Green TV: The new revolution of Pakistani Drama industry.

In the past couple of months, our social media has been flooded with ads that don’t seem like ads for a television channel, at least not a typical Pakistani television channel. Television has, in the recent years, become something just for the older generation. Most dramas only cater to older women, and the youth, losing all hope in the content, has mostly diverted to Over the Top (OTT) platforms. One channel, however, aims to change this. GREEN Entertainment, the recently launched TV channel backed by ISPR has entered the Pakistani television scene with all guns blazing, and has the potential to bring about a much needed change.

In the beginning it was the OST (Official Sound Track): an upbeat song that featured celebrated artists like Abida Parveen, Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shafqat Amanat Ali and many more, crooning to the lyrics, ‘’Kyunke main Green hoon (Because I am Green)’’. The uplifting nature of the song blended with the patriotism of the colour green and seemed to aim to create a feeling of pride within one’s own identity, something Pakistanis often struggle with. The song was well-received and increased the audience’s expectations from the channel.

After the official song of the channel, the Youtube channel GREEN Entertainment started to upload innovative short films which explored several themes like morality, classism, societal norms, corruption, gender equality and several other relevant topics. One of the videos, entitled ‘Farq Toh Parta Hai,’ features children dressed as adults; in one instance a father tells his son to lie to the cable man who’s come to collect his fees, just after advising him to always tell the truth. When the son looks at his father skeptically, the latter sheepishly explains that small lies don’t matter so much. “Farq toh parta hai (It does matter)” is sung in the background. This video, and several others with the same lesson, highlight several other hypocrisies that adults teach their children unconsciously.

The most striking of the content that were advertised by the emerging channel were the trailers of the dramas that were planning to show. The very first teaser, one starring Zahid Ahmed of Ishq Zahe Naseeb fame, was of the comedy named ‘101 Talaqain.’ This interesting-looking drama directed by Omar Akram portrays the whirlwind life of divorce lawyer Rustom Kawasji, as he tackles different couples going through different difficult situations.

What is very appealing is the direction and cinematography of this drama, and this is true for all of the teasers that have been put out by the channel. The dramas to-be aired are shot beautifully; the sets are expansive, the camerawork is innovative and the post-production seems to be quite well done. This is extraordinary compared to the low-budgeted, underwhelming direction of many of the current dramas. What the GREEN dramas seem to excel in the most, though, are the kind of stories they are bringing to the audience.

Like ‘101 Talaqain,’all of the dramas that are going to air on the GREEN channel have stories that are different from anything that Pakistani television channels have ever shown. ‘Idiot,’ another drama whose trailer enthralled audiences, tells the story of an unusual man (played by Ahmed Ali Akbar of Parizaad fame), who tends to ask difficult questions from people about the injustices and hypocrisy in society, then ends up being called an “idiot’’ for making people uncomfortable.

Another drama, ‘Jindo,’ portrays the trials and tribulations of a woman confronting patriarchal customs in the exacting deserts of tribal Sindh, and stars an ensemble cast of Humaima Malick, Gohar Rasheed, Samiya Mumtaz, Hajra Yamin and many other known faces. ’22 Qadam,’ a sports drama starring Hareem Farooq and Wahaj Ali shows the riveting journey of a girl whose passion is to play professional cricket, and how she battles the sexist norms of society. Unconventional storylines like this one seem to be this new channel’s chosen niche, one that they are following very effectively.

At a time where most of the dramas that air tend to have toxic, repetitive stories which are always concerned with family politics and cousin marriages, fresh and unique stories such as the ones that will air on GREEN TV have the potential to drastically change the kind of content audiences consume. These dramas, which are both well-written and well-made, can influence other channels and their producers to also generate content that is out of the box and relevant to our society. If this kind of quality production is maintained, the Pakistani drama industry can reach unprecedented heights. Whether or not this channel lives up to the hype, remains to be seen.