The popularity of Pakistani dramas has been huge ever since the start of their production in the 1960's. These television shows gather large audiences facing the TV screen not merely in Pakistan, but in addition in India and the Middle East. As a result of the present day method of communication, they may be watched from any corner of the globe. Traditionally, they have covered topics such as love and the achievements of famous people, but recently they have started to touch upon various social issues as well.
The Main Features
Most Pakistani dramas have traditional format. They fall under two main categories. These generally include telenovelas, which tell one story in several episodes, and anthology series, which tell a different story in every episode. There's also miniseries, but they're never as common as their counterparts. Most series have been in Urdu, but you will find ones in other languages spoken in the country as well.
While these series have traditional formats, they have unique length. They typically end in less than one year. They do not have hundreds of episodes like the popular Western soap operas. They do not have seasons like the standard anthology series. The small length is in fact considered good results since the chance of audiences getting uninterested in a show is very low.
The drama series cover a range of topics. The traditional ones include love and romance, family ties, betrayal and honor. Recently, the shows have started to cover socially important topics like domestic violence, child marriages, racism and the fight against terrorism. Most series are based on novels which are adapted for television, but this is simply not always the case.Dramacool
The Main Genres
Romance is undoubtedly the most popular genre for Pakistani dramas. It contains recent award-winners like Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Aunn Zara. It's two main subcategories. The initial one is middle-class drama which typically tells the story of two people fighting due to their love in an urban setting. The pastoral dramas take devote a rural setting and focus on the romance of two people who originate from different social and financial backgrounds and fall in love.
The adolescence or teen dramas are focused on the difficulties related to the transfer from childhood to adulthood. The historical dramas usually tell the stories of famous people or describe important historic events. The thriller series most often include crime resolution. Dramedy is a variety which provides a mix between drama and comedy. Its popularity is constantly growing thanks to shows like Rasgullay.
Production and Airing
The TV channels in the country would be the major producers of Pakistani dramas. The series have traditionally been made in Lahore. It is also known as Lollywood because it could be the film production capital of the country. Each one of the major TV channels including ARY Digital, Hum TV, Geo TV and Urdu 1 airs its series. A lot of the channels can be watched internationally in addition to locally. It is also possible to view the episodes of the drama series online after they have been aired on television.
