Pakistani dramas, or Pakistani serials, are televised serials produced in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Although most of the serials are produced in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Pakistani languages such as

Sindhi Sindhi may refer to: *something from, or related to Sindh, a province of Pakistan * Sindhi people, an ethnic group from the Sindh region * Sindhi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them People with the name * Sarkash Sindhi (1940–2012 ...

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

and Balochi. One of Pakistan's oldest television dramas is the Urdu serial '' Khuda Ki Basti'', which aired in 1969. Pakistani dramas, like serials elsewhere, reflect the country's culture. According to Farooq Sulehria 1970s & 1980 are considered to be golden old days of Pakistani serials. They have helped to attract viewers nationwide to television. The serials are watched in India and are popular in other

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

n countries, including

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...

and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

Origin

Many Pakistani dramas are based on Urdu novels and in the subsequent years after 1969, many authors became television writers such as authors Umera Ahmad and

Farhat Ishtiaq Farhat Ishtiaq ( ur, ) (born June 23, 1980), is a Pakistani writer, author and screenwriter. She is best known for her romantic novels ''Humsafar'', ''Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu'', '' Diyar-e-Dil'', ''Dil se Nikle Hain jo Lafz'' and ''Woh Jo Qarz Rakh ...

; both of whom have written content for digests as well as television serials. In recent years, Pakistani dramas have increasingly begun to tackle social issues that are once considered taboos.

Social impact

Pakistani feminists are usually concerned about depiction of women in Pakistani drama TV serials, they receive many of those with skepticism & reservation. UK based Pakistani feminist Tasneem Ahmar, whose research institute focuses on the women-media relationships, complaints 99.99% of TV drama in Pakistan is misogynist, patriarchal medieval in its depiction and treatment of

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...

issues. Ahmar says there is no doubt that Pakistani Drama TV serials are hugely popular among all strata of Pakistani society, but unfortunately they waste their potential of doing better in projecting progressive values rather than regressive values vis a vis women's depiction & support to equal rights.

Popularity outside Pakistan

Middle East

In 2013, the Pakistani drama ''

Humsafar ''Humsafar'' ( ur, , lit=Companion or Life Partner) is a 2011 Pakistani drama telenovela based on the novel of the same name by Farhat Ishtiaq (who also wrote the screenplay), and directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat. It stars Fawad Khan, Ma ...

'' was dubbed into

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

and broadcast by MBC in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

as ''Rafeeq-Al-Rooh''. The show was immediately successful and, after its first few episodes were broadcast, became the channel's most-watched drama. Before this, Pakistani dramas were not broadcast in the Middle East. After ''Humasafar'', other shows such as '' Malaal'' (aired as ''Hob-Wa-Nadam''), '' Zindagi Gulzar Hai'' (aired as ''Asrar Al Hob''), ''

Mera Naam Yousuf Hai ''Mera Naam Yousuf Hai'' ( ur, , "My name is Yousuf"), previously titled as ''Zulekha Bina Yusuf'' (, "Yousuf without Zulekha"), is a Pakistani television drama serial, which originally aired on the A-Plus Entertainment from 17 March 2015 til ...

'', '' Daastan'', ''

Kadoorat ''Kadoorat'' (English: ''Hate''; ur, ) is a 2013 Pakistani mystery drama television series produced by Momina Duraid. ''Kadoorat'' is written by Zoha Hassan and directed by Aabis Raza. ''Kadoorat'' premiered on Hum TV on 17 July 2013. Synops ...

'', ''Mera Naseeb'', ''

Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu ''Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani drama serial directed by Mehreen Jabbar, based on a novel of the same name written by Farhat Ishtiaq. It was originally aired on Hum TV from 2 March 2012 to 22 June 2012. The drama follows the ...

'', '' Noor Bano'', ''

Dil-e-Muztar ''Dil-e-Muztar'' ( ur, , ''The Anxious Heart'') is a 2013 Pakistani drama serial about the love triangle story of a young man and two women. The show was well received by the audience and was lauded for the lead performances, after it started a ...

'', '' Khaani'', '' Gul-o-Gulzar'', ''

Balaa ''Balaa'' ( ur, , lit=Monster) is a 2018 Pakistani thriller television series aired on ARY Digital. It is produced by Fahad Mustafa and Dr. Ali Kazmi under their banner Big Bang Entertainment. It stars Bilal Abbas Khan, Ushna Shah, Azekah Daniel ...

