Acclaimed Pakistani writer Bee Gul, the creative force behind the groundbreaking drama Aik Aur Pakeezah, has ignited an important conversation about censorship double standards in the Pakistani television industry. Speaking on Rise & Shine with Nadia Khan and Zohaib Ahmed, Gul drew sharp contrasts between how her latest project was policed for morality and how other popular shows face no such scrutiny.
The Censorship Incident
Gul revealed that a scene in the first episode of Aik Aur Pakeezah — where the male lead Faraz is shown shirtless — received numerous objections despite being a narratively crucial detail in a story about sexual coercion and blackmail.
"All I asked was that his bare shoulder be shown, even then we had to blur it," she said, expressing frustration at the restrictions placed on content that serves a serious dramatic purpose.
The Double Standard
What makes the censorship particularly troubling, according to Gul, is the stark inconsistency in how similar content is treated across different shows. She pointed out that another Pakistani drama was recently able to show a fully shirtless hero swimming in his pool without any objections.
"It's very problematic that this is what people want to watch, and perhaps we have brought the viewer to this point," Gul said. "We need to think about where we're taking our media, what we're showing, what we aren't. A crime is censored, but presenting the male body as an object of attraction, that's glorified."
A Changing but Still Restrictive Landscape
Gul acknowledged that the industry has evolved since she first entered it. She recalled being discouraged when she submitted her very first script — an adaptation of Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things. "I was asked very bluntly if I thought I was writing for European cinema and told that nobody would understand what I was trying to do with the script."
While production houses and channels are now more receptive to unorthodox, even evocative scripts like Aik Aur Pakeezah, Gul noted there's still a significant gap between where the media landscape is and where it should be. She believes audiences aren't as open to such stories yet, possibly because they haven't had the necessary exposure to them.
Fighting for Writers' Rights
Beyond the censorship debate, Gul emphasized the need for Pakistan's entertainment industry to pay due regard to writers as "the backbone of a project." She revealed that she and director Kashif Nisar — who directed Aik Aur Pakeezah — are working to launch a new platform where writers can work and be paid their royalties in a fair and transparent way.
About Aik Aur Pakeezah
Aik Aur Pakeezah, produced by the Kashf Foundation and airing on Geo TV, confronts the serious issue of cybercrime and digital harm. Currently at Episode 26, the drama has been praised for its bold storytelling and willingness to tackle subjects that mainstream Pakistani television typically avoids.
Gul said she would continue writing for television, but only if she has the necessary creative freedom — which she credited the Kashf Foundation for providing with her latest show.
