2024: Year for good content and better male leads?

Hi Everyone!

2024 has to be one year for me where I was this close to giving up on Pakistani Dramas but suddenly I was delivered and I can't keep calm. And am I happy ? More than that. I feel like I have been on IF for so long and have stalked Pakistani Drama Forums from the time I was introduced to shows like YKS, DED and ZGH(that was earlier and I was a kid) and then I have been on a hunt for years but nothing came closer before I enjoyed Alif. And also found Udaari before that and added those to the list.

After that Parizaad caught fame, so I followed. Didn't work for me but I know people love it. Shows came, content came and slowly I found myself driving away, struggling to make sense of the shows as a whole, finding them to be losing authenticity, that charisma that once drew me to Pak dramas which felt closer to life. At least parts of it. If not the leaves, then the branches. Fallen or not.

But sadly after 2020 I hardly followed. Ishq E Laa felt good but a lot of unused potential left me itching.

So all in all....I had given up, because of trash content, toxic male leads , idiotic female leads, the lack of diversity in the content and have stopped coming to the forums, even silently stalking.

But this month blinding caught on JEJ (gladly coming across after it was done) through a friend and oh my heart. Finished in in some four days.

And What a beauty ! I have been obsessed.

My heart longing for more even after it ended. And then I caught on KMKT (I was avoiding it because of the hype ) and then ZPKB ( was keeping an eye since the beginning and knew the content was going to be worth it)

And now coming to the point of this post, Today I was thinking about it and was surfing through the forums and reached to the conclusion that a major chunk of my dislike and dissatisfaction towards the content was how in all these years we had gone backwards when it came to writing female leads or male leads. For me as a fifteen year old girl who watched ZGH for the first time and heard Kashaf talking about her struggles and life, had been an eye opener. Even then I haven't liked Zaroon and found him problematic but nevertheless it was my first show that truly moved me. And then in 2019 when I had watched YKS...that show has moved me to the point where it had left an impact on my life, I watched it at a crucial point in my life and that show had given me so much.

Cut to, from male leads life Dr Asfandyar, we have gone to getting male leads who were toxic, obsessive and problematic on every level with no character arc or whatsoever (maybe not all but most). And not only that, regressive content, normalising toxicity, bad behaviour, lack of self respect, marital r and whatnot.

So when, all of a sudden I came across Shehram, followed by Mustafa and Nofeil, the old school fan in me hoped for hope and have been happier than ever.

Shehram - Jaan E Jahan

Mustafa- Kabhi Mein Kabhi Tum

Nofeil- Zard Patton Ke Bunn

And not only that, be it Meenu, or Sharjeena or Mahnoor, they have been fls with an element to them, an edge to them.

So yeah just a random post.

Feel free to drop your thoughts and do suggest any other good show that serves as a whole.

Here is my list of the shows that I am familiar with -

• Life Changing-
• Yakeen Ka Safar
• Zindagi Gulzar Hai
• Zard Patton Ka Bunn
• Best-
• Diyar E Dil
• Jaan E Jahan
• Kabhi Mein Kabhi Tum
• Humsafar
• Alif
• Udaari
• Good-
• Besharam
• Do Bol
• Dillagi
• Meri Jaat Zarra E benishaan
• Tabeer

-Akanksha

Welcome to the forum Aakansha...lovely post! you like Shehram..I like you already 2024 indeed has had better characterisations for male leads. It almost felt like some writers were on a mission to write positive male leads. Some may think ..they are boring..fair enough..I found it refreshing..it’s good to show a respectful, thoughtful, compassionate and an elegant man on screen..because I do feel that the content we consume has an indirect impact on our psyche…all stories should be made since it’s a democratic world..but...it’s not ok to normalise abuse…I am personally not against negative leads, if they are not glorified.. and they do suffer consequences of their actions...Zaroon IMO is the perfect example of grey..over the years I do think he was an out and out misogynist..but somehow in the realms of ZGH and Kashaf’s life..he was a logical chauvinist who fit like the last piece of puzzle in her story..I will always debate with anyone who wanted Osama for Kashaf..because IMO their marriage would have ended in divorce.. Radd also had a positive male lead suffering from PTSD and childhood trauma. Shehram toh is a what do they say these days..a pookie. A nice man is a not a weak man IMO. Give me grey, negative, black or white..doesn’t matter..but don’t justify black..simple as that.

Hey Akanksha, Welcome to PSF

Totally agree with you. For a change this year we have gotten good written male leads and strong female leads too.

Either it's Shehram from Jej, kabir from Stand up girl, Salar from radd, mustafa from KMKT and nofil from ZPKB all these postive male characters are treat to watch.

Also I just wanna say about Zgh that zaroon was problematic but kashaf was a flawed character too so, in general zaroon maybe not likeable but I feel he was suitable for kashaf.

I would recommend you Stand up girl, Mere humdum mere dost, App ky liye, Dhoop kinarey.

Welcome back to the forum and to ptv dramas, Akanksha. We have very similar taste in dramas. Yks is a comfort show for me and Asfya is just unmatched.

I agree this year has been great in terms of content and also for both ml and female leads. I can understand why JEJ was the drama that brought you back to ptv...it really had that old school, slow burn romance that is trademark of classic ptv dramas. I am a huge fan of shehnoor myself and the cinematography of the entire show was just too good.

Zard and KMKT are also hitting all the right notes with the audience..you can also try watching Radd, it recently ended. It is not entirely perfect but the male lead is another green flag and the female is also one of the best portrayed strong, modern realistic females we had recently. The flaws it had were dragging, too much focus on side characters and a bad actor in a second lead. I skipped most of their scenes..

