In an era where diversity in media remains a hot-button issue, Mehreen Jabbar has held fort for almost 20 years now. And in those 20 years, the 44-year-old producer/director of high-octane, gender bender dramas has never shied away from speaking up on how the world should see women; in fact, how women should see themselves. Mehreen’s recent Twitter post made it clear how she feels about the stereotypical portrayal of women in popular culture, and how it’s become pervasively atmospheric to depict women as apologetic for the crimes of their oppressor. Thankfully, she doesn’t refuse to share her opinion in person either.

"I feel angry because people behind such plays are being very irresponsible just for the sake of ratings. That’s not enough of a reason to highlight stereotypes and ideas that we as a society need to get rid of," Mehreen said, while discussing Saba Qamar-starrer drama Sangat, which has recently come under fire for glorifying a rapist. "And the sad fact is that a lot of these writers, producers and actresses are women. They need to step up because these dramas have a big impact on people and if you are not offering women a way out of misery then you are simply feeding into the problem."

Mehreen’s body of work echoes the same aesthetic. The storylines are wonderfully thought provoking and the characters are complex, conflicted, layered and more so often women of power and courage. This is not to say that her dramas are in any way polemical, instead they are character-driven; wholesome entertainment. "I don’t like portraying women as one kind of beings. They can have all sorts of shades to their personality. They can be housewives, career women or even failures because they are humans first," Mehreen asserted.

Her next feature film will also reflect such strong, multiple layers among four leading female characters including Hareem Farooq, Sanam Saeed, Tooba Siddiqui and Atiqa Odho. Dobara Phir Se, which also stars Adeel Hussain and Ali Kazmi, is a film about "growing old and giving love another chance" as Mehreen puts it. Her last, and sort of her first cinematic offering, Ramchand Pakistani, instead, centered on untouchable Pakistani Hindus. It explored the journey of one of them, who crosses over to the other side only to learn some hard-hitting lessons in life. The rather unconventional but emotionally powerful film met with immense international success, winning the Swiss FIPRESCI prize, but failed to replicate the same on local screens. Perhaps now, as Mehreen agrees, would have been a good time to release the film as audiences have become more receptive to somber storytelling - case in point: Moor and Manto.

In comparison, Dobara Phir Se appears to be a more commercially viable film, in fact a much safer option. "Commercial cinema doesn’t necessarily mean it will have that one-off item number with women gyrating as sex symbols. That’s not my cup of tea. It can simply mean that people would go and enjoy watching it. DPS actually deals with very important themes. It doesn’t show random, stupid, fictitious characters falling in love with no background whatsoever," Mehreen cleared any misconceptions fans might have.

Another aspect that DPS will be scrutinized over is production quality. While sitting at the second floor of an advertising firm that propels a modern, contemporary vibe with pristine white beehive structures for cabins, and making actors give retakes after retakes (6 in 15 minutes to be specific) to capture that perfect shot, Mehreen appears to be a perfectionist in her field. However, one can’t help but notice how recent films have veered into near-soap opera, melodramatic territory. And working constantly for television over the past eight years could mean that Mehreen’s ingrained methods of direction may fail at lending her film the big screen value.

"I am very aware of this fact but the eight years post Ramchand Pakistani have taught me what not to do," Mehreen said. "I have a great collaborator in my DOP and the two of us have worked together in plotting the visual direction of the film; every shot is identified beforehand and well-planned. So I am making a conscious effort to try and have the language of cinema resonate within the film, as much as possible."

DPS, Mehreen’s second coming into feature films, is scheduled for an Eid release and that particular decision means it is likely to go head to head with a big-budgeted Bollywood film as many across the border also tend to keep a watchful eye on this festive date, which is also quite lucrative in terms of business. But any sort of competition isn’t going to dampen Mehreen’s spirits.

Read also: Letters to Mehreen Jabbar

"I don’t believe in banning anything. The healthiest competition is when everything is allowed and achievement is when you still manage to shine amidst competition," Mehreen said, unlike a number of up and coming filmmakers who have been actively campaigning against the influx of Bollywood films. "Some of our worst days in cinema, from the last 15 years or so, were also days when no Indian films were being shown. Now, people want to see our films even if there is a Bollywood film being screened. They have a hunger to watch our films and we should take it as a learning experience and bring films from more parts of the world. Having said that, we should not be heavily influenced by Bollywood and must focus on developing our own language."

What actually throws off Mehreen are people disrespectful to women. In a boy’s club, that is media, Mehreen has had to face little incessant focus on her gender and that’s because she carefully crafts her team. In order to challenge dogmas and tackle difficult subjects within a populist framework, she needs people who aren’t tone-deaf to the ugliness of women’s lives in our society. "The workforce is often a daunting place for women to be part of in this culture because of instances of harassment but I make sure to pick the right team members. I don’t work with people who make me feel uncomfortable. And if I find that someone is going to be disrespectful not just to me but to other women on my set, I just fire their asses off," the filmmaker pointed out, without any hesitation whatsoever.

Amongst a number of women in media who either give into the pressures of male dominance or aren’t doing themselves any favours by depicting women as regressive time and again, Mehreen Jabbar is a rare breed. She is no wallflower and refuses to live by standards other than her own. She is one of the most powerful women in Pakistani television with the heart and soul of a storyteller but an eye of a journalist, voicing opinions for societal change.