Written by: Wania Aijaz
Posted on: April 07, 2023 | 
| 中文
Wahaj Ali and Yumna Zaidi in Tere Bin
A woman in a heavy saree runs down a set of stairs in slow-motion, as loud, dramatic violins play in the background. A gigantic mansion, where live women in heavy make-up and party-ready hair, who conspire and plot against a single woman. The two main leads are married to each other but also hate each other. What comes to your mind when you read the above-mentioned scenes? Indian dramas? Star Plus? If you said that, you’d be wrong. These are just some situations from the current, massively popular GEO drama, Tere Bin.
Tere Bin is a Star Plus lover’s dream. Back in the days, when Indian channels still showed up on our television screens, millions of women (and men, though they would never confess it) would glue their eyes to the melodramatic situations that took place in Indian dramas. They had become a part of our lives and we, though outwardly professing how much better Pakistani television dramas were in the ‘80s and how our neighbor could never compete, still sat down every day from 7 to 10 PM and watched 20-minute episodes of mindless dramas on our screens.
Heer Da Hero, an overly melodramatic Ramadan drama by Geo Entertainment
Then politics happened, as it always does, and those channels went away, leaving us only with Pakistani dramas to watch. Most of us said good riddance, and continued to watch our own dramas which had always been more on the ‘realistic’ side. And they were better. Compared to the nonsensical, sometimes completely crazy plotlines of the Star Plus and Zee TVs, Pakistani dramas did offer stories that were much more grounded, though, owing to the similarities in culture of the two countries, our dramas too spoke of the same Saas Bahu issues, albeit in a slightly more nuanced, and considerably less garish way. Humsafar, one of the most popular dramas to ever come out of Pakistan, was, on the surface, just like any other typical Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki of Indian TV. What made it stand out was not the story, but the restraint and subtlety with which it was directed by Sarmad Khoosat, and no doubt, the chemistry between the two main leads.
Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan in Humsafar
In the past few years, however, Pakistani TV seems to have become the very thing it prided itself to not be – Over the Top (OTT). Loud and obnoxious characters with very little depth and meaning to their actions reign all channels. Apart from a very few, most dramas recycle a certain set of regressive, exhausted tropes that add nothing new to the viewer’s mind.
And GEO Entertainment, the first and one of the most popular television channels in Pakistan, seems to have conquered the art of OTT. Every Geo drama seems similar, with very little to distinguish it from the others, and this does not only refer to the plotlines. Geo seems to have shortlisted a few tropes and just keeps on making dramas on those same stories, without any regard for originality or creativity.
Muqaddar, a drama by Geo TV
Let’s take Tere Bin. The hugely popular drama, starring Yumna Zaidi and Wahaj Ali, has been all the rage in the past few months. What is the drama about? A headstrong and outspoken girl, Merub, finds out that she is actually a part of a feudal family and has to marry her arrogant cousin, Murtasim. Ever since it started, the drama has constantly been on the top trending list, not just in Pakistan but also in India, Bangladesh and even Nepal. What this drama has also constantly been is hugely overdramatic. Long scenes, often in slow-motion, fill many of the episodes. The original sound track (OST) for the song is allegedly a copy of an Indian song, “Thukra ke mera pyar,” and apart from that, some observant viewers have pointed out that many scenes also seem like they have been copied from a hit Indian drama serial, “Iss Pyar Ko Kia Naam Doon.’
Other Geo dramas, too, use increasingly dramatic ways to prolong the run-time, in order to make the maximum amount of money. Mostly, these tactics include introducing bad plot twists, dragging out scenes using slow-motion and showing flashbacks after flashbacks. Not just that, many times the writers opt for regressive storytelling, like the female lead being slapped, to gain Television Rating Points (TRPs).
Hamza Ali Abbasi in Alif
Despite being so much like Indian dramas that people claim to hate, Tere Bin is still the highest rated drama in recent times and it trends constantly. So, what is it that makes this Bollywood-ish melodrama so popular? Afia Qazi, a drama reviewer, thinks that it is escapist television at its best. She says, “A majority of our population is middle-class who crave some sort of entertainment.” Afia believes that dramas like those on Geo are easy to consume, for they provide “quick pleasure” without much effort. The producers are well aware of this fact, and so they keep regurgitating the same sort of content.
Although Geo does sometimes air dramas that defy the norm, like the 2019 mega drama-serial ‘Alif,’ most of its dramas still follow the same tried and tested formulas that attract viewers but don’t have anything new to offer to audiences.
Poster of Alif
The question then arises, do the producers really need to produce anything ‘different’ if the format they use works and brings in millions – and most people don’t complain? Not really! Those of us who crave more realistic and creative entertainment, can go and get that. The truth of the matter is, you cannot tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t watch. Art is, and has always been, subjective, and people will always have a range of differing views on the same content. The people who liked the 1000-episode serials on Star Plus still watch them, and those who like the Bollywood-esq dramas of Geo will still watch them, no matter what anyone says. Although, whether or not Geo wants to be identified with ‘over-the-top’ dramas, is yet to be seen.
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