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India and Pakistan. Two countries that have gone to war four times since the past 73 years and are divided by religion, politics and violence. A bilaterally botched relationship with numerous outstanding disputes that is being worsened by the divisive and polarizing rhetoric from politicians on both sides of the border. Indians and Pakistanis may not see eye to eye on many things, but the current political climate of tensions fails to explain a certain trend: the growing popularity of Pakistani dramas in India.
The omnipresence of India’s Bollywood movies across the globe is a well-known fact. However, a lesser-discussed fact is that Pakistan’s drama industry has made a mark on the hearts and minds of many people all over the world, including a large part of the Indian population.[1]
On one hand, in the backdrop of heightened tensions and conflict after the Uri attacks of 2016, Pakistani media, books, TV shows and movies were completely banned in India.[2] On the other hand, a large volume of Pakistani classics such as Dhoop Kinaare, Humsafar and Zindagi Gulzar Hai were being streamed on YouTube and other online platforms in many Indian households. What could explain this contradiction between the nationalistic disposition of Indians versus their undeniable love for Pakistani television? Pakistani dramas have helped educate Indians about life across the border in a context that is separate from the mainstream politicized image of Pakistani people in national politics. Pakistani dramas have acted as a tool for Pakistan to subtly reform its image internationally.
Since the 1980s, shows like Deewarein, Waris, and Jungle were popular in India, but could not reach a large audience – the main demographic targeted by them was the middle-class Muslims. It was not until 2014, when Zee News began a TV channel called Zindagi, that Pakistani shows could reach a larger audience. The drama Zindagi Gulzar Hai became so popular, that it was re-run within a month of its end, due to public demand.[3] As cross-cultural exchange between Pakistan and India increased, Pakistani actors such as Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan saw success in Bollywood through their performances in movies like Kapoor and Sons, Khoobsurat, and Raees. However, as Pakistan-India détente came to an end in September 2016, after the Uri attacks, Zindagi channel dropped all Pakistani shows from their line-up and all Pakistani media and television shows in India were banned again.
In the words of the founder of Zee News: “This may sound ridiculous but the sudden decision to reject anything and everything connected with Pakistan can never be ruled out.”[4] Due to the fluctuating tensions between Pakistan and India, the connection between their entertainment industries is fragile, and usually subject to the political scenario on both sides. However, it is a fact that despite government bans, many people in India continue to love and follow their favorite Pakistani dramas through online streaming platforms. This continued relationship has three explanations: cultural connection, language and nostalgia.
India and Pakistan have an age-old cultural connection that cannot be underestimated. The Partition of 1947 divided the two countries through the creation of territorial borders but in many ways, it could not severe the deep historical ties between the people. Muhammad Ibrar Mohmand, a scholar at the University of Peshawar in Pakistan, writes in his paper on Pakistan’s Cultural Diplomacy in India: “Despite all the political differences, the citizens of both countries remain strongly interrelated and interconnected with each other through the (somewhat) same culture, same language, same dress, same weathers, same festivities and same traditions which are bonding them together despite the diplomatic differences promoted by the states”.[5]
Given such shared characteristics and heritage, it should not come as a surprise that Indians are able to relate to Pakistani characters and storylines with ease. Television shows from both India and Pakistan revolve around similar themes of family life, marriage, and relationships. However, it has been noted by television business and audiences that Pakistani dramas have a certain charm, realism and complexity to them as opposed to their Indian counterparts, which often have unrealistic and overly dramatized soap opera storylines.[6]
Linguistically, Pakistani dramas have generated a greater awareness and knowledge in terms of the Urdu language. Although Hindi and Urdu have a lot of similarities, Urdu is laden with poetic words that sometimes offer religious imagery and abstract ideas. Many Pakistani shows which were broadcasted on Zindagi usually provided glossaries of complex Urdu terms to help the viewers. It is a fact that Urdu is spoken by a large segment in the Indian population and widely used in Bollywood Hindi song lyrics, so Indians are not complete strangers to Urdu. Pakistani dramas have served to widen the wealth of knowledge of the Urdu language in Indians who watched them.[7]
Due to strict travel and immigration restrictions put in place since 1947, and the on-and-off relationship with Pakistani media, the average Indian is completely unexposed to the life of Pakistanis and has no real insight into their neighbour other than what is publicized by Indian national media and politicians. Shailja Kejriwal, an executive from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) said that “the Indian public is deeply curious about life in Pakistan, a country many non-Muslims fled during partition in 1947.”[8] “It is quite startling that post-independence, the Indian viewer has never actually seen Pakistan visually.” In a test screening of the channel conducted by the Zee Entertainment team with a sample of Indian viewers, it was found that “test audiences were sort of stunned and excited when we revealed these places were in Pakistan because they felt so familiar to them.”[9] In some parts of the Indian population, the ban has resulted in a heightened sense of nostalgia for Pakistani shows. Due to the contentious nature of their bilateral relationship, Pakistan’s idea in the Indian imaginary is largely coloured with ideas related to Islam, anti-democracy, terrorism and violence. This image of Pakistan is maintained by many countries around the world especially post-9/11.[10] The viewership of Pakistani dramas in India offers a window into the unknown life of average Pakistanis for Indians, with an accompanying realization that the two countries are more similar than they are perceived to be. It is worth noting that save for a few exceptions, popular Pakistani dramas largely steer away from the subjects of sectarian politics, governmental instability, and sentiments of anti-democracy in Pakistan, which makes them more receptive to an Indian audience. This reframing and rebuilding of the image of Pakistan have changed the hearts and minds of many Indian viewers and thawed the hostility against Pakistanis in some respects.
