Alhamra holds star-studded evenings for film, music icons

A grand ceremony was held in honour of the famous actress Mumtaz Begum at Alhamra, where film stars Meera, Sangeeta, Shahid, Ghulam Mohiuddin, singer Arif Lohar, Shiza Jahan, Gulab, Nirmal Shah, film director Syed Noor, Parvaiz Kaleem, Hasan Askari, comedian Tahir and a large number of showbiz personalities took part. Provincial Secretary for Information and Culture Punjab Ali Nawaz Malik was the chief guest of the event.

In a colourful event organised by Pakistan Film Industry Lahore and CJFP, renowned singers and dancers performed songs from the films of legendary actress Mumtaz Begum.

Various film personalities shed light on her artistic services and a documentary about her films was shown in the ceremony, which was well-received by the audience. Arif Lohar, Sher Miandad Khan, Nirmal Shah, Gulab, Maham Rehman, Zeenat Noor, Shiza Jahan, Naseer Khawaja, Azhar Rangeela, Namreen Butt and Reena Multani were among the artists who performed at the event.

The best performers were awarded medals by Secretary Information and Security Ali Nawaz Malik. Mumtaz Begum left the film world at the peak of her career and moved to Canada 32 years ago, having recently to Pakistan with her son Zeeshan Raheel Bari.

Meanwhile, a grand ceremony was organised to mark 75 years of friendship between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Alhamra. Artists clad in Sri Lankan cultural attire captivated the audience by presenting “Devadasi”, “Heritage of Sri Lanka”, “Ridham Rata” and other performances. The Sri Lankan cultural delegation also performed in Karachi and Islamabad. The cultural dance program "Kanya" was also presented at the end of the program, which was very well-received by the audience.

Additionally, a benefit event was organized in honor of eminent activist Muqsood Anwar, also known as Janu Baba. Renowned artists including film director Syed Noor, singer Arif Lohar, Sher Miandad and Rashid Mehmood participated in the show at PLAK.

At the beginning of the event, a special documentary about Janu Baba's services was shown, while Syed Noor, stage actor Shahid Khan, Hasan Askari and other artists later paid tribute to Janu Baba's services in showbiz. Singer Shiza Jahan's performance along with BA Shocker on this occasion was lauded.

It should be noted that earlier this week, Janu Baba underwent a leg amputation due to diabetes. The Punjab government announced that he will be fitted with a prosthetic leg, with Secretary Information and Culture Punjab Ali Nawaz Malik stating that artists are valuable to the country and their welfare is the responsibility of the government. Provincial Information Minister Amir Mir said that the government is taking adequate steps for Janu Baba’s complete recovery.

Finally, an action plan was prepared against male artists for immoral performances in theaters across Punjab. The immoral performances of several male actors have been monitored by the government and videos have also been collected, with reports sent to higher authorities.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2023.