When the first teaser for Koyal came out, I was mystified. At first glance the soon to be aired drama seems to have some dark undertones. Mansha Pasha has a nest of eggs in her hand and she very deliberately picks out one and breaks it. This sets the tone for the play. Yasir Hussain is in the director’s seat. Another compelling character is played by Fahad Sheikh. The writer is Zanjabee Shah. Farhan Gauher is the producer.

Mansha Pasha has quite a repertoire of work to her credit. She has essayed quite a variety of roles in the past. She debuted with Zindagi Gulzar Hai as Sanam Saeed’s younger sister and went on to make her mark in quite a few television serials. The best thing about television is that actors are called upon to experiment and innovate. Television artists are portraying all kinds of roles (negative, positive and those with many shades of grey) and are not confined to a predetermined mould.

Plays like Hum Kahan Kay Sachay Thay and the upcoming Sinf-i-Aahan, also with a stellar cast, indicate that television is emerging as a powerful medium. Our drama series are about to make waves across the globe. More and more actors are now donning the director’s hat and coming up with innovative storylines, meant to captivate the audience and keep them hooked. Yasir Hussain is quite an accomplished actor. With more educated individuals directing the plays, the upcoming television productions are quite promising.

Mansha Pasha’s character appears to have a dark underbelly in Koyal. Deliberately breaking a bird’s egg implies a sadistic streak and a desire to hurt and destroy.

Mansha Pasha’s character in Koysl appears to have a dark side to it. Deliberately breaking a bird’s egg implies a sadistic streak - a desire to hurt and destroy. The teaser has cleverly managed to highlight certain shades of the protagonist’s character. She appears to have no qualms about inflicting torment on others. She seems even to enjoy targeting the weak and vulnerable and have a vindictive side to her character. The first teaser is tantalising and promises a gripping play.

More television productions are now pushing the envelope and attempting to go against the social grain. The characters are no longer black or white, most of them come in shades of grey. Given the plethora of television channels and entertainment platforms, the audience, spoilt for choice, look for something different and exciting. They want strong scripts, riveting and believable characters, engaging dialogue and unconventional storylines. This has been a positive development. It shows that the audiences are maturing and evolving with greater exposure. They are demanding value for money and are not willing to settle for anything sub-standard.

These are exciting times for television with more and more actors venturing into direction and proving their versatility in narrating riveting stories. The actors are also keen to experiment with roles that push them out of their comfort zones and allow them to discover and explore themselves as individuals who can play more diverse roles.

Judging from the first teaser, Koyal promises to be an engaging venture. Since television is a very intimate and informal medium, sensitive and understated acting is required. Many of the new actors are extremely talented. They now have the opportunity to portray different types of characters despite a lack of formal training.

Our TV plays are set to make waves around the globe and set new benchmarks. Let’s encourage new productions and unconventional storylines so that new and interesting content is produced to challenge and defy stereotypes.

The writer is an educationist and can be reached at gaiteeara@hotmail.com