“Fifty Shades of Biryani”
The drama Biryani has become the subject of heated discussion after recent episodes portrayed cosy moments between university students.
Starring Khushhal Khan, Ramsha Khan, and Sarwat Gilani, the show has steadily retained viewership despite its relatively slow narrative.
Audiences have been particularly invested in the on-screen pairing of Khushhal and Ramsha, who previously appeared together in Duniyapur.
Their chemistry has been widely praised, and many fans describe the growing romance as the highlight of the serial’s storyline.
However, the closeness between their characters, Meran and Nisa, has stirred controversy, given the academic environment where the romance develops.
Several episodes have depicted the leads in intimate moments that viewers found inappropriate, considering they are portraying young students.
One of these portrayed Nisa lying her head on Meran’s shoulder as he drove a motorcycle.
Another scene showed Nisa playfully grabbing his cheeks.
There was another moment when the two sat really close to each other at their university.
This scene sparked more fury as it depicted university romance as being common in Pakistan.
Fans have voiced concerns on social media, suggesting the drama normalises intimacy in a context sensitive to cultural values.
One user commented: “They are normalising intimacy in ways that could influence perceptions of young relationships within society.”
Another viewer criticised:
“People will become sceptical of sending their daughters to universities after watching such depictions.”
Some even mocked the show, dubbing it “Fifty Shades of Biryani” to highlight discomfort with the portrayed intimacy levels.
Many think that the scenes are extremely unrealistic and unnecessary.
Critics argued these sequences misalign with conservative audience expectations, potentially reinforcing anxieties regarding higher education and women’s independence in society.
They emphasised that portraying romantic closeness among students risks challenging deeply rooted traditions about gender roles and appropriate public behaviour.
Supporters of the show argued differently, highlighting that young love naturally evolves with time and deserves authentic representation on screen.
They maintained that romance mirrors reality, encouraging openness in storytelling while addressing emotions often suppressed in conservative entertainment industries.
Regardless of the criticism, Biryani continues to enjoy strong ratings, maintaining its position among the most-watched serials of this season.
Producers have avoided commenting on the controversy, choosing instead to focus attention on the drama’s unfolding family-centred narrative arcs.
Meanwhile, viewers await upcoming episodes of Biryani to see whether they fuel the intimacy controversy further.
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