Sadia Jabbar's latest web series shines a light on Pakistan's rishta culture
It's no secret that Pakistan has a bit of a toxic rishta culture.
As soon as women "come of age", they are introduced into the shaadi market and basically treated like a commodity; Sadia Jabbar's upcoming web-series aims to shine a light on this mindset that is so ingrained in our society.
Talking to Images, Jabbar shares: "The theme for Shameless Proposals revolves around how a woman is made into a product and sold off in the rishta trade in our society. When families come with rishtas, they're told to accept the girl as is but also told that they'll do whatever is necessary to appease them. We'll explore seven different kinds of proposals through the lens of arranged marriages."
"Another thing we're going to show in this is that today's Pakistani urban girl is not the sort to stay silent, she wants to speak up and she finds that window. Now women are questioning the premise that their looks are the deciding factor or that just because a guy has a good job, that seems to be enough. Or are we going to look at how compatible two people are, how similar their mindsets are? Why aren't these fundamental issues addressed?" she added.
The producer also elaborated on how the web is a good medium for covering taboo topics.
"The format of a web-series is really good for raising your voice about such issues and it doesn't cost as much either. The platform of television is very different, it's TRP driven and geared towards a different audience. Similarly, theatre and film is a different genre altogether."
Shameless Proposals has been written by Saji Gul and Atlas; Sadia Jabbar will co-produce alongside Tahseen Shaukat and Hunny Haroon will direct.
