Pakistan’s once-withering drama industry has long crossed the verge of renaissance, winning international acclaim for its quality of content. Exploring genres ranging from romance and comedy to drama and tragedy, offering penetrating plotlines to create an impactful experience not only for its viewers but also for awareness with an unremitting projection of socio-cultural norms, the Pakistani drama industry is making a stellar statement.
From Humsafar to Daastan, Dure Shehwar, Aun Zara, Kankar, Dile Muztir and Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Pakistani drama is not only celebrated at home but has won fans in India, too. With that said, Community lists down top four dramas being aired on Pakistani television channels available in different bundles across the Middle East, Gulf and the West.
Yaqeen Ka Safar
Considering the intense small screen prowess of Sajal Aly, this subtle story of justice has managed to keep its viewers hooked since it buckled down and went on air. The attention-of the script encircles the judicial system in Pakistan, politics and remorse of a barrister falling prey to the dominance of a legislator. It is often inopportune to stand against the authorities, raising a voice of justice and, to that end, Yaqeen Ka Safar is a beautiful presentation of one for how one confrontation of good and evil affects the entire family as a whole. Ahad Raza Mir, the new boy in town who’s making waves with his acting and character of Dr Asfand Yar sharing the innocence of romance with Sajal Aly on the screen says, “The doctor’s story and transformation is what drove me to the script. A happy go lucky guy who has not experienced real pain in his life and all of a sudden something really bad happens and his character completely changes. Who he is completely changes. There’s a wonderful theme in the story revolving around the idea of justice. It’s not just justice concerning judiciary or politics or the law. It’s justice amongst families and relationships. Justice between two brothers, justice between father and son, and justice between somebody like a doctor and what their responsibility is, what their profession demands them to do and their personal conflicts. Whilst the story budges towards its climax, it’s the perfect production, keeping the story real that’s driving the viewers to like the characters and relate to them.
Baaghi
A story of a small town girl who had big dreams, Baaghi is a drama on the life Pakistan’s Kim Kardashian, Qandeel Baloch played by Saba Qamar. Saba, who recently stole the show in a Bollywood film Hindi Medium, manages to impersonate Baloch’s body language way too perfectly. It won’t be erroneous to say this biopic is a masterpiece, unveiling the endeavours of Qandeel Baloch to detail from escaping her abusive husband to a journey of an extraordinary life as a social media star. Baaghi is fit to rank as a must watch.
Gumrah
From the get-go, this drama was expected to top the rating charts and so it came to pass. It touches the delicate marriage triangle and the exploitation of an opportunist girl, who feels no remorse and guilt in getting what she has always wanted. With the twists and turns, Gumrah is a story of fragmenting trust and belief in the close ones and attraction of an aged man towards his daughter’s best friend, a story heard before in real life but rarely depicted on television. In a never seen before avatar, Hina Altaf plays the opportunist girl who ends up marrying the father of her best friend (played by Komal Aziz), played by veteran Faisal Rehman, forming a humiliating triangle with Sabreen Hisbani.
Ilteja
With the viewers more interested in watching drama that address social issues, Ilteja is indeed one, striking a deep social cord of raising children with special needs. Revolving around the family challenges faced in upbringing children suffering from Down Syndrome, this drama is an episode for how people in this industry have realised their social responsibility in devising a change in the society. Ilteja is moving towards a climax and stars Affan Waheed, Tooba Siddiqui, Rubina Ashraf and Seemi Pasha in the lead roles.
HIT: Saba Qamar, right, plays Qandeel Baloch, dubbed Pakistan’s ‘Kim Kardashian’ in Baaghi.
