last year, the launching of a new channel for telecast of dramas from the neighbouring country changed my entire TV watching schedule. This step took me back to the days when dramas from across the border could be seen in J&K on TV and were also available on video cassettes.
Those days; plays like Tanhaiyaan, Raat, Khawaja and Son, Chhaon and many others had become a rage and one spent entire night watching them on the VCR without giving a thought as to how one would go for work the next morning! They were truly addictive, I must admit. Hypnotic!
Over the years, memories of these plays faded and the soaps on our various channels took over. They have a completely different way of presenting life. Mostly loud, melodramatic and with overbearing background music that drowns the dialogues. I watched some of them over the years and perhaps got used to them. There seemed to be no option.
However, with the return of the Pakistani drama serials (as they used to call them in the 80s) on television, a new dimension was added to TV watching and gradually, I got hooked again to these dramas.
Since the time the channel was launched, I have been following the plays and can say that they have retained many features of the dramas of old. There has been a change, for sure. With the passing years, new directors have come in and an entire generation has come up. Things have changed in these plays too. Their pace has increased and many of the themes have been taken up in keeping with the changing world.
However, what remains unchanged is the sincerity of emotional expression and the importance given to human interaction through the natural and realistic dialogues. No loud make-up, no flashy clothes and no disturbing background music all through the episode. Simplicity of presentation is the strength of these dramas. They are far from “filmi” and keep the viewer grounded in reality. There are evil women and men in these plays too.
They are not presented in a loud manner. Underplaying the role is one of the strong aspects displayed by the actors. The close-ups of characters, which one has been missing in our films as well as serials, make these dramas stable and enjoyable.
The time they devote to the engaging conversations among the various characters is indeed a major factor in making the watching of these plays an enriching and satisfying experience. I still recall Zain and Zara from the play Tanhaiyaan, which was my great favourite all those years ago. And I am sure many people remember them fondly along with Qabacha! The old Khawaja Sa’ab of the comedy Khawaja and Son is unforgettable too. These are characters who became a part of our lives through our imagination.
There are people who find these plays slow moving. I believe that this is actually the secret of their success. Slowly and softly, they weave their magic around the viewer, inviting him into a world where people still have a lot of time to talk to others, to listen to every word the other person says, to ponder over life and make an effort to analyse it.
Philosophising is another fascinating aspect of the dialogues of these plays. Even a conversation about day-to-day event is laced with the depth of philosophy and poetic expression. I may seem to be waxing eloquent about these drama serials but I am only expressing my true feelings about them.
Perhaps they appeal to me due to my particular temperament. I have come across innumerable people since last year who agree with me and are mesmerised by these plays. Their stories may not be extraordinary. It is the treatment of human relationships shown that makes the shows so gripping. The complexities of life are discussed in a simple manner in ordinary conversations.
A touch of the folk culture and rural environment shown in some of the plays gives them a traditional colour. This is very attractive for the viewers, especially those who have grown up hearing stories of old Punjab which now lies in our neighbouring country. It was once the home of our ancestors. These plays sometimes take us back to the places where our grandparents lived. Places that stayed with them long after they had to leave them to come this side of the border. This strong emotional connection I feel when I watch these plays makes me more fond of them.