P R O F I L E
After an emotional speech by Freiha, Sahir Ali Bagga and Ali Azmat took
the stage and got the audience dancing with their energetic performance
using traditional instruments such as the duff, Dudak and baglama.
Following the performance, Ahmed and Vasay came back with yet another
humorous ac t where they summoned stars to the ‘confession box’ and
questioned them about their latest doings. After this, the television
category was up next. This was hosted by Mahira Khan and Ahsan Khan
and they added some much-needed energy to the night dancing to Mahira’s
Zaalima and Ahsan’s Sadqa.
As expected Baaghi bagged most awards. Saba Qamar and Ahad Raza Mir
won best actor and actress for their shows Baaghi and Yakeen ka Safar,
respectively. The women empowerment and #MeinBhi movement were
highlighted yet again when Sarmad Khoosat came to stage to pay a tribute
to the late human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir, who was given an award,
which was received by her daughter Muneeze Jahangir. However, there
was no mention of the late veteran actor Qazi Wajid during the night.
Qazi Wajid played an important role in the entertainment industry until
the end, yet received no mention or a tribute.
The last award category was the film awards, hosted by Vasay Chaudry
and Cake star Sanam Saeed.
The event concluded with a grand performance as the stage turned into an
orchestra where stars came together to perform the anthem for the ‘Mein
Bhi’ movement, Shehzad Roy’s ‘Kya Darta Hai’.
The anthem was performed by 36 music artists, which included young
and old singers, rappers, rock stars and qawwals. The idea was to send
a powerful message across with music. Massarrat Misbah with acid burn
survivors, Mukhtaran Mai and Ansar Burney were also present on stage
during the performance.
As the show ended we couldn’t help but question the presence of celebrities
at the event. Since the idea of the awards night was to bring together the
entire Pakistani entertainment industry, their diffrences stood out. Not
only that, many stars left the venue midway during the event, which
reduced the number of people in the hall to less than half.
Moreover, it was also noticeable that the number of star celebrities was
less as compared to previous years. Notable names like Fawad Khan, Ali
Zafar, Saba Qamar, Mehwish Hayat, Maya Ali, Hareem Farooq and Shaan
Shahid were nowhere to be seen. Could it possibly mean that the stars
themselves are tired of the increasing number of award shows and fashion
weeks in the industry or was it personal clashes with the organisers? Looks
like no one will know, but we sure hope to see them next time.
Nonetheless, the event was all about glitz and glamour and a night to
remember for most people who took time out to attend it.