Zindagi TV, launched just two months ago, features the top listed Pakistani dramas. Sanam Saeed who played Kashaf Murtaza in the channel’s most popular show, Zindagi Gulzar Hai said “India uses Bollywood to tell its stories, we use TV”; and we couldn’t agree more!
We bring you reasons why having Pakistani content on Indian TV is the coolest thing to have happened to our television sets in a while.
1. Great Initiative
The success of these shows in India goes on to prove that despite all cultural and geographical differences, the stories of our lives are universal. It demystifies Pakistanis as they’re portrayed as regular characters in regular homes doing regular things! It’s a great effort of goodwill.
2. The Women
What a breath of fresh air it is to see women on TV without the designer sarees, the heavy jewelry and the layers of makeup! Also, all the shows have strong women characters that are neither the absolute Ms. Goody Two Shoes nor the Wicked Witch of the West, but are complex characters with shades of grey.
Interestingly, Pakistan not only has female directors and producers, but an entire channel running by a woman.
3. Fresh Stories
The stories are not about zari-clad women plotting against the petite protagonist but are actually unique and fresh. Also, the content isn’t bound by the pressures of TRP as they have a finite number of episodes they use to tell an entire story, keeping it crisp and engaging. AND they launch new shows every month!
4. Parineeti Chopra is a fan!
The fabulous Parineeti was recently quoted as saying “Zindagi is an amazing initiative. My best friend is from Karachi and that makes me an amazing ambassador. I hope that differences between India and Pakistan are done away for good. Therefore, I am glad to see that ZEEL through Zindagi has undertaken this amazing step”. We are with you on this one, girl!
5. Fawad Khan!
Fawad Khan is the latest to join the Eye Candy Bandwagon on tube. He has women of all ages crushing hard on him. It is only a bonus that he acts brilliantly too. Of course, we can’t wait for his big Bollywood debut, Khooobsurat, opposite Sonam Kapoor.
His show Zindagi Gulzar Hai was the highest rated show of the channel and it might actually come back sometime this month on popular demand!
The overwhelming response for the shows has proven that the Indian audience is craving for change from the monotonous melodramas, the sanskari bahus and the glamorous vamps who have way too many internal monologues.
We hope the cross-border love only increases from here on.
Tell us, which is your favourite show on the channel?