At 13th Global Urdu Conference, Sohail Ahmad revealed his feelings about how he thinks Pakistani government should support the nation’s artists.
The satirist is known for his blunt criticism against the powers, particularly when it is about culture and arts. He also gave example of UK’s government support for their artist and how the society values them.
“When Covid-19 started, I read in the news that the UK Government had pledged around £160 million to be distributed among British artists since they won’t be able to work due to the pandemic. Nations that are alive do this” the Hasb-e-haal star stated.
“Those societies that respect their heroes are the ones that give birth to them. In places where heroes aren’t respected, they aren’t born. When something doesn’t hold value in your house, how do you expect it to be there? If I borrow your car and return it to you in a terrible condition, you might not express anger towards me but would never lend it to me again” he continued.
“Heroes are a gift from God. If you don’t take care of them, don’t love them, then Allah will stop bestowing this gift. Even if you look at it psychologically, when you idolise someone, you do so on the basis of that person’s value in the eyes of everyone else and the government,” he further added.
“In our country, whenever an actor or anyone else becomes a public figure, they don’t realise that they have become a product. In other countries, when actors reach a certain level of fame, they immediately begin to market themselves as a product. There are countless examples of this all over the world,” Ahmad said.
“It pains me a lot that Noor Jehan had to sell her house in order to meet her medical bills. Her house was situated at one of the most expensive plots in the country. This is a huge slap on our face. I am not saying that you make extra efforts to help artists. But at least give them what is rightly owe,” he said while concluding.
