The ‘good’ and ‘bad’ women of serials: How a Pakistan show has triggered debates on depiction of women on television
Superhit drama serial 'Meray Paas Tum Ho' has instigated arguments, both online and offline, for its representation of women
Last month, Pakistanis saw the finale of the superhit drama serial, Meray Paas Tum Ho (MPTH). The drama was such a hit that its finale was screened in cinemas across Pakistan and was watched by 80 million viewers. But the most watched TV show in Pakistan, which had 23 episodes that ran from August, has also triggered heated debates both online and offline on its depiction of women. A petition was filed in a court to stop its screening as, according to the petitioner, the story was giving a bad impression of women. It was dismissed.
MPTH was a tragic romance series written by Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar. The story is about a love triangle where a married woman (Mehwish) falls in love with another married man (Shehwar). She leaves her husband (Danish) for her lover but the latter’s wife throws her out and sends her husband to jail. She then tries to go back to Danish but he dies at the end of the series. Qamar has recently faced a lot of criticism for his sexist and misogynist views. In one interview, he said it is not in a woman’s nature to be unfaithful and if she is unfaithful, she isn’t a woman. “Women should gang rape men if they want equality,” he said in another.
Critics of the show argued that the ‘good’ women and ‘bad’ women binary the MPTH presents is essentially misogynistic.
Tasneem Ahmar, founder and director of Uks, a research centre that focuses on the women-media relationship, says MPTH was no different from 99.9% of dramas on Pakistani TV channels. “It was as sexist, repressive and regressive as the others. The dialogues were not new to our ears; in fact, some dramas have had much worse content. MPTH reflects a mindset that reduces women to less than objects, shunning them as ‘bad’ women. It was a lethal combination of sexism, chauvinism and patriarchy, bordering on misogyny. Our TV plays are immensely popular with all sections of our society, if only our writers, producers, directors and actors could realise that this popularity could also become pivotal in making a change — from regressive to progressive.”
Zebunnisa Burki, a journalist and academic, however doesn’t believe in taking the makers of such shows to court. MPTH presents a rather interesting case study of ‘big business’ media, entertainment, activism and social media all overlapping into a confused mashup of outrage on all sides, she said. “Like 80% of Pakistani drama series, MPTH followed largely the same tropes we see on TV every single day.
In Ms. Burki’s views, at times people can’t separate the drama from the writer, “who holds the most odious opinion on women”. “We need better writers; we need better decision-makers and we also need to recognise the fact that stunts like taking a TV drama to court will only trivialise any valid critique.”
‘Ridiculing women’
In the petition filed at the Sindh High Court, lawyer Sana Saleem had said the series was “ridiculing a woman who makes the same decision as every other man in society”.
Ms. Burki said, “Our pop culture/entertainment issues won’t be resolved by hashtag activism by a privileged few. We need to make sure we encourage the lost art of critical thinking among the young; without that, we will probably only produce Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamars and blockbusters like MPTH.”
Actor and model Iffat Omar says she believes a writer has full rights over storytelling. The real controversy started when Qamar gave interviews in which he made controversial comments. “It was then that we started watching his drama MPTH in light of his views. I had a problem with the ending — both the male and female protagonists are disloyal to their spouses but the husband of the female lead dies and the man’s wife accepts the husband back [But he doesn’t go back to his wife in the serial because he says that he is not worthy of his wife]. So they show that it is in the nature of women to forgive cheating partners but men can’t take it and they’d rather die. This is pretty sick. Women don’t demand equality to rape men but at least we expect that men would know how hard it is for women to deal with cheating and unfaithfulness.”
Writer and Anchor Ayesha Jahanzeb feels Pakistani women and women, in general, have never been represented the way they actually are in serials. “In MPTH, I found both female characters shallow. Qamar’s women are flawed with tragic traits, whereas the men are very rounded characters. In reality, women handle situations very differently and not how Qamar has depicted them.”
(Originally published in The Hindu)
Last month, Pakistanis saw the finale of the superhit drama serial, Meray Paas Tum Ho (MPTH). The drama was such a hit that its finale was screened in cinemas across Pakistan and was watched by 80 million viewers. But the most watched TV show in Pakistan, which had 23 episodes that ran from August, has also triggered heated debates both online and offline on its depiction of women. A petition was filed in a court to stop its screening as, according to the petitioner, the story was giving a bad impression of women. It was dismissed.
MPTH was a tragic romance series written by Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar. The story is about a love triangle where a married woman (Mehwish) falls in love with another married man (Shehwar). She leaves her husband (Danish) for her lover but the latter’s wife throws her out and sends her husband to jail. She then tries to go back to Danish but he dies at the end of the series. Qamar has recently faced a lot of criticism for his sexist and misogynist views. In one interview, he said it is not in a woman’s nature to be unfaithful and if she is unfaithful, she isn’t a woman. “Women should gang rape men if they want equality,” he said in another.
Critics of the show argued that the ‘good’ women and ‘bad’ women binary the MPTH presents is essentially misogynistic.
