Ramazan ratings 2013: a quick review

In a perfect world, each person would only be loved and haters would be non-existent. But sadly, the world we live in is far from ideal. In the Holy Month of Ramazan, one yearns to learn about religion. But when you turn on the television – with the hope of finding educational programmes – you realise that commercialism is at its peak in Pakistan. With Ali Haider dressed as a groom and Sahir Lodhi’s excessive make-up nearly falling off his face, it seems like the purpose of these shows has been lost  – probably somewhere in the make-up artists’ cosmetics storage box.

Think of a television show host whose programme is extensively watched yet aggressively hated. The person we are all thinking of is none other than Aamir Liaquat. While haters will be haters, and I’m not a big fan either, Liaquat still manages to garner the public’s attention.

But what category of superstars does he belong to? People like Ansar Burney and Abdul Sattar Edhi, who actually believe in making society a better place, or people like Taher Shah – maker of the infamous ‘Eye to eye’ – who’re just in it for the perks? Most seem to want to place him in the latter category, but the point of the matter is that, despite having an inferior sense of humour, the man still manages to gather the poor on one platform and give them what they seem to need. And although he doesn’t purchase any of these presents from his own money (why should he?), he still is an extremely valued intermediary.

This Ramazan, we’ve seen male actors grow beards just so they can host shows in the ‘true spirit’ of the Holy Month. This Ramazan, we’ve seen female actors set their dupatta perfectly, in such a way, that it keeps falling off at regular intervals, to reveal their great new hairstyles. This Ramazan, we seem to have lost our way. Is this what the Holy Month is really all about? We might as well have no shows airing on television, rather than having to watch these superficial shows – no entertainment and a definite waste of time.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2013.