Rashid Mahmood enraged after PTV paid him Rs 620 for Marsiya recital

Veteran Pakistani actor Rashid Mahmood recently lashed out against Pakistan Television (PTV) on social media over unfair compensation for his work.

In a Twitter post over the weekend, Mehmood shared a picture of a cheque given to him by PTV for services rendered that amounted to just Rs 650, noting that he was bewildered by the extremely low figure, especially since he is the recipient of the Pride of Performance Award.

"Hi. I received this Cheque from PTV and I can't understand. Total amount of Rs 620. Pride of Performance Fee. Rs 500. Payment of my work, Rs 120/- only. What is the criteria of paying a pride of performance winner in this country and who spend 50 years of life in PTV?" he said.

Elaborating further in a video that circulated, Mahmood talked about how he was invited to recite a marsiya by Mir Anees two years ago in Muharram. "For the past two years, I hadn't really received any work opportunities from PTV. If all work was put on hold then it's fine if I too wasn't receiving any opportunities. During Muharram, Pakistan Television Lahore commissioned me to recite Mir Anees's marsiya. I recorded it and it aired on the 9th and 10th Muharram multiple times. After two years the cheque I received, was Rs 620," he said.

Adding on, Mahmood derided PTV for its action, deeming the compensation he received an 'insult'. " In this Naya Pakistan, will my mother institute insult me and give me this sort of attitude? There are people who take Rs 1.5 to 2.5 million who's worthiness in the showbiz industry is questionable. Today I announce that I will never work for PTV," he said.

Meanwhile, PTV has maintained that the check issued to Mahmood was unintentional and was the result of a clerical mistake. "The cheque issued to Rashid Mahmood was due to a misunderstanding. This was for something else and not for the work he did. The General Manager at PTV has looked into the matter and preparing a new check for Rashid Mahmood. Hopefully, this matter will be resolved soon," PTV PRO Shakeel Malik told The Express Tribune.

Upon hearing this, Mahmood told the publication that at this point he will not accept any cheque offered to him by PTV. "Now I will not accept any cheque given to me by PTV. If they send me a written apology note, I will gladly accept it. That being said, not working ith PTV is my final decision. I will continue to do projects offered to me privately. I am currently engaged in a number of different projects," he said.

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