'', '' Cheekh'', '' Do Bol'', ''

Koi Chand Rakh ''Koi Chand Rakh'' () is a 2018 Pakistani television series premiered on 19 July 2018 on ARY Digital. The series ended its run on 14 February 2019. It is written by Maha Malik and directed by Siraj-ul-Haque. It is created by Abdullah Seja of ...

'', ''

Aisi Hai Tanhai ''Aisi Hai Tanhai'' ( ur, , lit=Such is the Loneliness) is a Pakistani television serial aired on ARY Digital Network on 8 November 2017 and ended on 21 March 2018. It is written by Mohsin Ali, produced by Fahad Mustafa, Dr.Ali Kazmi and direct ...

'', and ''

Suno Chanda ''Suno Chanda'' ( ur, , lit=Listen Moonlight) is a 2018 Pakistani Ramadan special romantic comedy series developed by Shahzad Javed, Head of Content, HUM TV directed by Ahson Talish and written by Saima Akram Chudhery. The series celebrates th ...

'' " Chaudry and Sons" were also dubbed into Arabic and broadcast by MBC.

India

Dramas such as ''Deewarein'', '' Waris'', and ''

Jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

'' were popular in India during the 1980s, but the

Indian government The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

has imposed a ban on Pakistani television channels in India. In 2009, the

Senate of Pakistan Senate of Pakistan or Aiwān-e-Bālā Pākistān ( ur, , , literally "Pakistan upper house"), is the upper legislative chamber of the bicameral legislature of Pakistan, and together with the National Assembly makes up the Parliament of Pakist ...

's broadcasting division appealed to the

Parliament of India The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of ...

to lift the ban. In 2012, India began debating whether to reverse the ban on Pakistani television channels. India assured Pakistan that it would consider a proposal by Pakistani foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani to lift the ban. Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) launched an entertainment television channel, Zindagi, on 23 June 2014. The channel aired syndicated television shows from Pakistan, and has been well received. It has been criticized, however, for showing dramas with a smaller number of episodes. To appease viewers, the channel aired Pakistani television shows such as ''

Aunn Zara ''Aunn Zara'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistan drama series telecast on A-Plus Entertainment. It revolves around a married couple spoilt by their respective families and are desperate to escape this attention. It is based on Faiza Iftikhar's novel, ''H ...

'', ''

Kitni Girhain Baaki Hain ''Kitni Girhain Baqi Hain'' ( ur, ; ) is a Pakistani anthology television series produced by Angeline Malik which premiered on 27 March 2011 on Hum TV. The series is based on short stories on real life situations. A second season was premie ...

'', ''

Maat Maat or Maʽat ( Egyptian: mꜣꜥt /ˈmuʀʕat/, Coptic: ⲙⲉⲓ) refers to the ancient Egyptian concepts of truth, balance, order, harmony, law, morality, and justice. Ma'at was also the goddess who personified these concepts, and r ...

'', ''

Meri Zaat Zarra-e-Benishan ''Meri Zaat Zarra-e-Benishan'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani television drama series, directed by Babar Javed and produced by Abdullah Kadwani and Humayun Saeed, based on Umera Ahmad's novel of the same name. The series is about Saba, a woman torn ...

'', ''

Mere Qatil Mere Dildar ''Meray Qatil Meray Dildar'' ( ur, , lit=My murderer my beloved) also written as ''Mere Qatil Mere Dildar '' is a Pakistani teledrama broadcast on Hum TV. It premiered on 9 October 2011 and ended its run on 8 April 2012. At the annual Hum Awards ...

'', '' Mirat-ul-Uroos'', ''

Ullu Baraye Farokht Nahi ''Ullu Baraaye Farokht Nahi'' ( ur, , lit=The owl is not for sale) is a Pakistani drama television serial based on the afsana of the same name by Amna Mufti which was first published in 2009 in a monthly Urdu journal ''Shuaa''. Directed by Ka ...

'', ''

Akbari Asghari ''Akbari Asghari'' is a 2011 Pakistani comedy drama television series based on Nazir Ahmad Dehlvi's '' Mirat-ul-Uroos''. A modern-day comical adaptation of the novella, was adapted by Faiza Iftikhar and directed by Haissam Hussain. The titular ...

