2022 has been quite a great year for quality content in Pakistani drama serials. It is honestly quite challenging to put together a comprehensive list of great dramas. Recent dramas like Wabaal, Fraud, Habs, Bakhtawar, and Mere Humnasheen have ticked all the right boxes when it comes to great storylines devoid of saas-bahu sagas and tears jerkers. But with few drama serials, our shows have found few plot points to make things rather interesting or bizarre if you must know. Some of these plot points need to be stopped right away because not only they are needless, it seems gimmicky. Let’s dive into these 5 plot points that our makers need to stop right away.
Mother Abandoning Their Children
It seems our shows have found a new plot point to grab the audience’s attention, the mother who abandons her children. Right starting from the drama serial Habs to Mere Humsafar, Ibne Hawwa, and the very recent drama Fraud, the plot revolves around themes of abandonment and the insecurities stemming from it. Yes, mothers do have to make tough choices when they are chosen second marriages or leave abusive marriages but the plots can show more sensitively without showing the mothers as selfish and hard-hearted.
Toxic Hero Culture
The toxic hero culture needs to end right away in Pakistani drama serials. Danish Taimoor has been coming heavily under fire for his toxic role in the drama serial “Kaisi Teri Khudgarzi” in the lead role against Dur-e- Afshan. A recent scene where he is dragging the girl through hell to marry her and never leaves a chance to show his power and control is sitting well with the audience. Danish played a similar toxic lover character in the drama serial Deewangi as well as opposite actor Hiba Bukhari. Feroze Khan played the same toxic lover in Aye Musht-E-Khaakh opposite actor Sana Javed where he believed that whoever he will marry, will fall head over heels with him.
Women Portrayed As Home Wreckers
Our drama serials tend to still show women as clever and manipulative and one who is an enemy of other women. Drama serial Mushkil, though it is worth watching the downside is how Hareem(Zainab Shabbir) is hell-bent on making Saboor Aly’s life miserable.
Portraying Mental Illnesses With Sensitivity
When it comes to mental health issues or mental illnesses, Pakistani drama serials have a long way to go in portraying it more sensitively. For example, the drama serial Bakhtawar showed that protagonist Yumna Zaidi had a brother who was dealing with mental illness which made him bedridden. The writing was found a little ableist as it didn’t really look sensitively into the matter and showed the family more like cold-hearted villains while the child was on his death.
Good Sister, Bad Sister Plot
This one seems to be the latest addition to the many run-of-the-mill ideas presented by Pakistani dramas. One of the sisters is the obedient one, would go to any lengths to keep her family satisfied, and almost always compromises on her own wants. And in stark contrast stands the other sister, who is considered to be ill-mannered, outspoken, and bold. Wabaal is one such example that is making quite waves these days among its audiences.