It’s no surprise that Pakistan is bursting with stories that desperately need to be told on the big screen, but our attention always falls back to the same old ‘saas bahu jhagray’. But this time, Green Entertainment is proving that good, diverse story telling is back in the game with a series of dramas released last week that have been receiving praise from audiences. Among them ’22 Qadam’ looks like a real game-changer because it is truly the first time that we’re getting a good sports drama, that too about women.

There haven’t been good sports biopics made on Pakistani players, considering how impressive the list of icons is. There was the rare gem of a telefilm ‘Bhaag Amina Bhaag’ released in 2011, starring Amina Sheikh as female Pakistani athlete Naseem Hamid, who won a gold medal at the 11th South Asian Games in Bangladesh. Since then, a biopic on Shoaib Akhtar was in the works but the former cricket star announced that he was leaving the project. It’s disappointing how no attempt was made by our entertainment industry to explore the lives of sports stars, but it feels like ’22 Qadam’ is taking a step in the right direction. The story revolves around a woman’s passion for cricket, leading her to becoming a national player.

Helmed by the powerful performances by Hareem Farooq and Wahaj Ali, ’22 Qadam is for all those who grew up loving the Bollywood film ‘Chak De! India’ and how it championed women in sports, a long neglected issue that remains pushed out of the spotlight because of patriarchal assumptions that women can’t play sports, and how underfunded this issue remains. The series focuses on a spirited, confident woman Fari who dreams of becoming a cricket player, and her luck turns around when she gets an opportunity to meet the famous cricket player Sana Mir, who makes a cameo in the second episode as a visitor in a girl’s college, and advises Fari to never give up on her dream. As Fari is climbing up the ladder to success, the series alternates with the story of Jimmy, a former cricket star who after an injury, was forced to give up on the game and take a back seat.

“When we came up with this concept,” Farooq told The Current when the series was announced. “The thought behind it was that we need to empower women in the best way possible and there is no way better than projecting women in sports. Cricket, especially being the most loved sport in South-Asia.”

She also stressed on the importance of such a drama that would not only be enjoyed by people, but also educate them about breaking stereotypes, calling ’22 Qadam’: ‘the voice of the unheard’.

Since the two episodes went up on social media, clearly online audiences share our joy because the feedback has been nothing but positive.

So far #Junaid is a young boy with big dreams! He has health issues leg injury & heart problem still fighting for his dreams going against the will of family!#fari is college going passionate girl loves cricket immensely!

Love for cricket connects both 🥹#WahajAli #22Qadam pic.twitter.com/RhShVT37M5

— Urooj🩵 (@asimurooj2) July 17, 2023

2 episodes done and i was not bored at all…
This scene made me laugh 😂 also junaid and farii first meetup 👀#22qadam is interesting 🙌 #WahajAli #hareemfarooq pic.twitter.com/OxoWGc7etX

— زنیرہ…✨ (@cynophileeeeeee) July 16, 2023

#22qadam is refreshing with it's concept. Fari is typical representation of bubbly in PTV. Fari's love and craze for cricket her dream to be part of WCT one-day, all of this was shown in 1st episode. The bond between two sisters and character Naz Kiryana I liked them. pic.twitter.com/uLVrs0TUyr

— 🧋|| 🇵🇸 (@whatteverrsilly) July 17, 2023