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When the drama serial ‘Dunk’ aired, it continuously trended on social media after its first episode. Starring Bilal Abbas Khan, Sana Javed, and Nauman Ijaz, the drama highlights story of ‘false accusations’ and sexual harassment at an educational institute.
The story is said to be based on a true incident that took place in Lahore when a Government MAO College lecturer took his own life despite being cleared of allegations of harassment.
A great cast, storyline based on the social issue surrounding the drama yet it turned out a disappointment, and here’s why I stopped watching ‘Dunk’:
1) Just another typical story
It is just another typical story where a professor is accused of sexually harassing a student which later it is revealed he is innocent. The drama is dragged for many episodes and in every episode, it can be seen how the professor and his family suffer humiliation in society just because of the accusation which is still not been proven yet.
2) Normalise false accusation
The drama normalizes making false accusations which are gravely problematic given the culture of victim-blaming in Pakistan. Who will believe the next woman that says she has been harassed if dramas continue to depict those speaking up as liars?
3) Playing victim card
I do not understand how Amal’s parents, her sister, cousins, relatives never ever witnessed her manipulative behaviour and habit of exaggerating. She plays a victim card every time in every episode and gets away easily no one even thinks once what she is up to? Like not even her own mother knows her daughter has some serious issues?
4) How good people always have to suffer
Despite being innocent, Nauman Ijaz takes his own life, his wife is harassed by neighbors, his 6-years-old daughter stops going to school as no one talks to her in class. So drama like ‘Dunk’ is indirectly encouraging that people who stay on the right path suffer and who lie get away easily? What kind of message is that?
5) No proper character building of male protagonist
Haidar, which at the start of the serial was once sensible, straightforward, and brutally honest turns into a feeble man who for no reason despite knowing the truth decides not to reveal Amal’s truth in front of the family and stays silent? what for?
6) Justice delayed is justice denied
Even in the last episode, if Amal’s evil face is exposed publically and the deceased professor gets justice, then what? Will, the professor’s wife get her husband back ‘alive’? Can his daughter recover from all the mental disturbance she went through as a minor? Won’t she has trust issues in the future? Will, the professor’s wife lead a normal life after so much trauma she went through?
I guess we all know the answer which is of course ‘NO’ because the damage has been done. Honestly speaking such dramas that are said to be based on social issues discourage people who are the real victims in such cases to drawback their cases and encourage people with more ideas to commit such sins and get away easily.
Seeing a crying Amal in the drama when she screams that she was forced by the professor shuns so many girls away who had actually experienced such traumatic incident and their voices are left ‘unheard’.
