Vulgarity rules the roost
LAHORE – Despite strict instructions issued by Punjab Governor Lt Gen (R) Khalid Maqbool to the Alhamra Arts Council, the authorities concerned continue to flout ban on dramas, which are unethical and vulgar, sources told The Nation on Monday.
Two plays, ‘Kon Baney Ga Don’and ‘Chalak Kuryian’ are being staged at Alhamra at its hall 1 and 2 titled which contain lewd dialogues. Punjab Governor Lt Gen (R) Khalid Maqbool had warned against staging unethical dramas at A1-Hamra at chairing a meeting and issued strict directives to authorities concerned in this regard.
The governor urged the stage actors to be polite and promote positive and healthy social values through this effective medium of art, assuring that the government would fully encourage the qualitative creative work.
“Stage drama actors must focus on eliminating social injustice, sectarianism, and intolerance from the society by creating awareness among the masses through their artistic work,” he observed.
When contacted, Alhamra Arts Council Executive Director Asghar Hussain Giallni and asked him about the plans being chalked out to look into the issue he expressed complete ignorance. He denied receiving instructions from the governor and said he could not look into the matter.
Talking about the issue, authorities told this scribe on the condition of anonymity that Rs 75,000 to 100,000 are being charged for 15-day drama.
“So far as the criteria of selection is concerned we send the script to the eminent men of letters including Asghar Nadeem Syed, Amjad Islam Amjad, Mono Bhai and others.
He said a part from these local plays we also sent the Shakespeare’s plays to these people to fulfil all formalities”, he said. Talking to The Nation eminent writer Asghar Nadeem Syed contradicted that he was associated with Alhamra’s drama wing. “It is erroneous, in fact I am attached with the drama wing of Punjab Arts Council”, he said.
Being a member of this drama wing he said that we are authorised to delete edit vulgar dialogue in stage plays.
About rules of editing he said: “first of all title of the drama is reviewed. Then we see whether there are there any speeches of adaptation. Then we check objectionable dialogue. After that we write down a short summary and conclude whether the script is suitable for the stage or not.”
He said in reality the script presented to them for checking was not the original script and they actually performed on some other script. He said that the script and the name of the drama given to them for checking seemed quite reasonable, but when it was staged it contained objectionable dialogues.
He said that the writers who checked these scripts did not go to the rehearsal adding that it was the duty of the drama management and the monitoring cell to have strict check on these bawdy dramas.
The sources said the Lahore Art Council did not sent the script to these people and in fact the script was being approved by LAC ex-administrator Zubair Baloch and C M Munir. It is
worth mentioning here that the administration adds to the script whatever it wants later on.
Source: The Nation
Date:7/17/2007
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