Five Pakistani dramas that perfectly embody the ‘male lead written by a woman’ trope
In these past two years, Pakistani dramas have significantly improved their content from which once solely revolved around saas-bahu dynamics, to now exploring complex topics like murder mysteries (Gunah), illegal immigrants striving to make a new life (Kabli Pulao) or even about independent women trying to make their way in society alone (Working Woman). The women in these dramas are no longer passive participants in the events going on around them, but are fiercely independent and rebellious.
But what has been incredible poignant to notice is how several Pakistani dramas have now started to integrate tropes into their content that women actually want to see in dramas. Like take for instance, a trope that the internet has never stopped raving about is called ‘written by a woman’: when the male lead embodies the traits that make him respect the women in his life rather than try to impose his own rules over them, he isn’t toxic or insecure and doesn’t abandon the heroine during the times she is struggling.
We should clarify that this trope doesn’t specify that every well-written male lead in a drama is made by a woman. Because in these last two years, we have also seen some male writers bring forward a lot of male leads in dramas that were open about their emotions, supportive partners to the women in their lives and most of all, never embodied any of the toxic traits the internet detests.
Since in these times because of the smog, most of us are trying to minimise our outdoor activities to spend as much time at home in order to keep our health secure. If you’re a sentimental (hidden) romantic, why not take this opportunity to binge-watch some of these dramas. I should warn you before hand: don’t watch them unless you’re someone who really really likes tooth-rotting fluff.
- Farjaad from ‘Fairytale’
How could anyone start this list without mentioning THE drama that is the reason why so many Pakistani girlies have such unrealistic romantic expectations? Farjaad is the best example of being a male lead written by a woman because he truly never wants to tame Umeed or suppress her energy, but only wanted to help her achieve all of her dreams. Farjaad was in every sense an accomplished man, and yet he never let his success get over his head because of the way he remained attentive and caring towards all the women in his life.
2. Ishq Murshid
Anyone looking for a good drama to cry to should definitely start with this one. Shahmeer and Shibra’s love story made me wail because honestly where do men like this exist? The son of a wealthy politician falls in love with the daughter of a government clerk, but hesitates because he is aware of how much she detests nepotism and the exploitation of the elite ruling class. So in order to win her over as well as her family, he decides to act like a poor office clerk in order to get a job at her dad’s office, just so that he has a chance to win Shibra’s love.
3. Basim from ‘Ishq Jalebi’
Anyone who became a fan of Wahaj Ali after watching him in ‘Tere Bin’ and his current on-air drama ‘Sun Mere Dil’ should give this classic romantic comedy a watch. We love how more Pakistani dramas are starting to adapt the friends to lovers trope because the way Basim is at first cold towards Bela, but then slowly evolved into becoming her biggest supporter, her best friend and also the love of her life is truly *chef’s kiss*
4. Aryaan from ‘Jhoom’
There hasn’t been a lot of fanfare around this drama after it wrapped up and I honestly wish more people would get a hold of this masterpiece. Haroon Kadwani plays Aryaan, who suffers from mental health issues and has aggressive anger issues. After he meets Dr Maryam (played by the stellar Zara Noor Abbas), who shuts him down in the beginning for his cold demeanor towards the office staff, he begins to take accountability for his behaviour in order to be the man she wants. This series was also praised by politicians like Sharmila Faruqui opening candid discussions about mental health in order to encourage more people to seek treatment for their illnesses.
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5. Mustafa from ‘Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum’
We have saved the best for the last. Mustafa clearly set some incredibly high expectations this year with how gentle and loving he was towards Sharjeena. Before meeting her, he was a slacker who never believed in himself because of the kind of family he grew up in. Once he married Sharjeena, he dedicated every bit of his life to becoming the man who could give her all the luxuries in the world that Adeel and Rubab had. It’s true at one point, Mustafa became a toxic and aloof person because his obsession with his career drew a wedge between him and his wife. But he confessed to her in the end that his drive for money was fuelled by his fear of never being enough for her and that she might have lived a better life with a rich man.
Read more: Are Pakistani dramas drawing inspiration from the K-Drama industry?
