REPORT
More than a barren
wasteland
I
n a country like Pakistan, with its fair share of problems, both visible and invisible, people often unwind
after a long day by watching television. These days,
it’s Mann Mayal and Dillagi that has caught the nation’s
fancy. Before that it was Sadqay Tumharay or Humsafar
shows that made their stars household names and newage superstars.
With the birth of Zee Zindagi and the growing popularity of Pakistani television serials across the border, the
belief within the industry, it seems, is that Pakistani dramas are not only superior to their Indian counterparts
but that they actually qualify as quality entertainment.
And though that may hold true in terms of ratings, most
of these drama serials tend to play up stereotypes. Ask
any actor worth his salt and they will give you one answer: regressive television sells. It generates viewership
and appeals to the masses.
Let’s assume for the sake of this piece, this is one hundred per cent accurate. So, what’s the solution? The answer, however, is not binary and can’t simply be summed
up with a yes or no. The problem runs much deeper.
Television in Pakistan entertains in a one-dimensional
fashion: weeping willows and tragedy that is never fully
explored and is skin-deep. There are no layers. But liv-
ing in a borderless digital world and being exposed to
content from world over, it is obvious that television can
be so much more than a barren wasteland.
It can engage, it can challenge, it can be inventive but
for any of those things to happen, you have to look at
it from a different perspective, one that is drenched in
the conviction that television can educate its audience
without condescension.
With these factors in mind, Instep looks at a handful of
international shows that not only entertain but push the
envelope in a manner that educates and makes you
more curious about the capacity of man.
Our story begins in the UK where the works of William
Shakespeare, a literature giant like no other, have been
brought to life by PBS in a series called The Hollow
Crown. The first part of the series, launched in 2012,
consisted of some of the Bard’s most famous plays
(Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 and 2, and Henry V) and
was anchored by incredible actors like Jeremy Irons,
Ben Whishaw, Tom Hiddleston, Michelle Dockery and
Rory Kinnear. The ongoing second season of the series,
Hollow Crown (War of the Roses) made its debut earlier
this year and features Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott, as well as dame Judi Dench and
10 | BOOM