We are reduced to beggars in the Pakistani television industry, says Mehreen Jabbar

Filmmaker slams production houses’ inability to pay workers

For those of you harbouring the impression that a career in the Pakistani television industry equates to a thriving bank account, director and producer Mehreen Jabar is here to burst that bubble.

“Our drama industry has progressed a lot, and there has been a very high viewership,” conceded Mehreen during a virtual interview with Drama Pakistani. “But behind the scenes, there is a lot of compromise and this industry operates in a very unprofessional way. That is the sad part.”

The New York-based Ek Jhooti Love Story director, who has accrued a rich catalogue of work over her three-decade career, lamented that actors and crew have a constant struggle extracting payments out of Pakistani production houses.

“You know, in the US, they have many problems, but over there, payment schedules are kept. You know you will be paid,” she illustrated. “But in Pakistan, with every channel and production house (and yes, some are better than others), you have to chase them like beggars, asking when you will be paid.”

Mehreen confirmed that this is not an issue limited to just actors. “Everyone faces this, from actors to the spot boy to the director,” maintained the filmmaker. “There is no system. You ask anyone, and you will get thousands of stories about payment issues.”

The director noted that in this shambolic set-up, it is the behind-the-scenes crew members who pay the biggest price. “If you compare the salaries of our light men and crew (because you have to make things in a certain budget), what they are paid, it is very low,” rued Mehreen. “There is no union here, so no one can really fight for their rights – but they are the ones who work the hardest […] I don’t know how this cycle will ever break”

The director elaborated that owing to such this frustrating state of affairs in the Pakistani entertainment industry, taking on a project in her country of origin has proved to be a largely unrewarding experience.

“It’s very frustrating to be shooting in Pakistan sometimes. The smoothest in my experience has been either a short series, because those end in about 35 days, or if a brand is involved,” she mused. “Which is the sad thing, because our drama industry is the biggest industry media wise, since we have no films and our musicians are strugglings. So our TV industry has to find a way to make the behind the scenes environment better!”

Mehreen, however, has limited hopes that a radical industry change addressing the issue of timely payments will ever come. “I’ve been working for 30 years now, and sometimes I feel the issues I faced then still exist today. In fact maybe they are even worse!”