For millions of people the world over, watching soap operas is an addictive pastime that transcends the label of “guilty pleasure.” Their heightened sense of melodrama brings a sense of entertainment––even escapism––to viewers, who debate over their favorite characters, and the often morally questionable things they do.
Soap operas from India and Pakistan have been a part of Pakistani visual artist Fatima Kaleem’s life since she was a child––coming for the “exquisitely dressed” female characters, but staying for the stories, which are “addictive in a weird way,” Kaleem says. “They’re slow, yet crazily dramatic… I’m watching three at the same time right now, even when I’m in the studio, just in the background.”