Depiction of Liberalism in Pakistani Urdu Drama: A Cultivation and Feminist Analysis

The present research deals with identification of liberalism, use of gendered language and portrayal of women in Pakistani Urdu drama content. Urdu dramas which were shown on Pakistani channels during prime time, from 1st January 2016 to 1st March 2018 were considered the population of the present research. Sampling frame was developed by making a list of the most popular drama as reported by the middle class of Multan and two of the most frequently reported dramas were selected for analysis. A quantitative content analysis of all the scenes of dramas BESHARAM and O’ RANGREZA was conducted whereas feminist analysis was done to observe the gender representation in the title of selected dramas. The results indicated that content of Urdu dramas is showing liberal content in much abundance and mainly through women representation. Moreover gender discrimination has been high on agenda and gender biased language has frequently been used. The content developers of Pakistani Urdu drama must focus on the culture and norms of a Muslim society and must not follow the traditions set by the drama industry of the neighboring countries blindly.