By Anil Merani: For a while, I had been reading about how better Pakistani TV serials are than Indian TV. In the late eighties, I had followed cult Urdu dramas like Tanhiyaan, Dhoop Kinare, etc.

Paki content again become the rage in 2013 courtesy of Zindagi Gulzar Hai, starring Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan on Zee Zindagi. But sadly, apart from the above shows, none of the other series on the channel got any traction back then.

There is much chatter today about the recently concluded ARY digital, drama, Noor Jahan (Six Sigma Plus Productions). I found a lot of online praise for the show, which whetted my curiosity about what makes it tick? and the general difference between Indian and Pak small-screen content.

So far, I have seen 17/27 episodes of Noor Jahan on YT. This significant viewing has allowed me to form a comprehensive opinion about the show. And my most prominent refrain is WHAT IS NEW?  Noor Jahan is yet another saas bahu drama. We have a wicked MIL who torments her bahus. The eldest son is mama’sboy. middle son does Polgymy, and youngest son is a dreamer.

If you say Pak content is better than Indian content (we all know how bad it is), then it should push the envelope on women’s emancipation. Here, they reinforce traditional tropes, which is disappointing in the face of potential progress.

 Youngsters watching the show will feel it is ok to treat ill your wife, who takes all the garbage in the absence of better options. This portrayal sets a dangerous precedent for gen zee

Rather than showing Sumbul walking out of the house and finding her space under the sun, they show her accepting her two-timing husband back. This missed opportunity for a strong female character is disappointing.

Safeer gets away without much punishment, though working for someone else could be considered a cardinal sin.

There is no saving grace for Hunaid either, whose treatment of Safeena led to a miscarriage. The series brought out the societal desire of a boy. A reforming serial would have hammered in the face that it is the man who gives the deciding chromosome, so he is responsible for the gender of the offspring.   The writer Zanjabeel Asim Shah and the director Musaddiq Malek should have shown gender empathy.

Young Murad should have stood up for his better half, Noor Bano.

Noor Bano’s father represents the old generation and should have been apologetic for ill-treating his wife.

On the positive side, though, I like the treatment and screenplay of the show. The urban setting, with its modern architecture and bustling streets, is easy on the eye. The costume, with its blend of traditional and contemporary styles, and decor, with its attention to detail and authenticity, is also spot-on.

 Indian TV should learn from them for sure.What works for a strong script is that the series is limited in scope and duration; hence, the writers have ample space to develop the characters and plot naturally and engagingly.

Conceptually, Indian fiction is also about saas-bahu, where a woman’s role is restricted only to the kitchen, so why berate only Indian content? Pak content is not woke, either.

All said and done, I needed clarification on what the fuss was all about, Noor Jahan. It is a good drama, but does it deserve millions of online views? I wonder.

Saba Hamid is spot on as Noor Jahan.  I was impressed by Kubra Khan (Noor Bano), Ali Rehman (Safeer) and Ali Abbas (Safeena)

The online success of Noor Jahan should be an eye-opener for Indian OTT makers who believe that sex is needed to sell stuff online.