Daily Times

After folk band The Sketches, singer and actress Meesha Shafi, model Eman Suleman, clothing brand Generation and makeup artist Saima Bargfrede withdrew nominations from Lux Style Awards (LSA) 2019 in support of all victims, filmmaker Jami dumped his LSA outside on the road to show solidarity.

“Lux Award for Best Film ‘Moor’ is now on the road outside my gate. We believe and stand by our women’s stories,” Jami Tweeted along with photos of his award on the street.

Earlier, the ‘021’ director had posted on Facebook and said, “Azad Film Company and me will put all our LSAs outside my gate tomorrow. Jis ko akar lena hai lai jain. It is trash for us now! We stand by our women, believe them and their stories.”

Jami’s retaliation comes after The Sketches released a statement regarding them withdrawing their nomination and cited their “values and principles, which, we will not bend for any award” as the primary reason behind their move to reject the coveted award show, mentioning further that they “cannot do this if we put our conscience aside for cash or credits”.

‘Azad Film Company and me will put all our LSAs outside my gate tomorrow. Jis ko akar lena hai lai jain. It is trash for us now! We stand by our women, believe them and their stories’

Prior to The Sketches, Meesha Shafi, a champion of women’s rights, had announced her request to the LSAs to remove her name from the Best Song nominees, becoming the fourth candidate to do so, as contenders one after the other reject the show in solidarity with the survivors of sexual abuse and misconduct.

Earlier, clothing brand Generation — known for its support of ethical and social issues — and makeup artist Saima Bargfrede had decided to reject the LSA nominations, stating that “accepting any nomination or award and participating in LSA 2019 would be doing a disservice to the cause of women’s empowerment and the urgent need to address the menace of sexual harassment”.

The wave of contenders turning down nominations started with Eman Suleman, who is known to speak up about social issues. She had published a video on her Instagram account on April 1 to inform her fans and friends of her choice to not attend the LSAs.

“I’m tired of talking about it to be honest but I do not wish to be part of an accolade that is shared with an alleged harasser,” she had said, though without naming who she was referring to.

Celebrity makeup artist Fatima Nasir has also withdrawn her nomination, saying, “Hello everyone. I’m withdrawing my nomination from LSA 2019. Thank you for your support and understanding.”