10 popular Pakistani dramas over the decade
The 2010 decade has been a roller coaster for Pakistani television, we saw the rise of TV shows highlighting social issues. Looking back on a whole decade is not an easy task considering the number of dramas that were aired, but, we at Libas Now, did manage to narrow down our list. So, without any further ado, here are our top 10 Pakistani dramas of the 2010s.
Dastaan (2010)
The drama serial based on the India – Pakistan partition was aired on HUM TV. It became widely popular amongst the viewers and is still among the highest-rated Pakistani television series of all time. It garnered an international audience and was then aired in the Middle East on MBC Bollywood and in India on Zindagi Channel under the title Waqt Ney Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam. It is said to be a breakthrough career move for Sanam Balo
Humsafar (2011)
The award-winning Pakistani drama starring Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan was aired on HUM TV. The show made it to our list because, not only did it become a national hit referred to as the “revival of the drama industry,” it also gained a huge audience internationally. With that being said, the lead couple became everyone’s favourite, following the success of the drama and was a breakthrough career move for Mahira. It was awarded the Hum Honorary Phenomenal Serial Award in 2013.
Zindagi Gulzar Hai (2012)
The HUM TV drama gained massive popularity instantly because of its story featuring a strong female protagonist. Having said that, Zindagi Gulzar Hai was known to be a major career move for Sanam Saeed and for the longest time people (some still do) associated her with Kashaf (the character). Gaining instant popularity, the drama got an international audience. Following this, it was aired in other countries including 11 Arab countries, several European countries, India, Turkey and Iran. In 2015, Netflix launched Pakistani dramas and ZGH was added to the list.
Shehr-e-Zaat (2012)
The 2012 HUM TV drama was based on Umera Ahmed’s novel of the same. The drama stars Mahira Khan, Meekal Zulfiqar and Mohib Mirza. Having won three awards from seven nominations at Hum Awards, the drama won the hearts of many because of the spiritual romance storyline. With that being said, it also garnered an international audience as it was aired in India on Zindagi Channel. A local English media outlet declared the drama as one of the highlights of 2012 and appreciated Mahira’s performance as Falak.
Pyarey Afzal (2013)
The romantic drama aired on ARY Digital, featured Hamza Ali Abbasi and Ayeza Khan in the lead roles. The drama had every Pakistani glued to their TV screens. Although the story was more or less a typical boy-meets-girl one, the social media response that the show garnered, contributed to the success along with the acting and the background score. The show aired in India on Zindagi Channel with the same name as well.
Diyaar-e-Dil (2015)
The HUM TV drama was the highest-rated program of Pakistan and was among top 11 dramas of the year. It portrayed the true dynamics of a tribal family in Pakistan. With an ensemble cast featuring Abid Ali, Osman Khalid Butt, Maya Ali, Hareem Farooq, Sanam Saeed, Meekal Zulfiqar and Ali Rehman Khan to name a few. The drama highlights the importance of family values that are heavily ingrained in our culture.
Udaari (2016)
Ever since the revival of the drama industry, Udaari was the pioneering drama that highlighted a social cause; creating awareness about child sexual abuse in rural areas. It was aired on HUM TV in 2016, with an ensemble cast featuring Bushra Ansari, Ahsan Khan, Samiya Mumtaz and Urwa Hocane to name a few. The drama was banned by PEMRA for several days for airing “immoral content”. Due to the nature of the content and powerful acting, the drama remained popular throughout its run and garnered consistently high ratings.
Baaghi (2017)
This was one of the biggest hits of the decade that aired on Urdu 1. It was a biographical show based on Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch who was murdered by her brother in the name of honour a year earlier. Following the release, Baaghi became one of the most popular and most-watched shows amongst Pakistanis. It has also been in the limelight and was one of the most hyped TV shows ever produced in Pakistan. The show starred Saba Qamar, Osman Khalid Butt and Ali Kazmi; from the strong performances to the background score and storyline, the drama was well received by the audience and was among the top trending hashtags on social media after every week’s episode. It won all three awards it was nominated for at Lux Style Awards in 2018.
Suno Chanda (2018)
In 2018, HUM TV aired what is now known to be the most popular rom-com sitcom of the decade. In terms of content, it is different from the usual sitcoms and has been praised for its tune of reality and culture combined with humour. The lead couple Farhan Saeed and Iqra Aziz have been applauded for their on-screen chemistry. More so, due to the massive popularity, the second season aired on TV in Ramadan 2019 and a third season has been announced by the makers as well. The show has also been dubbed in Arabic and was aired on MBC Bollywood.
Merey Paas Tum Ho (2019)
This romantic drama stars Humayun Saeed, Ayeza Khan and Adnan Siddiqui in lead roles. (The show is being aired on ARY Digital and was 18 episodes in when this article was being written). So far, the show has broken all rating records and became the most popular serial of 2019, immediately after the pilot episode. Overall, the show has received mixed reviews from critics but the towering performances by the lead actors and keeping the masses hooked on to the show is the reason Merey Paas Tum Ho made it to our list.
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