Punjab: One actress banned for indecent performance, notice to six

The Punjab government has banned stage actress Ghazal Raja for six months for alleged immoral performances in theater plays, while issuing show-cause notices to six other actors.

Provincial Department of Information and Culture issued bans and notices in the light of e-monitoring report. Actors who have been issued show cause notices include Palusha Khan, Nazi Khan, Karan Shahzadi, Tarnam Noor, Reena Multani and Rabab Chaudhry.

“Actress Ghazal Raja is alleged to have been performing on stage in an unethical manner even though she had been issued several warning notices earlier,” the department said in a written order.

Now, on the recommendation of the drama monitoring team of the Punjab Council of the Arts, he has been banned from performing in theaters across Punjab for six months.

Based on the monitoring report, notices were also issued to six other actresses, criticizing them for inappropriate behavior and unethical behavior on stage.

All these actresses have been directed to explain in writing within three days.

Senior actress Nashu Begum told Independent Urdu that ‘stage actresses resort to obscene dance instead of working hard. By which stage dramas are ending the family entertainment and increasing the obscene type of audience. Legal action against actors causing obscenity through government monitoring is the need of the hour. On which I consider this initiative of the government to be commendable.

E-Monitoring

In April this year, the government had introduced an e-monitoring system to monitor theatres.

Muhammad Luqman, IT Administrator of Punjab Arts Council Lahore told Independent Urdu that ‘cameras were already installed in some theaters but we installed new cameras in the rest. Whose feed is coming to the head office of Punjab Arts Council in Lahore and they are being monitored there. Monitoring rooms have also been set up at the divisional level. They are also being monitored there, whose feeds are also coming to the head office in Lahore.

According to Luqman, ‘9 to 10 theaters in Lahore are operational which are being monitored here at the head office. In this monitoring, we keep a strict watch that there is no immoral dance in the drama on stage. No indecent costumes should be worn or any engagement of the artists with the audience, such as no money being thrown by the audience or any gestures being made among themselves.’

“We monitor all this from 11 pm to 1 am, for which a team of three to four people is present,” he said.

How can theater be improved?

According to actress Nashu, ‘In this age of social media, the new generation needs to be introduced to real art instead of being lured by watching obscenities. We have also worked but never acted unethically. Always tried to entertain people by using my talent through acting.’

According to Nasho, ‘Artists are ambassadors of culture and culture of any nation. So we should take care that we have to convey our culture and culture to the people along with entertainment. Therefore, along with improving the performance of the actors, the content also needs to be improved.