Written by: Hurmat Majid
Posted on: July 19, 2019 | 
| 中文
Marina Khan is famous for her role in Dhoop Kinare (L) and Khalida Riyasat is famous for her role in Parosi (R)
It's the year 2019, and if I turn my TV to any Pakistani entertainment channel, I would find women behaving in very similar tropes across different dramas. They are found wallowing in their miseries, plotting revenge against other women, or coercing (often married) men into falling in love with them. After witnessing this pattern, one begins to wonder whether women in Pakistani dramas have been given such stereotypical roles.
In order to answer this question, one has to recall the oldest female characters which are spoken of in Pakistani television. The one thing they had in common was that the strongest characters on TV during earlier times were ones who portrayed the everyday Pakistani woman. The list did not feature larger-than-life woman who were expected to do the extraordinary. Instead, the women had hopes, aspirations, relationships with others, and relatable struggles.
The first ever strong female lead I ever came across when I started to dabble in Pakistani dramas was Dr. Zoya from Dhoop Kinaray (1987). After all these years, her problems still seem fully realized and worthy of attention. She became a doctor to please her father, then fell in love with her profession, and learned to care of her patients in the best possible way. She did what any reasonable daughter would do for her father, but didn't lose her humor or personality whilst doing so. One can still easily find someone like Zoya in a number of women in one’s social circle.
Two other strong lead female roles which I came across also aired in the 1980s, and were played by the accomplished and multitalented Shehnaz Sheikh. In Tanhayan (1985) and Unkahi (1982), we see two separate transformations of young, naive girls into strong independent women. They fight their own battles, handle their losses and celebrates their victories without depending on any man. These roles give hope to women that, no matter their circumstances, they can exist and thrive as their own person.
However, during the nineties and into the early 2000s, the complexity of female roles began to diminish. Khalida Riasat's Jahan Ara in Parosi (1990s), Pakistan's first privately produced drama, portrayed a strong, independent, divorced single mother. During a time when divorce was a much hushed-up topic, Riasat not only played an unapologetically strong woman, but she showed grit whilst standing up to her powerful husband, and winning against all odds. Shehnaz Khwaja in Alpha Bravo Charlie (1998) was a somewhat strong and independent character, but there was not enough space in the script for that role to develop.
One thing worth noticing is that now there are only a few complex, fully-realized female roles in an industry that airs hundreds of dramas each year. The problem appears to stem from an industry that has been dominated by men behind the scenes. Whether writing, producing or directing, it is still largely men who dictate what audiences, who largely consist of women, will watch in these dramas.
Currently, it seems as though the best way to ensure a successful drama is to make the women pitiable. Show runners attempt to make their female characters miserable, make them cry, and make sure that there is a conventionally good-looking man ready to rescue her, often from another evil woman. If the character is strong, her storyline trajectory involves being knocked down, till she becomes submissive enough.
An additional trope is that of the purely evil female character who basically spends the whole serial being vindictive without motive or remorse, until the second-last episode. That is when an extremely predictable twist of fate would make her mend her ways, or force her to suffer a terrible fate. Such stereotypes have been harmful because they are based on male ideas of femininity. In turn, these affect the way women and men compartmentalize “feminine” behavior from “non-feminine” behavior. And for years, this rigid and ratings-centric formula has appeared to go unquestioned.
That is not to say there have not been redeemable women in recently popular dramas. Syra Shehroz in Bilquees Kaur (2012), depicts a young woman whose sheer stubbornness makes one love and root for her. And, perhaps the most popular female characters have been Sanam Saeed's role in Zindagi Gulzar Hai (2012). People also remember Mahira Khan's much-adored Khirad from Humsafar (2011), as well as her role as Falak in Shehr-e-Zaat (2012). Saba Qamar's role in Yahan Pyar Nahi Hai (2012), starts by portraying her as a meek woman, but eventually allows her to grow out of her abusive husband's shadow into an independent mother of two.
But the way forward is simple, especially during a time in which women have begun to question harmful stereotypes and representation on an international scale. The only way to change anything is for female writers, producers and directors to be allowed space within the industry, and for them to tell stories worth telling. The time has come to have strong female writers and directors who depict Pakistani women in their complexity, functioning in a society which is rapidly transforming, and also giving empowerment opportunities for women.
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