National Icon Gala pays tributes to artistes of last 70 years

ISLAMABAD: As part of national effort for revival of the film industry and cultural heritage, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting organised a grand evening "National Icon Gala" to pay tributes to the iconic personalities from the world of Pakistani films, TV, radio, music and other areas of performing and visual arts, who have made a sterling contribution during the last 70 years in their respective domains.

The first of its kind, the "National Icon Awards" show was a celebration of the rich and vibrant history of Pakistani performing arts, spanning over seven decades. Hence, the format was split over various segments, each recognising and paying tribute to the maestros of those respective generations and their immense contributions in shaping the national narrative. The contemporary community of artists joined hands for the Awards Show to pay tribute to the legends of performing arts, whose struggle and prodigious talent set the foundations of an industry that once ruled the hearts and minds of its viewers. In this manner, the meritorious services of all those gifted souls were recognized, who over the decades, had cultivated and developed, through the most challenging of times in our nation’s history, a narrative of harmony, levity and collectivism.

The artists who won the awards were Sohail Rana, Kanwal Naseer, Suriya Multanikar, Zeba, Shoaib Hashmi, Qavi Khan, Khawaja Najamul Hassan, Abida Parveen, Naeem Tahir, Yasmeen Tahir, Shakeel, Haseena Moeen, Irfan Khoosat, Sarmad Khoosat, Anjuman, Nauman Ejaz, Marina Khan, Humayun Saeed, Saba Hameed, Behroze Sabzwari, Firdous Jamal, Babara Sharif, Faisal Rehman, Syed Noor, Afzal Khan (Rambo), Sultana Siddiqui, Robina Ashraf, Ahsan Khan and Saba Qamar. Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said that artists not only portrayed characters, but also had the profound ability to set direction for the society.

The minister said artists were the face of Pakistan and a reflection of the diversity and vibrancy of its people. Pakistan was known because of its artists, and now young artists were the true face of the country. Humbleness and perseverance of the senior artists kept them professionally alive and connected them with the next generation, she added. Marriyum said, "Artists influence the mood and attitude of people and can play a role to erase social ills in the society. Artists make valuable contribution to bring positive change in society through the values that they stress on." She said that in the past eras, citizens were deprived of the right of freedom of expression and voice of the artists was suppressed. "Freedom of expression is right of every citizen. Silence of artists does not send a positive message to the outside world and we need to put spotlight on the positive image of Pakistan," Marriyum added.