If celebrities have a green passport, they have a responsibility: Adnan Siddiqui

"I am trying to do my role to raise awareness," says Adnan.

KARACHI: The entertainment industry has often been criticised for existing in its own bubble. It’s an interesting paradox as society puts those involved in it on a pedestal and then expects them to be aware of things around them. Some people even deem it their responsibility to use the celebrity status to get involved in different causes.

While the common perception is that today’s celebrities do not fulfill their roles, some, such as Hamza Ali Abbasi, have always been vocal about their convictions, no matter how controversial. Now Adnan Siddiqui has taken up the need of police reforms in his latest television talk show Kabhi Socha on Express News.



With this show, Siddiqui wants to change public’s perception of the police. In one episode, Siddiqui brings a police official who returned Rs1.25 million to a man after he dropped his bag on the street. Speaking with The Express Tribune, the actor discussed how working on the show opened him to a new point of view about the security forces. “It was an eye-opener! I realised how the police works under the most difficult circumstances and yet, is disrespected all the time.”

Siddiqui’s mission is to make society understand the basic reasons behind police’s involvement in corruption so as to get to the bottom of the problem. “If I say you have to work hard but you won’t get a free house, no bonus for children’s education or any benefits and you will be paid a mere Rs25,000, would that be enough to support your entire family?” he questioned. “Obviously not. We should be aware of their difficult circumstances.”



According to Siddiqui, it all goes back to the days of British rule in the subcontinent. “It started with an 1861 law which stated that all constables should be uneducated and paid meagre amounts of money. This was done in order to keep them under control.” He added that the law was changed in 2002. “We had an amendment but we reverted to the original law again. We are basically following the same, century-old law laid out by the gora sarkar.”

It is interesting to note that Siddiqui plays an army officer in Hassan Rana’s upcoming epic war film Yalghaar. However, the actor claimed his desire to changing the image of the armed forces does not stem from this role.

When asked about actors taking up social causes, he said, “We also live in the same society. We have the same green passport, don’t we? Then we have a corporate social responsibility as well.”



However, Siddiqui does not consider it his responsibility to change the system. “It’s the government’s responsibility, but as a citizen, we have to play our role. Through my show, I can only create awareness about this issue.”

To iterate his sentiments, Siddiqui narrated an incident wherein Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) was thrown into a fire and a small bird was trying to save him by taking drops of water and releasing them into the fire. “A crow told the bird it would not make any difference as the fire was massive but the bird said that at least on the Day of Judgment, it would be able to tell God what it did when the prophet was burning,” he said. “Just like the bird, I am trying to do my role to raise awareness about this issue.”

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