'', '' Ashk'', ''

Azar Ki Ayegi Baraat Azar Ki Ayegi Baraat is a Pakistani comedy-drama from GEO TV. The show stars Javed Sheikh, Saba Hameed, Bushra Ansari, Shehryar Zaidi, and Samina Ahmad. The show was telecast in Pakistan in November 2009. Plot Azar ( Hassan Niazi) is an o ...

'', '' Badi Aapa'', ''

Pyarey Afzal ''Pyarey Afzal'' or ''Pyaare Afzal'' ( ur, ) ( en, Dear Afzal) is a Pakistani romantic drama television serial that aired on ARY Digital, directed by Nadeem Baig, written by Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar and production of Six Sigma Entertainment ...

'', '' Bashar Momin'', ''

Behadd ''Behadd'' ( ur, ; English: ''Boundless'') is a 2013 Pakistani drama film directed by Asim Raza, produced by Momina Duraid, and written by Umera Ahmad. The telefilm stars Fawad Khan, Nadia Jamil, Sajjal Ali, Nadia Afgan, Adnan Siddiqui, Adna ...

'', ''

Meray Dard Ko Jo Zuban Miley ''Meray Dard Ko Jo Zuban Miley'' is a Pakistani drama serial directed by Adnan Ahmad, written by Bushra Ansari and produced by Momina Duraid It began airing from 23 June 2012 on Hum TV. The show was also broadcast in India on Zindagi under the ...

'', ''

Bilqees Kaur ''Bilqees Kaur'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani drama serial directed by Adnan Ahmad, written by Faiza Iftikhar and produced by Momina Duraid. It aired from 15 April 2012 to 26 August 2012 on Hum TV. Set in New York City, Karachi, Lahore and Gujranwala ...

'', ''

Shehr-e-Zaat ''Shehr-e-Zaat'' (English: ''City of Existence'') is a 2012 Pakistani spiritual romantic drama serial based on the novella of the same name by Umera Ahmad. It is directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, and produced by Momina Duraid and Abdullah ...

'', ''

Daagh Nawab Mirza Khan Daagh Dehlvi ( ur, , 25 May 1831 – 17 March 1905) was a poet known for his Urdu ''ghazals''. He belonged to the old Delhi school of Urdu poetry.

'', '' Daam'', '' Durr-e-Shehwar'', ''

'', ''

Do Qadam Door Thay ''Do Qadam Door Thay'' ( ur, ; meaning ''Was Two Steps Away'') is an Urdu-language Pakistani social drama serial directed by Mohsin Mirza, Co Director Kashif Ahmed Butt, written by Kifayat Rodani and produced by Ironline Productions. The dra ...

'',

Gohar-e-Nayab ''Gohar-e-Nayab''( ur, ) is a Pakistani drama serial aired on A-Plus Entertainment. Written by Samra Bukhari and directed by Sakina Samo the serial was produced by Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi under the banner 7th Sky Entertainment. The d ...

, ''

Ishq Junoon Deewangi ''Ishq Junoon Dewangi'' ( ur, , lit=Love Passion Madness) is a Pakistani drama serial that aired on Hum TV in 2009. It was written and produced by Momina Duraid while directed by Babar Javed. The serial tells the story of a couple, when a dire ...

'', ''

Ishq Gumshuda ''Ishq Gumshuda'' ( ur, ) is an Urdu language Pakistani telenovela which was first broadcast in Pakistan in 2010 by Hum TV, premiering on 25 June 2010. Directed by Haissam Hussain and written by Noor-ul-Hada Shah, ''Ishq Gumshuda'', which ende ...

'', ''

Jab We Wed ''Jab We Wed'' (; ) is a Pakistani romantic, comedy drama serial directed by Wajahat Rauf and written by Mohsin Ali. The drama stars Danish Taimoor and Ayeza Khan in lead roles. The drama was first aired Eid al-Fitr 2014 on Urdu 1. Jab We ...

'', '' Main Abdul Qadir Hoon'', ''

Qaid-e-Tanhai ''Qaid-e-Tanhai'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani drama serial that aired on Hum TV from 22 October 2010 to 18 March 2011. It was written by Umera Ahmad and directed by Babar Javed. The drama serial was produced by A & B Productions. Plot Qaid-e-Ta ...

