2019 was quite an exciting year for the Pakistani drama industry. Not only dramas made new records of popularity but they also broke from the conventional stories to explore new topics. This gave the directors, script-writers, and actors the opportunities to try out new things and pushed the boundaries of what it means to be a Pakistani TV actor in today’s time. While some shows turned out to be unexpected hits, others that were deemed to be major successes failed to impress the audience. Needless to say, 2019 in dramas was full of surprises and proved to be a generally pathbreaking year for the country’s biggest entertainment industry.
In this article, we will be looking at the year 2019 in dramas and summarize what topics were the favorite ones with viewers, talk about some of the breakout performances by the actors, as well as take a look at which dramas made the most impact on the viewers.
Note: We will only be considering dramas that were either completely aired in 2019 or have had a considerable amount of episodes aired by the time the new year starts. Dramas that have just started airing or only had few of their last episodes aired in 2019 will not be considered in this article.
The trending topics
Television serials based on social issues were a favorite amongst the drama makers and the audience this year with many social causes highlighted. There is a wide array of social evils the writers picked and based their stories on. Be it the prevalent issue of acid-throwing (Surkh Chandni), the struggle of a rape survivor (Ruswai), or the importance of consent (Inkaar) – Pakistani dramas went all out in highlighting these issues and were generally favored by the audience. Aside from these obvious social issues the dramas also turned towards the less spoken about but equally important evil of domestic abuse, both physical (Kaisa Hai Naseeban) and mental (Khaas).
A welcome change in the topics that trended this year was the inclusion of mental health. Dramas like Ranjha Ranjha Kardi, Ishq Zahe Naseeb, and Ye Dil Mera have characters with some form of mental illness and their scripts have treated the respective illnesses with the attention and complexity that they deserve. Mental health is such an undiscussed topic in Pakistani society so it was definitely a refreshing change to see our dramas stepping up and addressing the topic head-on. A special mention goes to Ranjha Ranjha Kardi which served as a conversation starter for many “taboo” topics like the importance of acknowledging a person’s mental health and providing them the right medical treatment as well as the horrific reality of marital rape which is almost always brushed under the rug in our society.
Of course, the usual family melodramas were made their presence known throughout the year. High ratings that such dramas garnered are proof enough of the Pakistani drama viewing audience’s sensibilities who still favor the mazloom bechari trope. Yaariyan, Dil e Gumshuda, Anaa, Bharosa Pyaar Tera, Thoda Sa Haq gained high ratings but played it safe as far as their stories go.
Ye Dil Mera, Cheekh, Ishq Zahenaseeb with their suspense/thriller elements showed that the audience is ready to accept stories that challenge them mentally instead of spoon-feeding them all the information. On the other hand, Do Bol and Anaa with their romance elements proved that romance, when done right, will always be a fan favorite.
A sad trend for the year, however, was that of killing off positive male leads. The deaths of actually supportive, respectful and loving spouses in Cheekh and Khaas for nothing more than shock value just gave off the message that the female protagonists in Pakistani dramas just do not deserve to have spouses who would actually love them unconditionally and without putting them through some kind of trauma first.
Most discussed dramas
2019 definitely redefined what it means for a TV serial to be successful. Dramas Do Bol and Mere Paas Tum Ho were the show stealers of 2019. Do Bol gave the audience a new pairing to root for and made its leads Affan Waheed and Hira Mani into overnight stars. Mere Paas Tum Ho has achieved a must-see status in the country with the drama trending every week and all of its developments becoming a topic of drawing room conversations.
Cheekh started with the promise of being a murder mystery and when the drama stayed true to that promise, it had the audience completely hooked. Although ultimately it ended up taking a different route altogether, the audience was much invested in the story’s conclusion thanks to the powerful performances by the actors. Inkaar was yet another social-drama that tackled the issue of consent and what it means for a single woman when she decides to turn to the country’s law to get justice for her plight. The show’s realistic portrayal of the trials and tribulations a woman faces when fighting for her rights were worth discussing at length.
Alif with its question of the material world versus the spiritual is not a drama that is easy to digest for all viewers. However, the drama does pose important questions about morality and its place in the entertainment industry as well as the idea of whether a person can pursue spirituality while being deeply immersed in a career that focuses so much on the material. Khaas brought forth the reality of mismatched marriages by showing a self-centered, narcissist husband who leaves no chance of putting down his wife. The reality of such marriages where the wife has to suffer mental abuse and attacks on her self worth is not an uncommon sight in our society and Khaas gave many people the chance to talk about their own personal experiences. Of course, the interest in seeing the downfall of the said narcissist husband was very much real and was celebrated widely once it happened.
