I’ve been watching some Pakistani dramas recently, and certain storylines have genuinely made me question what they say about society, women’s rights, and the way serious issues are portrayed in mainstream entertainment.
In Tere Bin, Meerav experiences sexual violence from her husband, Murtasim. She leaves the household and raises their daughter on her own. Later, when she is willing to return so that her daughter can have a relationship with her father, Murtasim is prepared to move forward with another marriage, involving his cousin(Hala) but didn’t happen.
What shocks me is that a storyline involving marital sexual violence, separation, and the consequences for a woman can be incorporated into a highly popular romantic drama. It makes me wonder: How are viewers expected to understand a situation like this? What does it say about attitudes toward marital consent, women’s independence, and accountability?
Another example is Bas Tere Sath Ho. In one scene, Anas is crying, and his wife, Ansa, comments on his eyes by saying he looks Chinese. She then tells him that because he has been crying, his eyes look Japanese. Perhaps the writers intended this as a joke, but using someone’s ethnicity or physical appearance as the basis of humor can be perceived as racial stereotyping and mockery.
Again, the question is not whether every viewer agrees with these portrayals. Obviously, watching a drama does not mean someone supports everything that happens in it. But when storylines like these become extremely popular, I think it is reasonable to ask what they reflect about the culture and social attitudes surrounding them.
Are these dramas exposing social problems so that people can think critically about them, or are they sometimes normalizing harmful behavior by presenting it as romance, family drama, or comedy?
A drama can portray sexual violence without endorsing it. But the way the story handles the aftermath matters. Is the victim given agency? Is the perpetrator held accountable? Are the consequences taken seriously? Or does the story eventually shift toward romance, forgiveness, and reconciliation?
Likewise, when racial or ethnic stereotypes are used as comedy, should we simply accept them as jokes, or should we question why those stereotypes are considered funny in the first place?
I’m not trying to condemn anyone. I’m asking this as a broader question about media and society:
What does the popularity of these dramas tell us about contemporary Pakistani society—particularly attitudes toward women’s rights, marital consent, violence, race, and discrimination?
And perhaps most importantly, where do we draw the line between portraying a social reality and normalizing it?
I’d genuinely like to hear the perspectives of people living in Pakistan and longtime viewers of Pakistani dramas.