'', '' Jackson Heights'', '' Kaash Main Teri Beti Na Hoti'', and '' Zindagi Gulzar Hai''. ''Zindagi Gulzar Hai'' became so popular that it was re-run one month after it ended its initial run in India. In September 2016, however, Zindagi dropped all Pakistani shows from their line-up. In this way, Zindagi came to its end on television. In July 2020, it was announced that Zindagi will make its comeback digitally and brand will come with its 5 original Web Series including ''Maan Jogi'', ''Abdullah Pur Ka Devdas'', '' Churails'', ''Aik Jhooti Love Story'' and '' Dhoop Ki Deewar'' along with some old and new shows from Zindagi Library. Blockbuster Pakistani Drama Series '' Baba Jani'', '' Badi Aapa'', '' Diyar-e-Dil'', ''

'', '' Mann Mayal'', '' Baaghi'', '' Vasl'', ''

'', ''

O Rangreza ''O Rangreza'' ( ur, ), is a Pakistani romantic drama serial that aired on Hum TV. It starred Bilal Abbas and Sajal Ali in lead roles. It was written by Saji Gul and was directed by Kashif Nisar, who previously directed ''Dumpukht'', which a ...

'', ''

Bunty I Love You ''Bunty I Love You'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani drama serial directed by Siraj-ul-Haque , written by Khalil-Ur-Rehman Qamar & produced by Momina Duraid under the production Momina Duraid Productions. The drama was aired from 29 December 2013 to 1 ...

'', '' Main Abdul Qadir Hoon'', '' Durr-e-Shehwar'', ''

Numm ''Numm'' ( ur, ) is a 2013 Pakistani drama serial that portrays social issues. It was directed by Ahson Talish, produced by Amjad Hashmi and written by Myra Sajid. The show stars Fawad Khan, Sania Saeed and Kanza Wayne. The show tells the story o ...

'', ''

Nanhi ''Nanhi'' ( ur, , lit=Young) is a 2013 Pakistani thriller drama serial directed by Haseeb Hassan aired on Geo Entertainment in 2013. Serial is written by ''Mona Haseeb'' and produced by ''Iqbal Ansari''. Focuses on the issues of Pakistani societ ...

'', ''

Digest Writer ''Digest Writer'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani drama series which premiered on Hum TV on 5 October 2014. The serial is penned by Umera Ahmad and directed by Syed Ahmed Kamran. It stars Saba Qamar, Agha Ali and Gohar Rasheed. It received seven nomin ...

'', ''

'' and many others started to premiere from July 2020 on

ZEE5 ZEE5 is an Indian subscription video on-demand and over-the-top streaming service, run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on Web, Andro ...

app with a premium membership.

Star India Disney Star Private Limited is an Indian media conglomerate and a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Disney Star network runs more than 70 TV channels in eight languages, rea ...

begin airing of ''

'' in 2015 on their channel

Star Plus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The network's programming consists of family dramas, comedi ...

and thus becoming the channel's first ever Pakistani drama. The series was aired in India, UAE, USA, Ireland, UK, Austria, Europe, Canada and Latin America. Series received extravagant reception in viewership and ratings. As per research study of Pakistani popular drama conducted by Indian scholar Jyoti Mehra, north Indian audience gets a sense of cultural familiarity which they can relate to while watching Pakistani drama. The study also gives credit to the content of Pakistani dramas for its comparative realism with fast pace with shorter duration and limited number of episodes for its acceptability among Indian audience. 2022 Another series '' Mrs and Mr Shameem'' starring

Saba Qamar Saba Qamar Zaman (born 5 April 1984), known professionally as Saba Qamar, is a Pakistani actress who works predominantly in Urdu films and television. She has won several accolades including Lux Style Awards and Hum Awards. Qamar is one of Pa ...

and

Nauman Ejaz Nauman Ijaz (Punjabi and ur, ) is a Pakistani television and film actor, TV anchorperson, and TV show presenter. He is the recipient of several accolades including 10 Lux Style Awards, 7 Hum Awards and a President's Pride of Performance, ...

started on

app which is attracted to viewers of Pakistan and also other countries like India.

Other countries

Pakistani dramas are shown in

. Pakistani television shows are aired on

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

channels in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

for the Pakistani diaspora.

References

{{WorldTV * * Pakistani popular culture Television in Pakistan Asian drama