Urwa Hocane Rejects Netflix Benchmark for Pakistani Television Dramas

Actor Urwa Hocane has challenged the habit of treating Netflix as the standard against which high-quality Pakistani television dramas should be measured. Speaking during an appearance on Gloss Etc with Maliha Rehman, she argued that local productions have their own creative strengths and do not require validation through comparisons with an international streaming platform.

Hocane made the comments following widespread appreciation for her performance as Beena in the television serial Aap Ki Izzat. The role has drawn attention to both her acting and the drama’s treatment of its central themes, prompting reviewers and audiences to discuss the production quality of contemporary Pakistani television.

The actor said reviewers sometimes describe an impressive local project as having “Netflix-quality” while intending the comparison as praise. She questioned that framing, arguing that it places an external platform above the domestic industry instead of assessing Pakistani productions according to their own storytelling traditions, audiences and creative standards.

Hocane maintained that Pakistani dramas can deliver work surpassing that benchmark and questioned whether the streaming service still has a clear creative direction. Her central argument was that strong local stories and accomplished production should be recognised on their own merits rather than presented as successful attempts to imitate an international platform.

She identified storytelling as the principal strength of Pakistan’s television industry. According to Hocane, local dramas generally build their appeal around narrative and character instead of placing glamour ahead of substance, with commercial packaging added only after the story has established the project’s identity.

Aap Ki Izzat was cited as an example of a drama that attracted attention without depending on elaborate promotional spectacle. Hocane’s remarks suggest that the industry’s connection with viewers is driven substantially by familiar social themes, emotionally recognisable characters and stories grounded in experiences that resonate with Pakistani households.

Her comments add to an ongoing debate within the entertainment industry about production standards and the future of Pakistani content. Actors including Faysal Quraishi, Shamoon Abbasi and Usama Khan have previously contributed different perspectives to discussions concerning streaming platforms, television quality and the international reach of local productions.

The debate also has a commercial dimension. In July, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the government was holding discussions with Netflix and other international streaming companies about adjustments to the regional framework, indicating official interest in improving the conditions under which Pakistani content could reach global digital audiences.

Hocane’s position does not eliminate the potential value of international distribution, but it challenges the assumption that streaming recognition is the ultimate measure of creative success. The next stage for the industry will depend on whether producers can preserve locally rooted storytelling while securing wider distribution, sustainable investment and greater international visibility.