BACK in the year 2023, it was reported that Pal(istan would see its first Netflix show soon. It was supposed to be an adaptation of some novel, featuring a star-studded cast, making the project look like a promising step into the world of international streaming. But it was not, and, three yearslater, thereis nothing to show for it. To start with, the chosen project was questionable. The storyline featured a scenic journey across Europe.
Logistics aside, one failed to understand why the introduction of Pal(istan on an international streaming service had to be through a show taking place in Europe. The international audience is already familiar with Europe. What we wanted to show them was Pakistan, a country that has never been represented in this way before.Countries like India, South Korea and Turkiye are successful across streaming platforms because of their local content.
Most industries take this opportunity to experiment and gain a different audience, including an international window. The Pal(istani industry, however, planned to bring forth the same writer, the same A-listers and the same storyline. The only thing different was the location and that had nothing to do with Pakistan.
This refusal to experiment with the freedom that comes with digital content is a delusion that doomed the project and would do the same to any future project with the same approach. All this is clearly a result of the same big production houses pushing their favoured names forward instead of giving new talent a chance to revolutionise our content.
It is no wonder, then, that the showmakers continue to struggle to get the project touch the finish line. The audience in Pal(istan should ask themselves if they would be interested in watching the same mainstream storyline haunt their streaming subscriptions, or should they push for a new type of content to grace their screens.
Mahnoor Usman Karachi