Marina KhanHis looks are a mix of Amitabh Bachchan and Rajendra Kumar, but close your eyes and he sounds uncannily like Dilip Kumar. To millions of TV owners on the Indian subcontinent, he personifies the gentle, sedate character of Dr Ahmed, whose romance with his vivacious young colleague, Dr Zoya, makes middle-aged housewives misty-eyed. The zestful Zoya, on her part, makes male hearts cartwheel.Ahmed and Zoya are the lead characters of the latest Pakistan-TV-drama Dhoop Kinare, whose serialisation has just ended. Almost simultaneously, pirated videotape cassettes of the serial flooded video shops all over north and west India, making Ahmed and Zoya household names in every family that owns a VCR. But most people who are acquainted with the two characters wouldn't be able to identify Ahmed as Rahat Kazmi and Zoya as Marina Khan - among Pakistan TV's biggest stars.Rahat Kazmi: Popular fareDhoop Kinareis the latest in a string of Pakistani video cassette serials includingTanhaiyan,Ankahee,Waris,RaatandSona Chandi, which have pushed the demand for Hindi films into second place. "The circulation of Hindi movie cassettes has come down by half. Everyone asks for the Pakistani tapes," says Mohan Das, 48, who runs a video-library in a north Delhi colony. "It's no different in posh south Delhi," says Prakash Kumar, 28. who sees his customers coming back two or three times for the same serial.In Bombay, the Pakistani cassettes are as popular as a new Bachchan film, according to Atul Maroo. partner in one of the city's biggest video libraries. All of Bombay's 3,000 plus video libraries stock cassettes of the Pakistan TV serials. "AfterBuniyaad andNukkad, Indian viewers have not seen anything classy on TV and the Pakistani serials fill the gap," says Maroo. "It's a whiff of nostalgia" says Jeet Rajinder Singh of Delhi.TanhaiyanandDhoop Kinaretransported her back to her childhood in pre-Partition Pakistan.The demand for these serials is high even in Lucknow, Jodhpur, Srinagar and all over Punjab - which began the craze by videotaping the programmes off the air. While conceding that the acting is good and the direction polished, TV and film critic Iqbal Masud attributes their popularity partly to the "Mere Mehboob" complex in India. "Viewers enjoy the portrayal of a certain Muslim milieu," he says.Moreover, they are good escapist fare. Pakistan's upper crust, ruling class is portrayed with its sprawling green-lawned bungalows by the sea, tasteful interiors and imported cars. The gloss and technical perfection hide the absence of a radical viewpoint and that makes for non-controversial viewing on both sides of the border.Even Doordarshan officials applaud the technical finesse of the Pakistan TV plays. Said one official: "As a professional I feel these are perfect TV dramas, well written with short, crisp dialogues and natural acting. The Urdu is modern, not Persianised and the drama is relaxed, urbane, never high pitched. And their women are beautiful."Comparisons are inevitable and Doordarshan comes out in a poor light. This has prompted the Mandi House mandarins to call a meeting of producers and directors to discuss technical and creative improvements in the quality of Doordarshan plays. "Pakistan TV uses elaborate studio sets and three cameras. This gives their drama an intimacy. Most of our serials are shot with only one camera," admits Doordarshan's Additional Director-General Shiv Sharma.Technical perfection alone could hardly ensure Pakistan TV plays such a large audience in India. There is also a strong commercial reason for their success. "It's more profitable than Hindi films, no problem of royalty or producers gunning for us for video piracy. And the fad is so strong that even five-year-old serials are new for the Indian viewer," says Prithipal Singh, a wholesaler at Delhi's Palika Bazar.Ironically, while Ahmed and Zoya are making waves in India, Rama and Ravana are doing the same in Pakistan, whereRamayan is a popular serial. And as one Doordarshan official put it: "Doosray ki thaali ke laddoo zyada svaad lagte hain" (laddoos in the other person's plate always seem to taste better).Published By: AtMigration Published On: May 15, 1988--- ENDS ---