This is perhaps why India has banned Pakistani media in light of rising tensions since 2016[11], and anti-Pakistan rhetoric has taken a more aggressive form under the present government. Populist politics and an aggressive stance towards Pakistan in recent times have swayed the Indian masses to be amenable (or even excited) to have a war with Pakistan. After the recent escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan following India’s siege over Kashmir, PM Modi remarked: “India has stopped the policy of getting scared by Pakistan’s threats. Every day, [Pakistan] would make claims about having nuclear weapons. So, what do we have? Are we saving [our nuclear weapons] for Diwali?” [12]
How does the exchange of culture, especially through Pakistani dramas, have a role to play in mediating these tensions? Through Pakistani dramas, Indian people are exposed to an idea of Pakistan that is separate from the one-sided politically fueled information fed to the masses. One could call these dramas a subtle instrument of Pakistani soft power. An outlet to understand Pakistan through the authentic voice of Pakistani plays and dramas has the potential to bridge to some degree, the damage done by politics to the relationship between both the countries. A century of rivalry and strained relationships is not easy to mitigate, but wider cultural exchange between India and Pakistan could be a step in the right direction.
Shamshir Malik is a fourth-year student pursuing a double-major in Political Science and Diaspora & Transnational Studies. Her research interests include international relations, migration, and South-to-South cooperation. As a Contributor to the South Asian section, she hopes to discuss the involvement of South Asian countries in multilateral organizations and international relations, as well as issues related to identity and migration in the sub-continent.
Bibliography
“All Pakistani Shows to be Banned on Indian Television?” News 18. 2016. https://www.news18.com/news/movies/all-pakistani-shows-to-be-banned-on-indian-television-1295337.html
Bhatia, Vimal. “Narendra Modi: Our Nukes Not for Diwali: PM Narendra Modi on Pakistan’s N-Threat – Times of India.” The Times of India. 2019. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/news/our-nukes-not-for-diwali-pm-on-pakistans-n-threat/articleshow/68982495.cms.
“Bye-Bye Unending Television Dramas, Welcome Zindagi.” The Times of India. 2014. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Bye-bye-unending-television-dramas-welcome-Zindagi/articleshow/37520651.cms.
“Cross-Border Love on Screen” Hindustan Times. 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140703124216/http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/television/zindagi-gulzar-hai-cross-border-love-on-screen/article1-1227084.aspx.
“Indians to Get Peek into Daily Lives of Pakistanis with New Soap Opera Channel.” The Guardian. 2014. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/23/indian-tv-channel-show-pakistani-soaps https://www.dawn.com/news/1114018.
“Pakistan’s Cultural Diplomacy with India.” Cultural Diplomacy. 2012. http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/content/pdf/participant-papers/2012-12-aaccd/Pakistans_Cultural_Diplomacy_with_India_-_Muhammad_Ibrar_Raazia_Hassan.pdf.
“PTV: India Looking to Reverse Ban on Pakistani TV Channels: India News – Times of India.” The Times of India. 2012. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-looking-to-reverse-ban-on-Pakistani-TV-channels/articleshow/14877070.cms.
“Why Do Indians like Pakistani Soap Operas so Much?” The Christian Science Monitor. 2014. https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2014/0730/Why-do-Indians-like-Pakistani-soap-operas-so-much.
[1] Indians to Get Peek into Daily Lives of Pakistanis with New Soap Opera Channel.” The Guardian , June 23, 2014.
[2] “All Pakistani Shows to be Banned on Indian Television?” News 18. 2016.
[3] Bye-Bye Unending Television Dramas, Welcome Zindagi – Times of India.” The Times of India. The Times of India, December 4, 2014.
[4] Indians to Get Peek into Daily Lives of Pakistanis with New Soap Opera Channel.” The Guardian , June 23, 2014.
[5] Pakistan’s Cultural Diplomacy with India.” Cultural Diplomacy. 2012.
[6] Indians to Get Peek into Daily Lives of Pakistanis with New Soap Opera Channel.” The Guardian. 2014.
[7] “Bye-Bye Unending Television Dramas, Welcome Zindagi.” The Times of India. 2014.
[8] Indians to Get Peek into Daily Lives of Pakistanis with New Soap Opera Channel.” The Guardian. 2014.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Pakistan’s Cultural Diplomacy with India.” Cultural Diplomacy. 2012.
[11] “All Pakistani Shows to be Banned on Indian Television?” News 18. 2016.
[12] Bhatia, Vimal. “Narendra Modi: Our Nukes Not for Diwali: PM Narendra Modi on Pakistan’s N-Threat – Times of India.” The Times of India. Times of India, April 22, 2019.
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