PTV hasn’t made a good drama in 20 years: Yasir Hussain

Veteran actor Aurangzeb Laghari who was awarded the Pride of Performance for his contribution to Pakistan’s entertainment revealed in a recent interview that he had to change careers due to the severe lack of acting opportunities. Multiple news outlets have reported that the former actor has opened a furniture showroom in Lahore. 

Upon hearing the news, Yasir Hussain, one of the industry’s most talented actor and director took to social media to shed light on the diminishing opportunities for drama actors that don’t reside in Karachi.

The Karachi Se Lahore actor took his disappointment to Instagram where he reposted the news and wrote, “All the dramas are being made in Karachi and they don’t call anyone from Lahore to take part. PTV used to give work to all cities but they’re missing in action.” The actor furthered on to condemn the lack of good quality productions from the channel. “PTV has not made a single good drama in the last 20 years. It’s such a shame. Tanhaiyaan, Dhuwan, Aangan Terha, Waris, Angar Wadi, Guest House, where are all these people?”

In the same interview in which Laghari revealed the news of his alternate career, he also confirmed that one of the main reasons he hasn’t found work is because the industry has shifted to Karachi. “All the principal offices for channels are in Karachi. There is little work in Lahore, so I work very less,” said the actor. He continued to state, “I feel like Punjabi’s aren’t given the same encouragement because we aren’t there in the same city,” making Hussain's statement on Instagram seem entirely justified.

While Hussain shared his frustrations, netizens had a different approach to the entire ordeal. “What is wrong with opening a furniture venture after being involved in the acting industry? It is never too late to change careers,” wrote an Instagram user. Another commented, “So basically, he started his own business after a successful career in acting. Sounds like a win to me.” Actor Zhalay Sarhadi was also among those who commented. She simply penned, “More power to Sir.”

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