LAHORE: Artists, brought together by film star Resham, thanked fashion designer Mehmood Bhatti, for providing financial aid and motivating them for future projects. Resham opened the event by introducing Bhatti as a fashion designer who ‘lived in Paris, but still worked in Pakistan and especially for the artist community’. She said that recently he had helped veteran actress-filmmaker Shamim Ara who had suffered a brain hemorrhage in October paid for her treatment.
She also said that Bhatti also paid for the treatment of veteran writer-columnist Munnoo Bhai. Artists came up to pay a tribute to Bhatti and highlight the various problems which the film industry was facing. Filmmaker Syed Noor said that Bhatti had laid the foundations for an NGO and that it was a great effort from someone who belonged to the private sector.
“This man is a pioneer from the private sector who has stepped forward in helping us out,” said Noor. “It’s not just about money but it is basically about being supported and Bhatti has done this,” he said. Noor expressed disgust at the lack of interest shown by successive governments in this regard.
“It does not matter whose government it is but the government has always been ignorant of our problems and does not possess the ability of understanding arts and culture,” he said categorically. “Artists such as Mehdi Hassan or Jameel Fakhri have contributed their whole lives and this can never be compensated by money,” the filmmaker said. Noor also said that it was saddening that whenever an artist was in need of help, they were ignored.
Film star Ghulam Mohaiyyuddin said that it was true that artistes were ignored but it was also true that with times, people’s minds changed. “I’m not making political statements but the last government contributed by at least naming two roads on Muhammad Ali and Zeba and Noor Jahan in Lahore. During the present government, the PM has given money for Shamim Ara’s treatment, but for artistes it is important to remember that we would all fall ill someday and we would all need help,” he said.
Other artistes also mentioned the fact that copyright violations be controlled. If it was implemented, artistes who were currently not well off would be definitely much richer and less dependant upon a third party. The event concluded by Bhatti’s speech who said that he was overwhelmed by the tributes paid to him and he believed in helping others and that money was not an issue for him, but concept was. Shamim Ara’s husband Dabeerul Hassan also spoke on the occasion and thanked artists for remembering his wife at such a time.
Renowned singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Zill-e-Huma, Ehsan Khan, Nisho, Sangeeta, Kashif Mehmood, Wasi Shah, Juggan Kazim, and Farooq Hassan also attended the event.