Tasneem Ahmar, founder and director of Uks, a research centre that focuses on the women-media relationship, says MPTH was no different from 99.9% of dramas on Pakistani TV channels. “It was as sexist, repressive and regressive as the others. The dialogues were not new to our ears; in fact, some dramas have had much worse content. MPTH reflects a mindset that reduces women to less than objects, shunning them as ‘bad’ women. It was a lethal combination of sexism, chauvinism and patriarchy, bordering on misogyny. Our TV plays are immensely popular with all sections of our society, if only our writers, producers, directors and actors could realise that this popularity could also become pivotal in making a change — from regressive to progressive.”
Zebunnisa Burki, a journalist and academic, however doesn’t believe in taking the makers of such shows to court. MPTH presents a rather interesting case study of ‘big business’ media, entertainment, activism and social media all overlapping into a confused mashup of outrage on all sides, she said. “Like 80% of Pakistani drama series, MPTH followed largely the same tropes we see on TV every single day.
In Ms. Burki’s views, at times people can’t separate the drama from the writer, “who holds the most odious opinion on women”. “We need better writers; we need better decision-makers and we also need to recognise the fact that stunts like taking a TV drama to court will only trivialise any valid critique.”
‘Ridiculing women’
In the petition filed at the Sindh High Court, lawyer Sana Saleem had said the series was “ridiculing a woman who makes the same decision as every other man in society”.
Ms. Burki said, “Our pop culture/entertainment issues won’t be resolved by hashtag activism by a privileged few. We need to make sure we encourage the lost art of critical thinking among the young; without that, we will probably only produce Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamars and blockbusters like MPTH.”
Actor and model Iffat Omar says she believes a writer has full rights over storytelling. The real controversy started when Qamar gave interviews in which he made controversial comments. “It was then that we started watching his drama MPTH in light of his views. I had a problem with the ending — both the male and female protagonists are disloyal to their spouses but the husband of the female lead dies and the man’s wife accepts the husband back [But he doesn’t go back to his wife in the serial because he says that he is not worthy of his wife]. So they show that it is in the nature of women to forgive cheating partners but men can’t take it and they’d rather die. This is pretty sick. Women don’t demand equality to rape men but at least we expect that men would know how hard it is for women to deal with cheating and unfaithfulness.”
Writer and Anchor Ayesha Jahanzeb feels Pakistani women and women, in general, have never been represented the way they actually are in serials. “In MPTH, I found both female characters shallow. Qamar’s women are flawed with tragic traits, whereas the men are very rounded characters. In reality, women handle situations very differently and not how Qamar has depicted them.”
(Originally published in The Hindu)
Comments
I am an audience of ur tv program report card . As I m indian so I listen this program on utube. A healthy debate except for niyazi sahab bhatti sahab ..Both become very loud and emotional ..They should argue rationally.
I was big fan of paki serials too. But now I m observing same theme.. marrige love second wife same story ..I watched Alif and now I swa few episode of this serial which u discussing.. mere pass tum ho ..
2 take ki ladki ke liye 50 million ..
A very bad presentation of famine
Recently I came across the video of its writer and his behaviour towards women so I can understand his thinking ..So this serial is just a perfect representative of author's sick mentality.
Pakistan is a reality as indian I'm accepting it ..May be in past we have done some injustice with pak after 1947 .. I can understand that gurge..But if they can think about us a a good neighbour... We will repay
Compensation of any injustice by various means.
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I think the last 60 years of the television and media age here in the West has shown that TV/film is not a true reflection of life, it's prime aim is to make money which almost always means exploitative choices by the producers. Any serious researcher will also accept TV/film is a powerful tool for propaganda and sedition - you just need to decide what values are being promoted.
It has also shown that the very best way to get TV to change or to protect yourself and family is to switch off. Western family culture has all but been destroyed, with pop-culture having played a major part in its demise - and they haven't finished yet.
Visit any city in the UK and see legions of old people living on their own, single mothers. At the extremes you have absent fathers (busy enjoying themselves with other women), feral children, many people with social media and reality TV shows as the bedrock of their lives.
Read the way rape cases are handled in UK and you might be disheartened at what you find, if you had the notion that in in this bastion of liberal values rape victims get treated as actual victims. Domestic abuse is all too common here too. I think you'll also find a rich history of sexual abuse - the number of people of sex offenders registers in the UK gives much food for thought.
Having lived and worked in the West all my life, by far the most diligently respectful groups of men towards women I have witnessed are sincere Muslims - people you would trust with your daughters. That said that of course there are non-Muslim men who treat women well, and there are unfortunately too many Muslim men who have never learnt from the Seerat of Rasulullah (SAW) of how to treat women. We Muslims really must learn to show Ikhlaq, Ahsan towards all people, especially women. We do our teachers, from Rasulullah (SAW) to our own mothers a great disservice.
However, we also as Muslims have the right to voice objection to anything that seeks to promote values that are anti-Islam in Muslims countries. However, this must be done in a manner that befits our Blessed Master Rasulullah (SAW). Muslims in Pakistan get rightly defensive when they see anything they perceive as anti-Islam. The media has only itself to blame if the public view its motives with suspicion.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.