Turkey dramas in Pakistan

Turkey dramas

Ishq Mammnu

Urdu1 newly launched entertainment TV Channel with the name of Ishq Mamnu with Urdu Translation. The story of this drama is taken from a novel written by Halit zeya which was performed in modern day acting environment

Turkey dramas

The Urdu translation of this Turkish soap is considered to be infectious by its viewers.

Some Pakistani writers, directors, and producers take it as a healthy competition, others believe it’s a grave threat

Rashid Khwaja

“Our local production standards are very low; if we don’t raise them then in no time these dramas can eat us up,” says Rashid Khwaja — President of United Producers’ Association (UPA). “However, stopping the influx of foreign content is not the solution,” Khwaja tells The Express Tribune.

Globally there are two TV models;

First model, producers hold the rights to the drama and recover the cost after airing them in their own country first. After cost recovery, the drama is available for other countries at a very low rate which is when the profit rolls in.

other model is largely practised in India. The channels, instead of producers, invest in a big scale production and become sole owners of the project.

Pakistan, however, doesn’t follow either

production houses make serials at the cost price of  0.4 million per episode and sell it to the channel for a profit of up to 0.2 million per episode

making the producer’s profit significantly low

This scenario results in more and more low quality entertainment for the channels. According to the producers the low quality of products  is a direct result of a continuous increase in the cost of production but no increase in the selling price offered by the channels.

TV director Azfar Ali, best known for sitcom “Sab set hai

not always about the size of a production. “I think the arrival of these soaps should give us a chance to boost our own industry standards,”

it’s a pleasant change in time of a vacuum. it’s a matter of taking risks

He disagrees with the theory that investing more or giving producers the rights of the drama is going to change anything.

“The problem is that the producers now rely too much on research to get the ratings and play it very safe; but the ones who takes risks pose a threat to the status quo.

Syed Mohammad Ahmed

Renowned Urdu writer Syed Mohammad Ahmed believes that the Turkish soaps are not only a threat to the drama industry, but also to Pakistani culture.

This is absolute cheating with the local drama industry!” says Ahmed.

Syed Mohammad Ahmed

Better quality programming is being broadcast in Pakistan; however, he also thinks that the rest of the Turkish soaps will not be as popular.

Turkish soap didn’t shock him. “It didn’t surprise me at all. ‘Ishq-e-Mamnoon’ is a mega hit all over the Middle East; but to say that more Turkish soaps will have the same impact is naïve because there is a huge cultural barrier that would eventually come in to play,” says Khalid

Talat Hussain

Certainly not until or unless a dubbed Pakistani drama is playing in Turkey.” Hussain also added that the cultural similarity is going to cost us.

Humayun Saeed

“I don’t want to see a future where I am going to do voice acting on someone else’s face; that is simply outrageous!”

The drama industry was the only industry that has continuously flourished. “If such serials start running regularly, then there will be no audience for Pakistani content

Pakistani viewers have expressed varied feelings about airing of Turkish dramas on local TV channels.

“How much do you like these (Turkish) dramas personally?”

like mixed feelings dislike 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

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Do these dramas have positive impact on our society, negative impact or is there no impact?”

22 percent believe that these dramas have positive

42 percent believe it impacts negatively .

32 percent believe them to make no difference at all

4 percent did not give a view.

10 percent of Pakistanis claim to have viewed Turkish dramas on local channels like Urdu One and Express Entertainment, a recent survey has revealed.

10 percent of the respondents claim that they have watched Turkish dramas.

90 percent claim they have not.

10 percent of Pakistanis claim to have viewed Turkish dramas on local channels like Urdu One and Express Entertainment, a recent survey has revealed.

60 percent claim to watch these dramas on Urdu One

33 percent claim to watch it on Express Entertainment,

4 percent cited other channels

3 percent did not give a view.