Without a warning, the characters in the drama are all too eager to take their own lives.
SLOUGH, ENGLAND:
To be or not to be? It’s not just a question for Hamlet. William Shakespeare’s most famous line of all contemplates the fine line between life and death, and some 400 years later, it is a question that Pakistani dramatic characters in desperate straits also grapple with.
Faithful drama watchers will know, of course, that when it comes to the distraught dramatic character, unlike Hamlet, a random guy is much less likely to die. Rather, they are themselves. Whether a woman scorned or a man scorned, dramatic characters are all too eager to consider the idea of becoming extinct. Sometimes they succeed. At other times, their attempt at self-harm is thwarted and those in their orbit rush to correct their bad habits to prevent this from happening again. Whatever the case, without the slightest hint of warning, in times of crisis on television, suicide is all too eager to rear its ugly head, and this casual glorification of taking one’s own life is the slipperiest of all slopes.
things that kill
Let’s get one thing out of the way first: when it comes to Pakistani television screens and things that kill, trigger warnings certainly exist. If you didn’t already know, any drama fan will already know that smoking kills, because that’s what we’re told every time a character plays with a cigarette.
We need look no further than Adeel in Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum. Every time this troubled ladies’ man took a calming drag during times of stress, a dire warning quickly burned into the bottom of the screen. And say what you will about Pakistani dramas compared to their Western counterparts, but the gangster lovers among you will know that Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders It did not come with such advisory measures. Of course, there’s the very real issue that Tommy is much, much more devoted to his cigarettes than Adeel. Tommy smokes as if cigarettes tie him to life. If a warning had been mandated by law, he would have more or less shared permanent screen space with Tommy, which would no doubt have irritated fans who prefer to read subtitles rather than warnings. So when it comes to cigarettes, it would seem that the Pakistani entertainment industry has its own cover. A mark for Adeel, a big rejection for Tommy.
But, as we know, smoking is not the only lethal behavior spread on Pakistani screens. One could argue that taking one’s own life has a higher mortality rate than smoking, particularly when it is so tantalizingly easy to trigger someone who is already vulnerable and an avid television watcher to boot. With or without trigger warnings, the wisdom of presenting it as a solution is questionable.
Acceptance of suicide
Unfortunately for anyone who appreciates the importance of strong mental health, suicide is a popular solution for characters on shows that are watched by millions. Case in point: Jafaa. Here’s a show that has been (rightly) praised for discussing taboo topics like birth control, anger management, and seeking therapy. But a few episodes later, we witness young mother Andleeb actively considering suicide (twice) without getting the counseling she needs. What message does this send? Where’s the warning for anyone watching this with kids around? Or for a viewer who has struggled with suicidal thoughts and finds themselves irrevocably triggered?
It might almost be understandable if casual suicide were the prerogative of a single show, but of course it’s not just Andleeb on Jafaa. In 2011, Humsafar – a show that even a decidedly hater of dramas will know – featured a woman who resorted to suicide when she felt like she had lost her man. Meanwhile, earlier this year, Murad, Noor Jahan’s son in the generational trauma drama Noor Jahan, pulls out a gun in moments of desperation and announces to his wife Noor Bano that he intends to shoot himself.
We don’t see the immediate consequences of this cliffhanger, but we’re given enough information to deduce that Noor Bano does some damage control and Murad retracts his gun without anyone dying. The subtext couldn’t be clearer: When you threaten suicide, you may not suffer the consequences, but you can make people feel guilty and take you seriously. This was an episode that received over 12 million views on YouTube alone. Repeated exposure breeds acceptance. Is this message (that a suicide attempt is the panacea) something that should be shown so openly to millions of people?
A dangerous hobby
A therapist who specializes in counseling Muslim women discussed this same trope with the Express tribune on condition of anonymity. She is convinced that such a casual depiction of self-harm represents a threat to society at large.
“What they are doing is dangerous and irresponsible,” he maintains. “Studies have shown that even seeing the word ‘suicide’ leads to an increase in suicide attempts. We should be using terms like ‘taking one’s own life’. I don’t think they have investigated how suicide actually happens.”
When even the word itself can prove to be a trigger point, what kind of ramifications will seeing such a desperate last resort on a screen have on someone who is already at risk? As bismilshows a drama currently airing, the ramifications have the potential to spiral out of control, particularly for viewers where therapy is not an option they can freely consider.
“I started looking bismil Because I’m going through the same thing,” confesses one viewer. “I wanted to see how Moosa would deal with his father’s second marriage. I’ve been upset since I saw how they showed his suicide. “I can’t go to a therapist and I’m absolutely devastated.”
In a landscape where access to counseling is limited and mental health is still considered taboo, is televised self-harm really the answer? Despite all the examples listed, suicide is still not as common a trope on Pakistani screens as it is in Bollywood or Hollywood. And as the argument goes, a drama will reflect the world and the baggage that comes with it. But with a growing audience, when the world begins to reflect that drama again, who will be responsible for a life that fell into the abyss when it could have been saved?
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