With the tragedy of Karbala being commemorated throughout the first ten days of Muharram throughout the country, veteran actor Khaled Anam has gone on record to rue the fact that respect for the grief during the month has morphed into a vulgar, commercial event, shifting away from tradition and losing all sanctity.
“When finances enter the equation, things take a different direction,” observed the actor-singer during a recent appearance on the Off The School podcast. “For example, people say that songs are haram - which is fine, I respect that - but [in Muharram] they have no qualms about adding a beat with a drum machine to a ‘naat’ or noha. These are not tunes!”
Nothing that elders in the industry are no longer interested in educating their juniors, and that juniors do not wish to be schooled by anyone to begin with (“They just say that they are earning millions on YouTube and that they know better”), Anam continued, “I see artists filming so many videos with sand on the ground and fire in the background to commemorate Karbala - but this is not a film!”
According to Anam, the entertainment industry employed a different approach to Muharram before this race for commercialisation took root. “Back in the day, PTV transmissions would air programmes that reflected an air of solemnity and respect with people dressed in black sherwanis,” he recalled.
The actor remains convinced that this such respectful observation for Muharram traditions is now a lost art. “Lamentation has become commercialised,” he stated. Letting his anger seep through, he went on to add, “Karbala and Muharram are both now an event like any other. Just like we have Ramazan transmissions, there are now Muharram transmissions, and you have to release this album or that album just for the occasion.”
Anam went on to note that record companies now dictate which ‘naats’ are recorded - in his view, something that should never have become mainstream.
Taking aim at artists who make an effort to look good as they film videos to mark the occasion, the screen veteran added witheringly, waving his arms to make illustrated point, “You cannot get your hair blow-dried and a have face full of makeup as you recite these nohas with exaggerated gestures!”
Summing up his aversion to the modern day approach to Muharram, Anam concluded, “People need to make the occasion attractive without losing the message. The sanctity has been lost.”
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