Urwa Hocane calls 'Netflix quality' praise for Pakistani dramas 'lame'

Actor Urwa Hocane has criticised the habit of judging Pakistani productions against Netflix, saying local dramas and films should be recognised for their storytelling and creative identity rather than for looking like international streaming content, The Express Tribune reported.

Her comments, made in an interview and reported on Tuesday, have drawn wide attention online. Searches for her name, and for the Netflix comparison, rose sharply in Pakistan this week, according to Google Trends.

“I find it so lame”

Hocane questioned the use of “Netflix quality” as a measure of success, saying Pakistani productions have their own strengths and do not need validation through comparison with the streaming giant.

“When someone says a project is ‘Netflix quality’, I find it so lame. I think we are doing better than that,” she said.

She also questioned whether Netflix should still be treated as the industry’s gold standard. “It is just an app or a portal that came along and worked for a couple of years. I don’t think they know what they are doing anymore,” she said.

“There is quality in what we are making and showing. Why do we need more Netflix, and why are we comparing ourselves to it anyway?”

“The soul of our projects lies in the stories”

For Hocane, the defining strength of Pakistani productions is their stories and the creative process behind them, not technical polish or glamour. She said the industry already has quality work and should focus on building its own creative identity, with commercial appeal and visual presentation supporting the story rather than overshadowing it.

“The soul of our projects lies in the stories and in how we prioritise our work process. We are not all about the glamour,” she said. “Later, we commercialise it and make it beautiful.”

In the end, she came back to one point: “I think the simple thing is our stories.”

Who is Urwa Hocane?

Hocane began her career as a video jockey before becoming one of Pakistan’s best-known television and film actors. Her credits include:

• Television: Udaari, Mushk and Rangreza
• Film: Punjab Nahi Jaungi and Na Maloom Afraad
• As producer: Tich Button (2022), a romantic comedy starring Farhan Saeed, Iman Ali, Sonya Hussyn and Feroze Khan

In earlier interviews she has spoken about the importance of strong scripts and her wish to contribute to storytelling both in front of and behind the camera.

A wider debate

Her remarks come amid a broader conversation about how Pakistani entertainment is valued. This week, director Sarmad Khoosat called for royalties for artists after the hit drama Humsafar was announced for a Spanish-language release, raising the question of who benefits when Pakistani shows find new audiences abroad.

Hocane’s argument, in her own words, is that the industry already has “quality in what we are making and showing”, and that its stories, not a foreign streaming label, are what give Pakistani projects their worth. She did not name any particular Netflix show or Pakistani production in the remarks reported by the Tribune.