Classic Differences

For me, the one stark difference between classical dramas like Dhoop Kinaaray and Chand Grehan and contemporary dramas is the very way in which they are portrayed. In other words, the theme or the mood of the drama seems to be conveyed immediately through the first few scenes of the classical dramas, whereas contemporary dramas seem more monotonous the way they start off, and later on take up a completely new or different mood when compared with which they started. Take for instance Humsafar, where the drama begins on a note of despair and struggle, with Khirad hard at work to earn a living for herself and her mother. The viewer could never really have guessed that it would later turn into a romantic and melodramatic drama; the suspense and romance in the drama is something the drama builds onto as it progresses.

In the case of classical dramas, at least based on the two dramas that we have seen, the tone or mood of the drama is set from the beginning, and the viewer slowly observes the bildungsroman of the protagonists or antagonists as the drama progresses. The focus is on the characters of the drama and their transformation, whereas contemporary dramas tend to stick to stereotyped fixed characters and play with the ups and downs of the plot.
And as mentioned several times in class already, these classical dramas reflect society and aim at bringing about a poiesis  in the ways and conformed structures of society.
Dhoop Kinaaray starts with the cute character of Zoya and shows her bildungsroman towards becoming a more mature and level headed person, and definitely changes a woman's standing in society. Chand Grehan too seems to reflect, but i am not so sure about whether it is performing the function that Haseena Moin talks about; that of poiesis. Yes, it shows how people like Nasir want to change society at their own personal cost, and shows how he is ready to stand against his own corrupt father Kamal Hussain. Then we have Lal Hussain Shah and his thirst and greed for power, but who is not as powerful anymore, is experiencing a dip in his control, and yet seems to control everyone around him in a subtle manner, including his daughter's life (which is not as subtle). For me, Chand Grehan is not as reformative as Dhoop Kinaaray was, and it just does not seem as if the drama is aiming at changing the norms of society.