By Maliha Rehman
There’s no denying that Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi’s Tere Bin is a phenomenal hit. It’s filmy, over-dramatic and utterly romantic and the drama-watching audience at large is loving it. With director Seraj-ul-Haq at the helm and Wahaj Ali and Yumna Zaidi as the main leads, it is veritably the most talked about Pakistani drama right now. Every episode is followed by Twitter commentaries, memes, special clips created by fans and record-breaking YouTube trends.
Each episode has been trending at no.1 in Pakistan. It has also been trending at no.1 in India. The comments on YouTube and production company 7th Sky Entertainment’s Instagram page indicate that the drama has amassed a huge number of Indian fans. There are, of course, other Pakistani dramas that were colossally popular across the border – last year’s Mere Humsafar comes to mind. However, it is unprecedented that a drama positions itself at the no.1 slot with each and every episode.
It is, of course, then distressing when the drama disappears entirely off YouTube. And that too, at a time when the romance between the two leads, Murtasim and Meerub, is particularly crackling. Even the drama’s extremely popular OST had disappeared off YouTube, only to have gotten restored recently, while this story was being written. Fans are upset and eager to also see the episodes returning.
It's back guys on #harpalgeo YouTube channel 😭😭😍🥀
I can't explain my happiness in words bus ab episodes bhi wapis ajaye 🤞 #Terebin #Meerasim #Meerab #Murtasim #YumnaZaidi #wahajAli#terebinost pic.twitter.com/4HKP1sk4Ll— fariya (@fariya64145482) March 6, 2023
Unfortunately, all the episodes of tere bin drama are removed from YouTube because of the copyright claims from Indian zee music company. They claimed that the ost of tere bin is match to their song Mera inteqam daikhegi.#terebin #boycottzeemusiccampany pic.twitter.com/2Y5m0BHWJX
— ridaa.blog (@ridaRiaz35) March 5, 2023
Guys our Ost is back again on geo's youtube chanel , hopefully the episodes will back too #TereBin #Meerasim 🔥🔥🙏🙏❤️ pic.twitter.com/UfR4jo8GoF
— Tellylily00 (@EAjbouni) March 6, 2023
But what lead to the drama’s episodes and the OST disappearing? Insinuations are being made on Twitter that the drama’s popularity in India unnerved certain parties which lead to them making copyright claims. When the OST had been removed from YouTube, the YouTube link stated that the video was ‘no longer available due to a copyright claim by Zee Music Company.
Geo Television Network should get this issue resolved because we are damn sure the Indian song would not be original, just dig out from where melody #TereBin #WahajAli #YumnaZaidi #Meerasim #terebinost pic.twitter.com/Wb2awbxrd9
— TereBinfanspage (@TereBinfanspage) March 1, 2023
An inside authentic source explains, “The drama was trending on number one in India constantly which lead to certain organizations making false claims against the OST. It was stated that the OST was similar to a song in India. They manually added in so many strikes that the OST and the episodes were removed by YouTube. However, the platform required proof that would back up these claims. This proof couldn’t be provided which is why the OST can be streamed on YouTube again.”
Could the episodes be returning soon to YouTube as well? “The OST is back because of lack of solid evidence. I am sure that the episodes will return soon too,” says the source.
Why, though, would India, with its extensive TV and film industry be so agitated by a single drama that it would lead to organizations trying to get it removed off YouTube? The country has a large audience and an entertainment industry that is heavily sponsored and has government support. How can an agenda be launched against a single drama, no matter how popular?
Then again, Tere Bin’s popularity has been exceptional. The last time a drama stormed through India with such fanfare was back in 2011, when Humsafar became a huge hit. Back then, YouTube had little or no presence in the Indo-Pak subcontinent. Dramas would cross the border in the form of DVD’s and one would only hear and read about Humsafar’s huge Indian fanbase. There were no numbers and no ranking that quantified the drama’s popularity.
If Tere Bin’s episodes are not restored, it would ultimately be YouTube’s loss. The drama’s extensive viewership doesn’t just benefit Geo Entertainment, the channel on which the drama airs, and producers 7th Sky Entertainment, but it also brings in traffic to YouTube. It wouldn’t take long for the drama’s makers to move on to some other streaming platform – there are many. Tere Bin’s huge audience will just watch the episodes elsewhere.
Now, on YouTube, the numbers are stated in clear black and white. The ‘#1 trending in India’ indication under Tere Bin episodes has been there for all to see. And the revenue earned by Tere Bin is the revenue lost by some other Indian production that had been expected to yield big profits. It was likely that the drama would continue to trend, which lead to false claims, wheeling, dealing and a removal from YouTube which is likely to be temporary because of the absence of proof.
However, what if Tere Bin’s much-awaited episodes don’t end up returning to YouTube? While this seems unlikely – especially with the OST having just been restored – ultimately, this would be YouTube’s loss. The drama’s extensive viewership doesn’t just benefit Geo Entertainment, the channel on which the drama airs, and producers 7th Sky Entertainment, but it also brings in traffic to YouTube. It wouldn’t take long for the drama’s makers to move on to some other streaming platform – there are many. Tere Bin’s huge audience will just watch the episodes elsewhere.
Still, false claims and half-baked agendas can only create temporary obstacles. Fans should watch out for Tere Bin’s return to YouTube – at the no.1 slot, possibly!
What do you think?