Daily Times

We’ve been down this road countless times before. For the umpteenth time, the Punjab government has launched an official crackdown on commercial theatres in a bid to control the propogation of scandalous, obscene content. Amid show-cause notices to as many as 23 actresses on top of FIRs lodged against two, transfers of Lahore Arts Council Executive Director and committees constituted to monitor stage performances at government-run theatres, the information and culture ministry is running in overdrive. Although commercial theatre had long replaced meaningful content at even premier cultural bodies, viral videos of dare-bare dances and racy dialogues have prompted the ongoing series of stringent actions from the higher-ups. Quite expectedly, accusations of corruption abound and the air is rife with allegations of decision-makers greenlighting everything for the sake of coins rolling in their own coffers. While it may be easy to ban artists because they were caught committing obscenity on stage, their role in the food chain amounts to nothing more than a helpless pawn dancing as per the whims of wealthy producers. If the Punjab government is as serious about restoring the real value of arts and quality entertainment in Lahore, it would be a worthwhile exercise to establish transparency in the issuance of no-objection certificates. How is it that senior officials waving hands in the air are enough for the law enforcement authorities to ignore them and the drama-makers only to tighten their claws around artists? More important is the pursuit of investing in a pool of credible writers and worthy artists to replace the current lot. It is necessary that we evaluate the role and the future of theatre as a medium in Pakistan and the impact that it is having on our lives. If not supplemented by audience-appropriate scripts and lasting dialogues, this exercise would achieve nothing more than tickers on television screens. *