Amidst all the outrage over actor Fahad Sheikh’s ‘joke’ with veteran actor Mohammed Ahmed, which the latter found disrespectful, a powerful voice from Islamabad has entered the fray.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar posted about the incident on X on Thursday, calling Sheikh’s actions “not only condemnable but highly deplorable”.
The minister said he had a possible solution in mind to try to make the entertainment industry a more respectful place. He proposed the establishment of a mentorship programme for young actors where they could learn the trade from their seniors.
Tarar said Ahmed would be a suitable candidate to head the programme as a senior TV artist, or a council of senior actors could do it instead. He said he would be calling a meeting of TV artists soon to gather suggestions for the project.
Appearing on the Dareecha podcast on Saturday, Ahmed had recounted an incident where a much younger actor started ridiculing him in the green room. The actor said the man was the show’s lead actor and spoke in a loud voice to boost his sense of importance in the room. The unnamed actor told people, “This man here, Mohammed Ahmed, I first worked with him four to six years ago and he judged me to see whether I could act, then he told the producer I was alright.”
