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was offer many a distraction from having to take accountability of their own personal issues and dilemmas.
If this was meant to be a good source for what it takes
to build successful relationships, then God help us because it was nothing short of watching a slightly more
sanitized version of the Jerry Springer Show, but just as
equally scandalous.
“These shows are like a nightmare that one is subjected
to in the morning,” said veteran TV writer/actor/host Anwar Maqsood. “I have written for television for 34 years
of my career but now I have almost distanced myself
from it because it’s a disaster. These shows are only
running
because of ratings and the irony is that the more ridiculous the show, the higher are its ratings. These weddings that they show on screen are a torture to watch.
These couples are already married, and often after just
a week of remarrying on the show, they end up going
separate ways. As a nation constantly in distress we
have been waiting for ages to wake up to a promising
morning, to rays of sunlight that will bring much-needed
positivity in our lives but what we get instead are these
morning shows.”
“One thing that must be noted is that these shows are
dubbed as ‘live’ when in fact the same celebrities are
sitting on another, similar show on a different channel
wearing the exact same clothes. Television has to have
some level of responsibility and moral obligation towards
society,” Maqsood added.
In an earlier interview with BOOM, actress Maya Ali,
who is currently in the limelight for her serial Mann Mayal, also stated that these shows do more damage than
good. “I am against these morning shows that are dramas in themselves and I request them to stop showing
such things. We should show people what needs to be
shown and not what will only bring in the ratings,” she
said.
In contrast, India has made a conscious effort to replace drawing room discussions and breakfast hoopla
with shows like Satyamev Jayate. In fact world over,
morning shows are a platform for social education, for
creating awareness and for raising concerns on issues
that plague the society, at large Topics on these shows
range from gender inequality and pay gaps to domestic
violence and racial prejudices; topics that deserve our
attention. It is unfortunate that while we look up to the
West to back our pseudo liberal beliefs, we fail to draw
any sort of inspiration from them to bring necessary
changes in our social behaviour. It’s important to get an
escape from reality once in a while but to sell something
as reality and instead offer nothing but a distraction from
bringing any real change in the world will only add to the
downfall of Pakistani television. Point to ponder: Even
US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton couldn’t resist
calling Pakistani