ARTICLE
Do modern Pakistani TV
romances fall short of
classics like Dhoop Kinarey?
T
hat phrase from iconic 80s TV drama Dhoop Kinarey had three generations of women swooning
with the younger lot making mental notes on romance. Year's later, Dhoop Kinarey's romantic duo Dr
Ahmer (Rahat Kazmi) and fun loving Dr Zoya (Marina
Khan) are still one of the most famous romantic couples
to grace our screens.Throughout the 80’s and 90’s we
were swept off our feet by some very likeable couples
and romantic screenplays in drama serials such as Ankahi, Tanhaiyan, Bandhan and many more. However,
the scope for romance has slowly become more and
more limited as male protagonists have become villains
rather than heroes and our heroines have lost agency
and sit weeping in corners, waiting to be rescued.In the
past, marriage and a happy life were once the ending to
a story of self-realisation, now the wedding vows mark
the beginning of a torturous process of misunderstandings with betrayal lurking around every corner.Today’s
hero is a far cry from Dr Ahmer, he does not waste time
judging a woman’s character or personality. Clearly the
path to his heart is through his stomach as his main concern is who makes good parathas and the roundest koftas.Today’s heroine has also changed: she is weighed
down with domestic responsibilities, attacked on all
sides and in constant fear of desertion, while carefree
and happy are words reserved for the villainous cousin
or secret girlfriend. The wonderfully laid back, work