At this time when the Corona virus epidemic has forced people to stay at home, television has emerged as an important source of entertainment for the general public and has made Pakistani dramas popular not only in Pakistan but Fans of these dramas are also found there in India. and hence questions arises of TV Dramas Impacts on human behavior.
While users on social media are seen commenting on the story and characters of dramas aired on private TV channels, there has also been a debate over the impact of these dramas on twitter on social thinking and ideas.
A user named Kanwal Ahmed tweets about Pakistani dramas yesterday which went viral in no time.
Kanwal Ahmed posts a series of tweets entitled as What Pakistani Dramas Teach You and after describing various scenes of dramas, concludes that the main idea of most Pakistani dramas currently being aired on TV is marriage. It revolves around bringing of second wife of the men.
The tweet sparks a heated debate where several users come out in support of Kanwal and agrees with her that Pakistani dramas certainly promote a patriarchal mindset in society.
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On the other hand, some users not only disagrees with her opinion but also raises the question of why bringing another wife home is considered so bad?
A user named Syed Ahmed disagrees with Kanwal’s opinion and says that it is not true that the main story of all Pakistani dramas revolves around this and that dramas do not affect Pakistani society.
How do TV dramas affect the human mind?
Due to the lockdown in the country, people have very limited opportunities for entertainment and in such a situation, users on social media are asking each other for the names of good Pakistani dramas so that they can spend time at home.
One user writes that in order to get peace of mind in the current situation, she is watching Pakistani dramas on YouTube without any interruption.
Talking about the popularity of Pakistani dramas, psychologist Anam Najam says that the majority of the people have access to these dramas and the content aired on TV.
According to Anam Najam, these dramas are the only source of information for a large number of people and by constantly showing such material, these people start trying to bring their lives up to the same standard as they see, which is also called modeling.
Commenting on its impacts on human personality, Anam Najam says, “Many of the decisions that we are reluctant to take, after watching these drama serials regularly, we lose those feelings and we take these decisions lightly. We start imagining.”
There are other studies which shows that watching games or videos based on violent incidents has a direct effect on a child’s mind. Citing a similar study, Anam Najam says that it is observed that a child develops violent thinking if he watches such videos regularly.
Are Pakistani dramas a reflection of society?
According to Nayab Gohar Jan, a journalist and women’s rights activist, Pakistani dramas help promote foster patriarchal thinking.
Regarding women characters in Pakistani dramas, Gohar says, “Women are portrayed as weak and submissive in the dramas and working women are not represented in these dramas.”
Commenting on the characterization, she further says that a distinction is made between a good and a bad woman on the basis of things like clothes.
According to Nada Kirmani, a sociology teacher at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), says that dramas reflect society’s trends to some extent, but it cannot be said to be an accurate reflection of societal attitudes.
Pakistani Dramas are only about Failed and Unhappy Marriages
Citing a study by Pakistan’s National Institute for Population Studies, Nazish Brohi, a feminist activist, writes on Twitter that why the subject of second marriages is predominant in Pakistani dramas while only 4% of society Women are involved in such married relationships.
Many users on social media points out that not all the dramas shown on TV are based on these things/themes, and they also suggested the users to watch them, mentioning a few dramas of the past.
According to Sadaf Haider, a critic of Pakistani dramas and affiliate of Dawn (a media organization), since 2012, these dramas are also based on TRP or ratings, and it has been observed that playwrights and directors keep these things in mind.
Talking about the majority of dramas based on housewives, Sadaf says that in general, the majority of the people who watch these dramas are women, due to which many Pakistani dramas are specifically made for them (audience).
According to Sadaf Haider, it is not that directors do not portray enlightened characters in dramas, but they rely more on making profits, that is why they focus more on the domestic story of middle class people.
Is all the responsibility of the media?
According to journalist Nayab Gohar, the dramas aired on the TV by the media are not responsible as a whole, for the thinking of the society, but watching such material regularly has a profound impact/effect on you.
In Nada Kirmani’s opinion, in the present era, majority of dramas promote patriarchal thinking, but in the past, the majority of the dramas were not made on this basis.
Corona’s epidemic itself is not less than a horror movie, but films and dramas have become an important tool in reducing the fear of the epidemic and making this difficult times easier.