If you haven't watched it yet, you can also try Raqeeb se..it is one of my favorites and it had such great portrayal of complex human relationships and layered characters..although it starts a bit slow but it is totally worth it seeing the journey of all the characters and how they all grow.

Another recent one I am enjoying is Mann Jogi..it is a mini series of 9 episodes. Here the ml is more of a very innocent, meek male who becomes a support system for a woman who recently got out of an abusive relationship. It has some religious elements like Halala but since you enjoyed Alif, you might like this one too...

Hi welcome to PSF

You can try some fun dramas like very filmy and BRKRJ you'll love it

This year has really been relevantion. Honestly in terms of content it's one of the best. Also thanks to ARY too for bringing good content and not sticking to same formula. GEO still lacks Though if I think about even Gaznavi of Jaan Nisaar is a green flag till now

I will also add Radd to the list of must-watch dramas with green-flag male lead. It’s my favorite despite some flaws. The show had one of the strongest female leads in modern times: she's educated, knows exactly what she wants, successfully manages her family, takes care of her father, and is the catalyst for change in her husband, who endured abuse since childhood. The male lead is also a green flag throughout, which is refreshing to see. I highly recommend watching it at least up until the confession scene or ep 26. The story drags a bit afterward or you can ignore it afterwards and only watch important scnenes, but before that, it’s absolutely beautiful.

Shehraam ❤️

What I learnt from him

Never kill the good in you and use your privilege to help others

Yet to watch other two dramas

Originally posted by: .Sunrise.

Shehraam ❤️

What I learnt from him

Never kill the good in you and use your privilege to help others

Yet to watch other two dramas

Shehram is indeed one of the best male character onscreen

Male leads do bare minimum and get hyped best male leads.

Bar is in trenches.

Originally posted by: MaxMayfield

Welcome to the forum Aakansha...lovely post! you like Shehram..I like you already 2024 indeed has had better characterisations for male leads. It almost felt like some writers were on a mission to write positive male leads. Some may think ..they are boring..fair enough..I found it refreshing..it’s good to show a respectful, thoughtful, compassionate and an elegant man on screen..because I do feel that the content we consume has an indirect impact on our psyche…all stories should be made since it’s a democratic world..but...it’s not ok to normalise abuse…I am personally not against negative leads, if they are not glorified.. and they do suffer consequences of their actions...Zaroon IMO is the perfect example of grey..over the years I do think he was an out and out misogynist..but somehow in the realms of ZGH and Kashaf’s life..he was a logical chauvinist who fit like the last piece of puzzle in her story..I will always debate with anyone who wanted Osama for Kashaf..because IMO their marriage would have ended in divorce.. Radd also had a positive male lead suffering from PTSD and childhood trauma. Shehram toh is a what do they say these days..a pookie. A nice man is a not a weak man IMO. Give me grey, negative, black or white..doesn’t matter..but don’t justify black..simple as that.

Hiiiiii

You like Shehram too ?? I guess I like you too. Haha.

Okay so about Zaroon, no I hundred percent agree. Like you said Zaroon was an out and out mysogynist yet Kashaf and Zaroon were the kind of pair, that were perfect for each other. They met the broken ends of their pages and fit the very pieces by both of their flaws. So even I never shipped Osama for Kashaf. Not because I felt Kashaf deserved better but because they were just not meant for each other. Also, in that relationship I feel Osama deserved someone who might bave complemented him but Kashaf would have been complex for him in a different way. Despite being one of the most relatable female lead on the ground level and loving her to no extent, I will always debate how Kashaf was herself a flawed character, with a complex psyche and insecurities that only time and maybe Zaroon could heal.

I also think that's why at the back of my head, I always draw this comparison how Zubia needed an Asfi for him because the kind of life she had lived, she needed exposure to men who treated women like companions and not only their women but all women, in whatever relationships they shared with them. Of course there was more dynamic to that and their journeys.

But Kashaf fit with someone like Zaroon, she herself had some beliefs and Idk how to put it exactly but she and Zaroon were just this pair who fit in together perfectly and they did.

Now coming to the gray characters, see I am all in for gray male leads for I enjoy them for their intentions and actions both but what gets to me is when the scripts are compromised. For example there have been three male leads I have ever enjoyed on ITV, Arnav, Manik and Shaurya. I have loved them but at points they have been extremely messed up so I never justified when they diverted. Or when the female leads were shown to be fine with taking toxicity the way they did. Similarly in Pak dramas I have also watched Khaani, and more where I have questioned but appreciated the variety and delivery

Also about Shehram and co, bro true that ! Some may think they are boring and like you said fair enough and honestly there have been multiple platforms where I have read about Shehram that he wasn't hero enough but to me, he was like a breath of fresh air, and such a hero.....that he almost felt dreamy

Like someone I know is too good to be real, almost pious, but hey he can be our versions of fairytales because let's be honest Shehram makes you feel secure, loved, even as a viewer.

Also, JEJ as an entire show despite of the little flaws hugs you like a warm blanket on a winter night. And It's not just Shehram. Or let's say Mustafa or let's say Nofeil, it is more about the stories that these characters are knit in.

Like JEJ wasn't a new story but the way it was delivered was beautiful, like never before or even KMKT....when Mustafa keeps his room dirty or relies on Sharjeena for food and other stuff knowing she will do that, to me it's not about 'oh you know that's not done' it's about how flawed yet human these characters are, but with their heart at the right places and that's most important.

So as a viewer I can at least enjoy them.

Like common it's better than to watch female leads retaliating like empty vessels with zero depth and male leads giving faltu kaa tashan.

So like you said each character is fine but don't justify wrong. Simple as that.