n the night of April 3, Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari paid surprise visits to Mehfil, Prince and Tamaseel theatres to see for herself the performances being staged there. The minister went backstage and wasn’t impressed by the way the place was maintained. She also noticed a lack of hygiene and cleanliness, and reportedly shouted at the management and called out some women performers she found wearing “indecent” attire and dancing to vulgar songs.

Eventually, notices were issued to Neeli, Saima Khan, Nayab Khan, Sonu Butt and a couple of other performers. The minister also urged theatre owners to produce plays for family audiences.

Theatre-goers and stakeholders are divided over the minister’s policing act. Some have appreciated it as a much-needed gesture; others are calling it a misstep. Dr Rizwan Safdar, a professor of sociology at the University of the Punjab, says he has strong concerns about the current state of Punjabi theatre. “There’s a general consensus among the thinking public that if theatres are to operate, they should be regulated,” he tells The News on Sunday. “If they [theatre owners] want things to go on as it is, then perhaps bars, too, should be allowed.

“What’s happening here in the name of theatre is not something families are comfortable watching. In fact, you can’t call it theatre; it’s soft porn.”

Commenting on how the system affects the performers, he says, “Instead of banning the performers, the government should take the theatre owners to task. It’s the owners and drama producers who pressure the performers into doing whatever they get to do. Given a choice, they [performers] may not expose their bodies. I believe regulation should start at the owners’ level.”

Tahir Sarwar Mir, a senior film and theatre journalist, believes that the minister exceeded her authority: “She’s not a judge of good taste. Even give her sincerity, her zeal is misplaced,” he says.

Jawad Khan, a comedian, however, sides with the minister. He says, “dance has been called a’zaa ki shayari [poetry through performer’s body], but if it descends into vulgar moves, it loses artistic merit.”

Legendary comedian Khalid Abbas Dar says the minister raiding the theatres is in bad taste. “Raids are meant to catch the fugitives; theatre is a fun place, there are no criminals hiding here.”

Comedian Khalid Abbas Dar says the minister raiding the theatres is in bad taste. “Raids are meant to catch the fugitives; theatre is a fun place, there are no criminals hiding here. Instead of telling off the performers, the government should focus on improving on its own working. Once the script has been approved by a government body, how can such raids be justified?” he asks.

This isn’t the first time commercial theatre has been on the government radar. Previously, Amir Mir, the caretaker information and culture minister, had shut all theatres in Lahore over vulgar content.

The theatre-walas weathered the storm and have made a fierce comeback. Tamaseel, however, is still reeling from the aftershocks.

In a late-night comedy musical show, Seemi Khan, an actress in her mid-30s, jumps on the stage in a body-hugging outfit, to loud cheers and whistles and breaks into a mujra on a Punjabi film song. The hall is jam-packed, mostly with men although there are also some couples.

Earlier, there has been a hilarious comedy full of funny comebacks that seemed more impromptu than scripted. “You can’t control me, dear; you aren’t the culture minister,” a rustic man’s character warns his rather ‘bossy’ wife.

The viewers seem to enjoy this kind of comedy but the dance performances are the main draw. Some of the regulars say that after the minister’s raids, the dance movements have been toned down.

Ajmal Fayaz (name changed on request), an avid theatre-goer, calls the mujra performances “affordable entertainment. It costs you Rs 300-1,000 per head. But you don’t regret it. You’ve laughed your heart out and for some time left your dull, unexciting life behind.”

Lahore is home to 16 commercial theatres where such nightly performances have the paying public go wild. When contacted, the managements as well as dancers were reluctant to comment on the policing by the minister.

Ahsan Malik is a media veteran interested in politics, consumer rights and entrepreneurship