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Romanticising rape is not okay. So why do Pakistani dramas do it anyway?

Romanticising rape is not okay. So why do Pakistani dramas do it anyway?

4 industry insiders shed light on the rise of the "rapist hero" trope on Pakistani television
Updated 27 Dec, 2016

To their credit, Pakistani dramas have never been shy of addressing difficult or controversial subjects and over the past few viewing seasons, there has been an uptick in stories touching on difficult social issues.

Hum TV’s recent hit Udaari is a prime example, garnering not only ratings and a fan following, but much critical acclaim for its sensitive handling of a potentially disturbing subject like child rape.

ARY’s award-winning drama Roag also managed to give the full impact of this most heinous of crimes without lurid details. However, not every drama has managed to meet these high standards and some like ARY ‘s Chup Raho and Hum TV’s Sangat and Gul-e-Rana have received strong criticism for their misleading depictions.

Like murder, rape's use as a plot device is nothing new.

Hum TV's Udaari tried to tackle the social evil of child abuse
Hum TV's Udaari tried to tackle the social evil of child abuse

However, unlike the old days when the hero’s sister conveniently commits suicide after being “defiled”, or the victim is married off to the repentant sinner rapist in order to restore her “honour”, rape victims depicted with sensitivity are now shown surviving and overcoming their ordeal, courageously demanding justice at all costs.

But with the highly competitive and commercial nature of today’s drama industry, it seems as if those few steps forward are being undermined by a lot of steps backwards. Case in point? The emergence of the "romantic rapist."

The motif of the “romantic rapist“ has made a resurgence in serials like Sangat, Gul-e--Rana, Muqqadas and the most recent cause of outrage, ARY's Bay Khudi. Episodes 3 and 4 of Bay Khudi show an angry man whose proposal has been rejected, sneaking into the family home and raping his unsuspecting cousin in a well-planned fit of jealous rage and then tearing himself up with remorse.

In what looks like an attempt to beat Hum TV’s incredibly crass use of the lyrics “Mera jism mera gunnah hai“ in Sangat (which seemed to imply the victim Saba Qamar somehow raped herself because her body was the focus of the sin), viewers were treated to the lyrics "Nadaniyaan jo hamse huwee maaf kar dey Khuda."

Apparently a planned violent rape by a competent, fully conscious male is a “nadaani” in ARY’s lexicon.

While no one can deny the sad truth that such things happen, the presentation of the rapist as an otherwise wonderful guy who just happens to make this one “bad decision” is completely inappropriate and untrue.

Such a personality may be an incredibly manipulative liar who can deceive others at will but he should be shown as such, or his tendency to cruelty and violence must show in his other behaviour.

With so many dramas on air, it’s difficult for channels to keep up with every detail of their content but this disturbing trend definitely warrants close inspection.

What message is sent by such characterisations, what precedents are being set in the minds of those watching: that rape is okay if you are ‘in love’, that it is just a sign of uncontrollable passion, that ‘good people’ can do this?

Research shows that rape is never about love or romance; rather it is about control, dominance and complete humiliation. While it may be too much to say that such soft portrayals are encouraging this behaviour, they certainly are making it more palatable by wrapping it up in dreamy, ambiguous glow that distances the viewer from the raw viciousness of the act.

As a caveat its important to note that Pakistani dramas do not exist in isolation: as with all media in today’s highly connected society there is a strong cross pollination effect at work, where popular trends from all over the world affect and inspire the stories we see on our screens.

While it’s easy to accuse a badly made Urdu drama of feeding into rape culture, perhaps we can also point out the way western serials like Game of Thrones and books like Fifty Shades of Grey also feed into the same narrative yet are swallowed wholesale as “entertainment”.

The normalisation of sexual violence is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

We asked several prominent drama makers their opinion and here is what they said:

Noor Hassan – Actor (who plays the lead/rapist in Bay Khudi)

The actor is currently appearing in Bay Khudi as the male lead
The actor is currently appearing in Bay Khudi as the male lead

"The message of Bay Khudi is that even if one successfully gets away with the crime, one never manages to be happy or content. And eventually has to pay for it."

Mustapha Afridi – Writer of Sange Mar Mar and *Aseerzadi*

"Rape isn't just a mistake, it's a crime and criminals should be punished, not married off. We can't give sick heroes a pass and cloak their lust as innocence or that he didn't know any better. If every other guy starts to do acts like this to feed his ego, imagine the state of society then."

Farhat Ishtiaq – Writer of Udaari, Humsafar, etc.

Farhat Ishtiaq has penned some of the most well-known television serials of our time
Farhat Ishtiaq has penned some of the most well-known television serials of our time

"As writers, we have to be very serious and responsible while writing about such issues. It's never okay to force sex on someone. It is unforgivable, period! I was very clear about Imtiaz’s character. He was a child rapist. I didn't even try to create some justifications for his wrongdoings like he was abused as a child or any other such reason to "justify" his evil nature."

Mohammad Ehtashamuddin – Director of Udaari and Sadqay Tumharay

"Rape is real and painful, a scar for a lifetime. Bringing subjects like rape and child abuse to the screen is no joke to me and my team."

