Tale of theatre drama

By: Jam Sajjad Hussain
LAHORE - The Punjabi stage drama’s viewer-ship has considerably declined throughout the Punjab in the last nine years, renowned stage artists, producers and directors say.
The Nation talked to the senior stage artist about the reasons behind this decrease in the viewer ship of stage dramas.
They say, the viewers, especially educated people, rejected stage drama due to growing vulgarity and obscenity, deviation from script and lack of interest on the part of government and directors.
Accepting the bitter reality of decline in Punjabi stage drama, the renowned stage artists and authorities alleged that the government had least interested in promoting cultural activities.
Senior stage and renowned TV artist Suhail Ahmad said that the Indian media and government were perpetually propagating against every institution of Pakistan. He said that today the comedy is very strong weapon, which could win the war against any country without creating blood-spattered atmosphere as the India was doing against Pakistan, adding firstly it destroyed our social and moral institutions and now was snatching our culture and civilization by inculcating disastrous values through a bunch of films and dramas.
Criticizing the government, he said that three cultural departments including Arts Council and Home department were probing into cultural activities but nothing was explored. He said this custom of vulgarity was being practiced only in Lahore’s Punjabi dramas as the viewers of the NWFP and Sindh had rejected this culture in the very beginning.
“You will see very soon the India will be able to produce the characters like Moin Akhtar, Umar Sharif, Khalid Abbas Daar, Mastana and Babo Baral as Indian government is taking keen interest in popularising its culture,” he added.
The Nation:Friday, July 10, 2009