By: Maemuna Sadaf
Dramas are a depiction of the culture and values of any country. Usually, culture is promoted or propagated through the medium of drama, film, and documentaries are made. Most of the times dramas and movies are used to promote national narrative; the drama is used to make up the minds of the masses. It is not worthy that Drama remained a medium of brainstorming. It has a massive impact on society. In Pakistan, foreign dramas and movies were allowed to be aired publically for the first time in the ’90s. Recently, Indian and Turkish dramas were used to air on Private entertainment Channels whereas a Chinese Drama was aired on State-owned entertainment channel Pakistan Television Network (PTV). Different characters of Dramas and films have remained famous in society, from Indian, Chinese, and now Turkish. People use to admire heroes, even the heroes from India, which is considered as a foe.
The dramas productions of China and Turkis have been aired on National Broadcasted. Nowadays, PTV has started airing the Turkish drama “Dirilis Ertugrul” on April 2020. PTV telecast the said drama 5 days a week and on prime time i,e from 8 P.M to 9 P.M. The said drama serial is based on a part of Turkish history and traditions. “Dirilis Ertugrul” is considered as Counter narrative against “Islamophobia”. It was produced in Turkey after the September 2019 UN summit. In which the term “Islamophobia” has been internationally used and Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan emphasized the need for use of media to counter this phobia. Turkey took the idea and a masterpiece was produced.
The admirable production has made this serial worth watching. The long-forgotten heroes are given lives. This drama serial has broken all the records of viewership. Its youtube views have crossed 2.4 million. Beside cultural impacts the said drama has become a hot topic in the streets of the country, from the common man to the corridors of the dominance. Previously, the dramas of present-day Turkey have not gained much viewership or criticism. Also, Pakistan’s Drama industry remained popular for ages but it is not famous for the focus on Islamic issues.
Writing more! Specifically, an emotional attachment to the Caliphate and Ottoman Empire of Pakistan’s population has also made this series popular. On the other hand, 90% Population of Pakistan’s rural areas and around 40% population of urban areas is the viewer of the national channel and they are orthodox Muslims, who love the history of the Caliphate and Ottoman Empire.
In Pakistan, more than 39 entertainment channels are working. To attract viewership it requires good production, strong story, and cast. The 1970s and 1980s are considered as golden days of Pakistani serials. These serials were popular not only in Pakistan but the neighboring countries. Unfortunately, from the last few years, the content quality of production has declined. To increase viewership, private entertainment channels have played Urdu dubbed foreign productions. PTV’s viewership has massively reduced after private entertainment channels have induced foreign dubbed dramas in their transmission. Now, after airing Dirilis Ertugrul PTV has gained its lost viewership back again. But it should be noted that viewership is not gained by its production but the dubbed Turkish Drama Serial.
Concluding more! Although Dirilis Ertugrul has brought Islamic thoughts back to Pakistani society as well it has affected the local media industry as well. Companies started selecting Turkish artists as a replacement for local artists. On the other hand, Pakistan is enriched in heritage and culture, whereas it has a rich history embedded with many unsung heroes. The different colors of culture can be found through the hills of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the plains of Karachi. Unfortunately, Pakistani culture and culture have never been promoted in true sense. Hence, anything from foreign countries attracts people more.
The question raises here is why Pakistani history and culture are not propagated in true sense.