Representation of Gender in Pakistani Comedy Dramas

Media in its various forms has become a significant part of everyday social life. It influences both how we see ourselves and the world around us to some extent. At different screens of media, images of men and women are presented in different ways and with different characteristics. Studies have been conducted at large regarding representation of gender in movies and television drama serials. This paper was meant to be an addition to this vast canvas of research through analysis of gender representation in the comedy dramas of Pakistan. According to West and Zimmerman’s theory of ‘doing gender’, gender is performed by the people in their everyday actions and interactions. Keeping in view the concept of doing gender this study analyzed roles of males and females and tried to find out how different characters maintain their gender identities in comedy dramas. Results suggested that the characters were, at many places, observed to be acting contrary to the roles associated to their genders by the society. They did or performed gender to maintain their identities.

Synthesis and Characterization of 2 3H -Furanones, 2 3H -Pyrrolones, Quinolinones, Thienochromenones, Thienopyridinones and Biological Activity of Some Selective Compounds

Reaction of 3-(4-substitutedbenzoyl)propionic acid with appropriate aromatic aldehydes in the presence of triethylamine in acetic anhydride gave 3-arylidene-5-(4- substititutedphenyl)furan-2(3H)-ones. Reaction of furanones with benzylamine gave γ-ketobenzylamides which were then cyclized to 1-benzyl-3-arylidene-5-(4- substituted phenyl)-1H-pyrrol-2-(3H)-ones by refluxing with 6N-HCl. Two series of furanones and pyrrolones were synthesized. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for antioxidant, cytotoxicity and urease inhibition activities. These compounds showed non significant antioxidant activity, nil brine shrimp lethality and low to moderate urease inhibition activity. Reaction of hitherto unknown 4-chloro-3-(2,2,2-trifluoroacetyl)-2H-chromen- 2-one with different commercially available anilines gave 3-(trifluoroacetyl)-4- (arylamino)-2H-chromen-2-ones which were then successfully cyclized to 7-(trifluoromethyl)-6H-chromeno[4,3-b]quinolin-6-ones with conc. H2SO4. Suzuki cross-coupling reaction of methyl-3-bromothiophene-2-carboxylate and ethyl-2-bromo-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene-3-carboxylate methoxy phenylboronic acids gave the successfully cyclized to with o- arylated products which were then thieno[2,3-c]chromen-4-ones and 7,8,9,10- tetrahydrobenzothieno[3,2-c]chromen-6-ones via BBr3 mediated lactonization. The Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction of methyl-3-bromothiophene-2- carboxylate and 2-bromo-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene-3-carbonitrile with terminal alkynes gave respective alkynyl products. The ester and nitrile groups of these substituted thiophenes were then converted into amides which were then cyclized to 5-substituted-thieno[2,3-c]pyridin-7(6H)-ones and 3-substituted-5,6,7,8- tetrahydrobenzothieno[3,2-c]pyridin-1(2H)-ones via base-promoted-cyclization. 4,5-Disubstituted thieno[3,2-b]pyridin-7(4H)-ones were synthesized by Pd- catalyzed tandem amination reaction of α,β-ynone with commercailly available anilines/amines. The method provides an efficient thienopyridinones.