Self expression: Actor says TV talkshows setting bad example

‘They give an impression that you can’t express your disagreement in a cordial manner

LAHORE: Electronic media is setting a bad example for the youth by encouraging panellists at its prime time talk shows to shout at one another, actor Adeel Hashmi said on Saturday.

He said the broadcast of such talk shows was making it hard for people to understand that people could express their disagreements without fighting. He said expression of disagreement in a cordial manner was a hallmark of the artist.

He was speaking at a seminar titled Expression through Art and Creativity held at Faiz Ghar. The session was arranged by the US-Pak Alumni Network.

Earlier, Actor Nadia Jamil urged young people in the audience to never shy away from expressing themselves. “If there is a thought or emotion, express it. Don’t keep thinking that it may or may not be good,” she said.

Jamil narrated her experience of visiting a Kasur village after reports of a child abuse scandal broke in the electronic media. She said she had visited the village to interact with the affected children. She said she did not bring up the scandal during her conversations. “I took along a jumping castle with me,” she said. She said enjoyment was also a form of self expression.

Jamil said she had started working in theatre at the age of 13. “It became an important medium of expression for me. It helped me move beyond my inferiority complexes,” she said.

Actor Seemi Raheal said for expression to be effective, one needed to be passionate about it. “It requires passion and honesty,” she said.

Writer Ali Zaryoun said unlike newscasters, artists were capable of putting themselves in specific situations they were dealing with.

Columnist Mujahid Mansoori spoke about journalism as a form of communication.

He said the emphasis on the individual was very recent in journalism.

He suggested that traditional values of journalism should not be abandoned altogether to bring it in line with the needs of the modern era.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2015.