in Qasim Jalali’s play “Aik Hi Rishta”, which was again a PTV project. Today, this gifted actor has taken a break from acting and is working for a multinational company and simultaneously running his own production house called Gold Bridge Media.

While recalling the achievements of his production house, the actor-cum-producer shares, “My company has had the honour of  producing ‘Mera Ghar, Meri Jannat’ in 2003 and also of producing Hum TV’s first ever soap ‘Mein Bani Dulhan’.”

Ahmed’s production house, which was established 10 years ago, has kept dramas as its main focus. When asked for the reason behind his preference for this television format, Ahmed states, “Dramas are always a hit and the feedback is always great. However, I don’t drag my projects like Indian soaps. I follow the format and pace of serials, which means a fast paced storyline.”

As a producer, Ahmed believes that social evils like prostitution, drug addiction and criminal activities represent only two per cent of Pakistan society and portraying them in dramas is slightly unreal and unrepresentative of the audience. He believes drama producers should focus more on discussing ‘slice-of-life’ themes and real-life problems which viewers will find relatable.

However, when asked about the reason behind the repetition of certain problems in dramas, Ahmed says that these issues seem repetitive because there is less room for change or alteration. “The nature of the saas-bahu relationship is more or less the same across the board. And since this is one issue that interests all women, drama producers try to reach out to their audience by portraying it as much as they can. “

He adds, “My target audience is women. I think drama serials should be an escape for them. They should understand the problems Pakistani women face, as well as their anxiety and present this in a realistic manner without glamourising it too much.”

A major chunk of this debate revolved around the argument that Indian content and soaps should be discouraged from being aired in Pakistan. “What matters the most for Indian producers is a storyline based on far-from-reality concepts. Indians may like glossy stuff, but the reality is that their dramas are all based on fake standards. We Pakistanis certainly don’t need to live in that world because TV is supposed to portray reality. I give 100 per cent credit to Pakistani production houses for not giving a character like ‘Kumkum’ to our Pakistani audience.”

Exceedingly patriotic Ahmed adds that, “one should search for stories within the limitations of your own homeland rather than looking for issues beyond its boundaries. Storytelling should be relevant to the audience, as this, I think, has a gripping effect on the audience.”

The producer who is dedicated to home-based issues and storylines is currently, busy acting and producing for Express Entertainment. Two of his ongoing projects with the entertainment channel are “Daaman” — in which he is acting — and “Chand Kay Pass”, for which he will be lending his production house’s services.

Ahmed remains tight-lipped about the details of his future ventures, but shares that in the near future he would like to do “a film which is close to my heart and whose subject line touches my soul”.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2011.