From being one of the most sidelined segments to becoming centre-stage at an event pivoted on entertainment, glamour and star power, in the absence of films, television stepped in as the big head turner at the 20^th annual Lux Style Awards.

And heads did turn when man of the moment Bilal Abbas Khan walked in with two nominations and walked out with one trophy for Best Actor (Critics), for Pyar Kay Sadqay. Yumna Zaidi fans cheered on when they saw live coverage on social media; they celebrated like mad when she picked up both trophies for Best Actress Popular and Critics, again for PKS, a definite winner that also recognized Farooq Rind as Best Director. Danish Taimoor may not have been able to make it to the show but his 5 million-plus followers on Instagram made sure he felt the love they sent his way for the character he played in the super hit Deewangi.

Ahad Raza Mir, with four nominations for Best Actor Critics and Popular for Ehd e Wafa and Yeh Dil Mera, despite not winning was one of the brightest stars of the evening for his winning attitude. He had flown in from London for the show, not once asking whether he was winning. We know how rare that is for stars, who demand to know and usually decide on attending or not accordingly. Ahad is obviously in another league, as not only did he turn up, but also stuck around to congratulate his fellow nominees when they won. Trophy or no trophy, this is what a winner looks like, for sure.

It was this kind of good will and camaraderie that actually brought the TV segment together. Best Director nominees Saife Hasan (Ehd e Wafa) and Siraj ul Haq (Raaz e Ulfat) gave fellow director and winner Farooq Rind a standing ovation and cheered him on. Dada’s speech was emotional; he dedicated his award to his wife who passed away the day the first episode of Pyar Kay Sadqay aired. Imran Ashraf, nominated for Kahin Deep Jalay, laughed away the possibility of winning; he was just there to support the industry and his friends in particular.

Looking sharp in a black 3-piece suit, one would say he was as big a winner that evening. And then Ahad again. He gave a standing ovation to Adnan Samad Khan, his comrade Gulzar from Ehd e Wafa, when he won Best Emerging Talent for Television.

Pyar Kay Sadqay, Alif, Ehd e Wafa and Deewangi all got nods from the public and the jury and while one can endlessly argue on the who-should-who-could have won, no one can deny the merits of those who were honoured for excellence that night. Sure, everyone wanted to see Ahad and Sajal win. Sure, many people felt that Ameer Gilani deserved recognition for Best Emerging Talent. But while awards could be added, no one would want to take a trophy away from any one of the existing winners.

Truth be told, it’s the energy that keeps any event afloat and it’s the energy these guys brought to the show that razzled and dazzled. Hiba Bukhari, with a nomination for Best Actress, Popular, sat and clapped till the bitter end. Her beaming smile didn’t waver for a second.

Pyar Kay Sadqay, Alif, Ehd e Wafa and Deewangi all got nods from the public and the jury and while one can endlessly argue on the who-should-who-could have won, no one can deny the merits of those who were honoured for excellence that night. Sure, everyone wanted to see Ahad and Sajal win. Sure, many people felt that Ameer Gilani deserved recognition for Best Emerging Talent. But while awards could be added, no one would want to take a trophy away from any one of the existing winners.

The Lux Style Awards, with its 9 limited categories for TV, actually opens the floor to another discussion: there needs to be an awards show dedicated solely to TV. One needs to see supporting actors being honoured as well as a wider range of acting skills being recognized. Actors in negative roles, child actors, older actors, technical experts et al. ACT (Actors Collective Trust), chaired by Atiqa Odho and currently very active, should actually look into the possibility of an independent award show for TV.

It’s even more important to have a neutral and fair award show for TV as channels unfortunately cancel out any good will that actors may manage to develop. There were no drama serials from ARY in the nominations this year; this because the channel apparently decided to sit the awards out. The channel may not have had a Mere Paas Tum Ho kind of year (that would sweep the awards and thus incentivize them to participate) but one can certainly vouch for a nomination for Mohib Mirza in drama serial Dushman e Jaan or Feroze Khan in Ishqiya.

Pushing petty politics aside, stars who turned up managed to create the right buzz and backdrop needed for the evening. With Covid looming large, 2020 was a tough year for the entire industry and those who managed to work through tough terrain deserved to celebrate and be celebrated. That they were. And though the Lux Style Awards were not a gala event but an extended TV recording, one was delighted to witness the magic that the stars brought to the show. Frankly speaking, that’s the vision that will take the industry forward.