Do Bangla dramas promote problematic relationships?

The Bangla drama 'Romeo Juliet' (2021) starts with two men on a bike teasing a burkha-clad girl. They yell out, "firecracker!" Eventually, the girl falls in love with one of the men – a curious consequence of a blatant act of eve-teasing it seems.  

The drama garnered 12 million views to date but it is riddled with controversial scenes.  

'Romeo Juliet' is not alone. It is one of many dramas with questionable and controversial love story narratives. This type of portrayal of "love" — where, for instance, the woman "falls in love" with toxic masculinity – often dominates Bangla dramas.

Even the golden era of Humayun Ahmed's television dramas of the late 1990s, which offered light-hearted storylines and simple dialogue on screen, also came with its problems. In subtle ways, some of Humayun Ahmed's work depicted unfair power dynamics in relationships between the man and the woman. For instance, in  'Amar Ache Jol' (2008), two sisters fall in love with a house help, and one of the sisters has an affair with him.

If we are to take an expansive look into locally-produced dramas, then it seems as though problematic relationships have always had a place in it. 

In the 2010s,  the shift to romantic storylines in Bangla mainstream drama occurred – 'Shubornapur beshi dure noy' (2014), 'Monsuba Junction' (2012) and 'Othpor' (2014) are some of the examples – and sustained its popularity into the 2020s.

For instance, 'Dear Love' (2022) garnered 20 million views on YouTube which includes the murder of love interests. Meanwhile 'Tui Jibon' (July 2024)  garnered 13 million views, which portrays double suicide because of unrequited love. 

A clear pattern in the portrayal of romance in these dramas exists. There is more such as teacher-student romantic relationships in 'Jora Shalik' (2024). Some also normalise stalking such as in 'Evabeo Valobasha Hoy' (2024) and use suicide to manipulate a family such as in 'Super Wedding' (2024). 

The problematic tropes 

The popular dramas that portray problematic themes often follow a formulaic script that reinforces gender stereotypes, toxic relationships and domestic abuse. 

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki and Anisul Hoque's series '69' (2008) portrays domestic abuse. However, the female victim does not take the incident seriously – this not only offers the audience a half-hearted exploration of domestic abuse but also downplays the seriousness of such toxic romantic relationships. 

In Mahmud Mahin's 'Dear Love,' featuring Mushfiq R Farhan and Tanjin Tisha, the female love interest is murdered as she does not reciprocate feelings for her cousin.

There is a more sinister problem in the storytelling. Dramas often show lead actors using suicide as a way to manipulate their partners. This trope is seen in dramas such as 'Super Wedding' starring  Musfiq R Farhan, Sadia Ayman, Kochi Khondokar and Musafire Syed Bachchu and directed by Md Toufiqul Islam. The female lead refuses to get married, telling her family that she would die by suicide if they forced her. 

Then there is 'Tui Jibon' – it  follows the story of a university student  from a reputable family who falls in love with an unemployed bachelor. Both the main characters die by suicide as they feel society would not accept them due to their class difference. However, at no point in the story do the characters engage in a conversation to address the issue at hand. 

"Storytellers have this tendency to explore their inner thoughts through their art. Fiction is a reflection of our culture. However, social media trends have distorted this connection between culture and fiction by popularising controversial topics like the ones we see in dramas," said director Masud Hasan Ujjal. He has directed 'Unoponchash Batash' (2020) as well as many Bangla dramas such as 'Je Jibon Phoring-er' (2010).

The controversial themes seen in these dramas do not solely come from the scriptwriters' end. The director generally has complete control over the storyline and characters. 

"There is an imbalance when it comes to proper storylines in the past 18-20 years. Scriptwriters normally provide what the directors ask of them, and actors follow the role they are assigned to," explained Masud. 

He continued "The lack of social sense and responsibility leads to such fiction."

Beyond romance

This normalisation of toxic tropes did not stay within the bounds of romance though. It has spread to genres such as comedy. 

Old dramas used to work best with situational comedy and eloquent dialogue delivery. However, leaning on similar slapstick humour, directors use the female characters as a subject for humiliation while creating a poor representation of today's youth. 

For example, 'X Boyfriend' (2019), directed by Kajal Arefin Ome, shows the male lead tugging on his partner's outfit, policing her to cover up. With a funny tune playing in the background, the scene seems to be intended to be taken as a humorous moment. 

What can be done to rein in problematic content? "There needs to be a collective effort to reform this mindset of 'views are everything','" advised Masud, adding,  "The mass audience will ultimately watch what is available. Directors, actors and scriptwriters must change the supply of content which leads to a change in demand."

By creating storylines which demean, belittle and abuse women in romantic relationships, directors and scriptwriters validate toxic relationships which generally feed off patriarchal values in real life. 

"Directors need to be more gender sensitive about their storylines. Boy meet-girl stories are feel good  but you have to be aware if a girl says no, then the final answer is no," said Director Shibab Shaheen. He directed movies such as 'Kacher Manush Dure Thuiya' (2024).

Now more than before, creators need to pay heed to the very real and detrimental consequences of their work; and work on narratives to promote equal and healthy romantic relationships rather than continue the toxic legacy of Bangla drama.