Cheap scripts, not quality drama, banned at Alhamra: minister

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan has said that quality drama display is not being banned but he just tried to evict the evil mafia. The minister said that he had constituted a committee that would schedule dates to the producers. The decisions concerning the approval of the script will follow quality and merit.

Talking to The News, he said he did not ban any quality drama but the pitiable cheap scripts to be staged which damaged the thinking of our society and our youth. Pakistani youth is the future of our country, which God-willing will be bright and the PTI government’s aim is to clean the country from the corruption, vulgarity and all other means of the evilness of society.

Culture is a set of shared values, attitudes, practices and goals that define a group of people as a nation. It includes the elements that illustrate a specific way of life. The art is a major part of the culture and is composed of many imaginative, creative and innovative endeavors.

Any culture can be spread through the art because art communicates across barriers of language, class and culture. It stimulates a visceral reaction when words alone often cannot. Culture is the strongest part of people's lives. It influences their thoughts, views, humor, values, loyalties, worries, fears and hopes. Culture and arts reflect the collective thinking and psyche of a generation. Art is used for many purposes like writing, painting, singing or dancing.

Art influences society by changing their opinions, instilling morals and their interpreting experiences across space and time. Research has shown that all shapes of art reshape the ultimate sense of self. Acting, painting, music, dance, literature and the other forms of art are often considered as the repository of a nation’s collective commemoration. Culture performs as a means of societal control through rules, folkway and customs, thus, culture functions to influence, direct and control behaviour and life of the individual or a nation. Promotion and improvement of art and culture lead to exhibit the real identity of a country among others.

The importance of art and culture in a society is very important and once you understand the importance of the subject, it becomes easy to understand the reason behind the act of Minister for Information and Culture Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan, who wants to clean-up our society from the evils which are breathing among us.

The act of banning poor quality dramas in Alhamra was the most needed step to be taken. The percentage of the people who were coming to watch these dramas make more than 70 per cent of our youth, who get mentally polluted by watching cheap scripted dramas. For the betterment of society and especially of our youth, the Punjab minister for information and culture has to take the decision about scripts of all plays to be staged at the Alhamra. The content from now on will be scrutinised by a scrutiny committee. Some groups, who wanted to play their dirty games to gain their goals, create massive misconceptions in the people’s minds about the banning of dramas in Alhamra. However, the reality is different. Mafias of the producers and directors have captured the stage for their personal interests. This blocks the entry of the new creative directors. Mr Chohan on many forums has stated, “I can assure you that there will be no restriction on quality content or freedom of expression."

Chohan said he had constituted a committee that will schedule dates to the producers. The decisions concerning the approval of the script will follow quality and merit.

By doing so, all producers and directors will get chance to stage their dramas if they get the approval from the committee. Beside all these things, since the last few months, we always appear to complain that we lost the glory of our theatre due to substandard commercial plays. Therefore, we put in our efforts to revive the golden era of drama to bring back the serious audience to the theatre again. It’s a reality that our youth is very talented and the current government wants to provide them with the necessary platforms to showcase their talent in a good way.

As everyone knows that operation has already started against the robbers, looters, and thieves of the national wealth. As far as the Alhamra’s theatre is concerned, hopefully the government will positively snatch the back the platform from the people who don’t deserve to monopolise Alhamra for their individual interests.