ISPR production Ehd-e-Wafa started with a bang with the audience excited about the prospect of getting this generation’s Alpha Bravo Charlie, however, unfortunately, the drama has lost most of its spunk with a storyline that is still a big question mark. The sequel to last year’s blockbuster drama Suno Chanda aired all through Ramzan and while it stayed true to almost all the elements that made the first season a hit, there was considerably lesser excitement about the season on social media as the episodes progressed. The reason being the focus being taken away from the show’s central leads towards new characters. The loyal audience of the show’s first season was left disappointed in the turns the sequel took as they cried that this was not what they had wanted when they had demanded a sequel.
Another drama discussed for not-so-positive reasons was Aangan, a period drama that was anticipated by the audience for almost a year. But the drama’s delay in airing, as well as its unavailability on any digital platform, did not work in its favor. After the initial excitement, Aangan fizzled out and failed to deliver upon the expectations that were built for it. The only thing the show did end up proving was the importance of releasing the dramas digitally because the shift in the audience’s viewing choices means that diligently watching a drama on television is now a thing of the past.
The stars of the year
2019 made stars out of some actors and cemented the stardom of some veterans. On one hand, veterans like Humayun Saeed and Adnan Siddiqui trended this year due to their impeccable performances and proved that despite their seniority, they still have what it takes to rule the hearts of the audience. Then, on the other hand, actors like Imran Ashraf and Iqra Aziz proved their worth with their spellbinding performances in complex roles and showed that they really are the future of this industry.
Imran Ashraf definitely deserves a special mention. His performance as Bhola in Ranjha Ranjha Kardi made him the superstar of 2019. The courage and conviction with which he played a risky character like Bhola made him an inspiration for many actors to take on more challenging roles. Not only his peers but the audience also saw Imran in a new light and crowned him their hero. With the play, Imran’s career shot to new heights of success where every project of his is now anticipated keenly.
Another star of the year was Ayeza Khan. Ayeza is not new to the industry but 2019 was the year where she definitely ruled the most. Not only did all her dramas garner huge ratings and trended at top spots on Youtube week after week, but she also took on diverse roles in all her performances. Be it the insecure, scheming Zobia in Yaariyan, the materialistic Mehwish in Mere Paas Tum Ho, or the innocent and naive Seher in Thoda Sa Haq; Ayeza proved her versatility as well as her star power by making all the projects she featured in as certified hits.
Saba Qamar continuously shone in Cheekh and definitely rose above the script by delivering an A-list performance throughout the show. Sajal Aly with her versatile performance in Aangan, Alif, and Ye Dil Mera once again proved why she is one of the top-rated actresses of the industry and a favorite of both the audience and her industry peers. Yumna Zaidi has always been a great actor and it is great to see her finally be acknowledged as such on a wider scale. Her performance in Inkaar, Dil Kya Karay, and especially in Ishq Zahe Naseeb has made everyone take notice of this powerhouse of talent and respect her for her craft and versatility.
Affan Waheed emerged as the audience’s new romantic hero with Do Bol. On the other hand, Cheekh gave Bilal Abbas an image makeover and he went from chocolate hero to an evil antagonist. Zahid Ahmed broke the boundaries of being a conventional hero with his role as Sameer/Sameera in Ishq Zahenaseeb and has set new standards of being a TV actor in Pakistan. Ahad Raza Mir makes sure to never get stuck in a rut by continuing to take on diverse characters and excelling at them with ease. Be it a character from the pre-partition era, a young PMA cadet, or a charismatic man with deep, dark secrets; Ahad’s consistency in performing well has yet to experience a hiccup.
Final word
And there you have it. This was our summary of the year 2019 in dramas. With all the hits and some misses, the year gave the audience some new kind of shows to enjoy and the drama makers some valuable lessons of what it means to make a serial in this digital age. As evident from the trending topics and the breakout performances, the audience is ready to watch dramas that do not follow a formulaic method of storytelling. There is more to Pakistani dramas than the bechari aurat and it is high time the drama makers realize that. Dramas need compelling narratives to draw the audience in and the tendency of selling sadistic melodrama for the sake of high ratings would only ultimately result in an alienated viewership.
However, we are hopeful that the current year has laid the foundation for that much-needed change in drama topics. The new year in dramas would, hopefully, have more diversity in content and would have more dramas in the sadly neglected genre of family-friendly light-hearted entertainment. Oh, and we hope more focus would be on the positive characters instead of glorifying the negative ones.
Here’s to wishing 2020 would be an even better year for dramas!