Udaari was a sheer burden of responsibility, a narrative that is drenched in painful reality; it can’t be sensationalised. So by handling this subject very carefully, team Udaari brought to light the pain that accompanied Zebo as a victim, and against all odds also showed her the strength of a survivor. We all have to stand up as a nation, speak out, seek justice and spread awareness.


An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Roag was aired on Geo TV. The error is regretted.

Comments

anonymous Dec 27, 2016 12:10pm
Dawn as always at its best in writing the relevant stuff in an environment which is quite opposite. If only if all the other media houses can start aping Dawn..
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Ehtisham Dec 27, 2016 12:19pm
Roag is of ARY Digital not Geo TV
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Praveen Gupta Dec 27, 2016 12:20pm
Well said, it is a disease in India/Pakistan culture to romanticize rape. Like there is a song.. Aaj karunga main gandi baat.. the problem is even girls like the song and dance on it in romantic way. We need to stop lyrics that normalizes rapist behavior. Well written article, thanks for talking about the issue.
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sa Dec 27, 2016 12:27pm
Wonderful article , this indignation is well deserved
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Aatir Ehrar Dec 27, 2016 12:45pm
Because they want to earn money. Simple.
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Masoud Dec 27, 2016 12:47pm
A very low imported idea being projected in Pakistan in the name of freedom of speech. Grown up with TV dramas but never saw such things being projected in TV dramas. The censor board should not allow such dramas & shows in Pakistan
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Ms Khan Dec 27, 2016 12:52pm
Finally someone has raised their voice to such a sickest script. What kind of new trend they are trying to bring. Are they want to promote rape culture. Let's say if not, then they should show victim has taken any stand. End of main culprit and so on. PEMRA should ban such stories if guilty pleasure of rapist is being portrayed.
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Perviz Dec 27, 2016 12:54pm
Spot on! Very pertinent and timely article. It's always wrong to romanticise in any way a crime against women and giving any kind of justification or apology for rape is unacceptable. Till we stop looking for 'reasons' or 'excuses' for rape as shown on screen, we can't really convince viewers, specially the impressionable younger ones, that rape is a serious crime.
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Shabbir Ahmed Dec 27, 2016 01:30pm
Touching upon virtues & vices in the society in the TV dramas in one thing but romanticising rather glorifying the ills & vices is entirely different. Unfortunately, the later has been the case with most of the recent TV plays. At times, one gets the feeling as if a determined effort is being made to change value structure of the society by implanting the Western decadence and depicting the same as realism .
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Maria Dec 27, 2016 01:36pm
This is so true people have gone way too far in this regard not keeping in mind what negative implications it would lay on people. Its actually contributing a great deal in aggrevating sexual voilence by romanticizing rape. Watching games of thrones was way too much for me to swallow cz being a girl I felt disgusted so i left it in half ,unable to digest more humiliation. But the interesting fact is it is globally acclaimed tv show. TV shows like GOT basically sexually arouses people and makes them more open to the filthy acts like rape.
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truth Dec 27, 2016 01:42pm
Wow Dawn , hats off to you featuring such articles. It is deep rooted Medieval mindset still celebrated in 21st century.
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Skeptic Dec 27, 2016 01:52pm
Just take a look at the cover of most 'romantic novel's by the queens of such trash - Barbara Cartland, Jackie Collins - the stuff most women are addicted to, and you will notice one singular attribute. The image on their books depicts a strong, sweaty muscular man, with long flowing hair and torn shirt, displaying his chest and abs - usually associated with hard scrabble labor and rough living of mountain men - alongside a meek and submissive looking female who seems in awe of his power and perceived strength, and eyes full of desire, and you get the picture, Men are only fulfilling some inane female fantasy, Nothing else. Dramas are only appealing to the audience made up of men and women, that admire and expect such situations and plots. It is all about supply and demand.
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mansoor Dec 27, 2016 02:09pm
There is difference between Love and Lust. What we are glamourising in serials is lust. Love fell off the bandwagon years ago.
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timetostopthis Dec 27, 2016 02:11pm
While rape is a heinous crime worthy of the strongest possible punishment,, raping a cousin who is considered a sister in most cultures, is the worst form of crime and should be punishable with the death penalty as only a very sick individual would be capable of something like that.
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asad Dec 27, 2016 02:12pm
Drama here in pakistan no longer represent the cast and culture of 99.9% pakistani family but only limited to 0.1% of so called high class in society. That's why majority in pakistan can not connect it with their family or anything heard far fledged.
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rashi Dec 27, 2016 02:17pm
@Shabbir Ahmed glorifying rape isn't a western idea,far from it.it's a stone age mindset of tribal uncivilized population
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azeem usmani Dec 27, 2016 02:44pm
such as these immoral writing and publishing should be ban specially in TV production.
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analyses Dec 27, 2016 02:56pm
Great article, really. I don't know how these so called writers are given the task to write script of a national televised drama as they are so dumb to not know the personality traits of a rapist! It is obvious, self evident. Rape is never about love or romance - otherwise all extra romantic persons would be indulging in it! You have said it correctly, it is always about dominance, it is in fact not from love but actually from hate, the urge to crush someone into submission brutally. It can never be committed by a person who has a good heart and one who respects fellow human beings. Dramas like these are so un-watchable not because of the content but because noone with a sane mind can accept this incorrect depiction of rapists.
