Intimate Partner Violence and Pakistani Drama: Glamorisation of Intimate Partner Violence in Contemporary Pakistani TV Dramas

Pakistan TV has been producing iconic dramas since the 1960s. Pakistani society of that era was constructed on both traditional and modern communities. The culture being portrayed in Pakistani dramas was also a combination of conventional and liberal norms. The portrayal of women on the screen was optimistic, independent, and thoughtful. The period from 1970 to the 1980s is called the “Golden Era” of Pakistani drama, during which several popular dramas penned by Haseena Moin were telecast. Moin is one of the veteran Pakistani drama writers who created buoyant, strong and liberal female characters. After Zia's era, patriarchal values deeply affected Pakistani media and society, shaping dramas with heteronormative, male-dominated narratives. The most successful genre of Pakistani drama at this time is romance. Pakistani dramas often depict romantic relationships shaped by misogyny and patriarchy, normalising violence and abuse as expressions of love within these narratives. The media agencies have been promoting the glamorisation of intimate partner violence in the current dramas. This study explores how recent Pakistani dramas glamorise intimate partner violence against women, employing text analysis to address a gap in existing literature. The patterns of mysgonistic social norms suggest the portrayal of glamorisation of IPV in Pakistani audiovisual content. The glamorisation of intimate partner violence (IPV) on screen influences individuals to normalise abuse in their real-life relationships. Studies show that the victims of abusive relationships are more likely to develop numerous physical and psychological illnesses (Krug et al., 2002, p. 101).