Why aren't Pakistani dramas on Netflix? Humayun Saeed says Pakistan needs its own OTT first

Pakistani dramas get tens of millions of views on YouTube, so why are so few on Netflix? Humayun Saeed has an answer, and it isn’t the one fans usually want. In a 95-minute conversation with host Ali Salman on the NJ Spotlight podcast Koi Reh Tu Nahi Gaya, posted on October 26, the actor-producer said Pakistan first needs its own OTT platform, and that the government should get behind it.

What did Humayun Saeed say about Netflix?

He started with style. “Our dramas have a specific style. The writing also has its own style,” he said, as quoted by The Express Tribune. Brandsynario summed up his view as a storytelling style that “does not always align” with Netflix’s brand and content standards.

He wasn’t dismissive of the dramas already made. “If you are saying the dramas we have already made should go on Netflix, then yes. We do have our own style,” he said. He also suggested politics could play a part in how Netflix approaches Pakistan, but said he didn’t know when local shows might get there, and Brandsynario notes he didn’t present politics as the only reason.

Why build a Pakistani OTT first?

His argument is about where shows get made, not just where they’re sold:

• “Where there will be a platform, things will be made.”
• “Pakistani OTT will be made and once people show their work, then there will be Netflix.”
• “Even in India, these OTT platforms came first.”
• “I think the government should do something about it and give importance to it.”

In other words: a home platform would commission the shorter, edgier series that global streamers buy, and give writers and actors a track record to show.

Hania Aamir, Dubsmash and The Crown

The interview wandered well beyond streaming. Saeed said social media lets newcomers be seen, though online fame can hide whether someone can act, and gave an example: “Even I saw Hania on Dubsmash and then we took her in a drama so there is potential.” He recalled working in a factory before a chance audition, and said playing Dr Hasnat Khan in Netflix’s The Crown taught him discipline, crediting co-star Elizabeth Debicki’s focus. “We here are not as organised as producers here, so it would take time for actors to be as well,” he said of the comparison.

He also played down his own fame: “I do not see myself as a star. This is just my work.” He named Fahad Mustafa and Fawad Khan as the stars.

Is he right?

Partly. India’s streaming boom did begin with local platforms like Hotstar and others commissioning originals, before Netflix and Amazon spent big there. But Pakistan has tried this: platforms like Tapmad and ARY Zap exist, and the Zee5 originals with Pakistani talent showed the appetite for shorter series. The missing piece has been money and a paying audience at home, which is exactly where his call for government support comes in.

The practical test will be whether any channel or production house, including his own Six Sigma Plus, commits to streaming-first shows. Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 3 is reportedly in development, which tells you where his own next bet is: cinema.