“It’s not ego; it’s self-respect”

Lux Style Awards have long been the only platform recognizing Pakistani talent from pop culture cohesively. However, since last year the awarding body is finding itself engulfed in more controversies than appreciation. While last year’s criticism was more to do with the lost grandiose of the event, this year things have gotten far more serious – questioning the integrity of the show and the credibility of some of its jury members, particularly those involved in selecting television nominees.

It goes without saying that the LSA television nominations for 2014 were not as thorough as they usually are; to some they came across as simply biased. Plays like Bashar Momin and Sadqay Tumharay that had a cult following in 2014 were blatantly left out whereas Pyaray Afzal received more than a handful of nominations in each category, casting doubt on the transparency of the selection process. While the exclusion of Sadqay Tumharay is said to be a decision made on request from the producers of the show, missing out on Bashar Momin has proved to be more troublesome for the team. It led to much hue and cry on social media, bad press and even a Twitter movement called #JusticeforBM. Hence, it was only about time that the jury reflected on its original list and come up with a revised set of nominees.

In yet another turn of events, Bashar Momin’s Faysal Qureshi, who was added to the list of revised nominations for Best TV actor category, has refused to accept the decision and wishes to pull out his name.

“We have all worked with the LSAs before and we are all working hard to take the drama industry forward but self-respect matters just as much,” asserted Faysal while speaking to Instep. “Bashar Momin was not even a second choice. It was just when Noman Ijaz’s nomination was pulled out because that serial was almost two years old that they added my name to the list.”

“I wasn’t asking for an award. Bashar Momin is a successful, trendsetting project. The entire team, from the writer to the cameraman, has done a great job but no one has been given a nod, not even Sami Khan. The point is that they should’ve been recognized, even if not given an award. In fact there were so many other serials that did well last year and should have been recognized. They should have been at least nominated while the decision should have been left in the public’s hand,” he added.

Faysal not only feels belittled by this last-minute gesture of sorts but also finds the jury’s expertise in television to be questionable. “This really puts a question mark on the jury’s qualifications. Who are these members who aren’t even aware of what dramas were aired last year? LSA is the only award show that has taken into account all popular and critically-acclaimed dramas regardless of the channel they were aired on, unlike recent award shows that are hosted by the channels themselves. So it’s important that they work towards not being biased and having the freedom to nominate the deserving.”

World over award shows get embroiled in controversies, both prior to the event and post it. The MTV Music Awards feed the media with fodder, year after year. The Filmfare Awards in India are always criticized for being star-centric. And just like these shows, stars who fail to make an appearance or decide to sit out, like Kangana Ranaut and Aamir Khan, are also heavily criticized for being unsupportive. Faysal has stepped on to the same boat by refusing to accept his nomination. However, he remains indifferent to all his critics.

“This isn’t about ego, it’s just self-respect. Why should I accept the decisions of people who have nothing to do with television, my industry? Had these nominations been made by experienced veterans like Talat Hussain or Noman Ijaz, I would have wholeheartedly accepted them. But the current jury is not experienced enough to make such important decisions. As for critics, I’d just like to say that the reason why they can be critics is because we are actors,” said an irked Faysal.