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asad Dec 27, 2016 02:58pm
@Ms Khan totally agree, great article.
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Nasir siddique Dec 27, 2016 03:36pm
Rape is rape and a crime. A rapist is a criminal. Its that simple. There can be no romane or justification around rape.
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Ap Dec 27, 2016 04:42pm
Thank you Dawn for this article. Please do not Glorify rape. If the authors, actors, directors etal will face this type of situation in their real life? Will they enjoy the real life drama?
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fari Dec 27, 2016 05:08pm
Yeah sometimes we just want to sell our product by any means!!Feeling sorry for our industry.
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S. A. M. Dec 27, 2016 05:46pm
gone are days when we could take pride in the clean family stuff that used to be aired on Pakistani channels. Anwar maqsood, Fatima Surraya Bajia, Haseena Moin and others from the same time used to pen such beautiful topics and with such class that the entire family could enjoy watching tv together. but now it's almost impossible to watch these dramas with our kids.
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FerozQ Dec 27, 2016 06:26pm
Pakistan is a society that doesn’t belong in this time and age. A place where Nobel Laureate is disowned because he believed in a slightly different cock and bull story than the average Pakistani does, and a place where being a feudal lord’s kid is a pre-requisite to lead the nation, no matter how stupid.
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Hamaad Dec 27, 2016 06:35pm
Rapists should be depicted as evil persons which is truly their mindset. Also, their characters must meet with just consequences that send a strong message to the society.
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soapy Dec 27, 2016 07:34pm
Good article. Thanks for publishing this.
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Faisal Dec 27, 2016 07:38pm
@Masoud "imported idea"? Because rape does'nt happen in Pakistan? Thank God we are now mature enough as a society to have TV dramas on this important subject. Grow up and wake up Masoud bhai
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Sana Dec 27, 2016 07:43pm
Why romanticizing 'extra marital affairs' has been ok for years? Why we cannot follow even our own moral values
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hanif Dec 27, 2016 08:22pm
@Ehtisham Ehtesham Bhai, you watch too much darama
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Ashfaq Dec 27, 2016 09:09pm
Well written article.
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Zia Dec 27, 2016 11:44pm
At best these serials can be called disgusting. There is no romance in rape or violence. It is animal instinct and present in all humans but tamed and controlled by religions , morals, educations. What these writers and producers etc are doing is very dangerous trend inciting and encouraging violence against women and telling people that not only it acceptable but rewarding too. This is creation of minds rotten by single aim of making money by eroding values that civilizations learnt in 1000s of years. Everyone involved must be banned for life right away. This is much worse than allowing brothels and booze on every corner.
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majda Dec 28, 2016 12:42am
This sort of dramas should be banned staright away. Well said Mr Mustafa Afridi!
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Vegito Dec 28, 2016 01:22am
"I didn't even try to create some justifications for his wrongdoings like he was abused as a child or any other such reason to "justify" his evil nature." This! This so much! I hate it when authors insert some sob story for the rapist's background in order to sympathize with him.
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Ahsan Gul Dec 28, 2016 02:51am
Writers and directors have an obligation toward society to uplift morals and dignity. Since now we have no Punjabi movies to destroy people's way of thinking these dramas can improve or continue to destroy our public's behavior. Nothing is bad to project evil and make it known to public for awareness but the end should be a lesson where evil deeds never get paid off or a drama criminal goes Scott free.
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Sadaf Haider Dec 28, 2016 08:06am
@Praveen Gupta Thank you Praveen
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Sadaf Haider Dec 28, 2016 08:07am
@Ehtisham Thank you sorry for the mistake I have corrected it
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SyahMI Dec 28, 2016 11:37am
We could expect such thoughtful articles only from Dawn. Truly appreciated.
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BaiG Dec 28, 2016 01:46pm
After a long time I have read a well written article. Totally agree what you said that "The normalization of sexual violence is a serious problem that needs to be addressed."
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Ehsan Dec 28, 2016 07:34pm
To watch tv dramas these days require you dumb yourself down, otherwise they can get unbearable
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Atheroth Dec 29, 2016 07:56am
"Saba Qamar somehow raped herself ". lol. nailed it.
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Aijaz Gul Dec 29, 2016 07:39pm
Private TV networks have liberated themselves of our conventional morality and ethics. It is simple as that. Rating and sponsorship means everything . Why complain.
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Raj Dec 30, 2016 10:08pm
This clearly shows the Pakistani drama makers are running out of stories. Soon they will become Ekta Kapoor's of India who create these Indian dramas with completely non-sense plots.
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Noshin Dec 31, 2016 01:17pm
Nice article
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Noshin Dec 31, 2016 01:17pm
Adorable
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Sadaf Haider Jan 02, 2017 08:06am
@BaiG thank you
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Muhammad Jan 02, 2017 07:00pm
@Raj I am afraid this may happen.
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