Nepotism in Pakistan: the ifs, whys and hows

Bollywood has been under fire for the nepotism debate since 2017 when Kangana Ranaut openly talked about the issue. Surnames like Kapoor, Bachchan, and Khan are said to be getting all the good films. With outsiders being pushed aside.

#Censor_Web_Series
3 grown men bullying a young self made actress #Kangana so brazenly trying to insinuate things. How embarassed are you after this @AnilKapoor @duttsanjay ? But the girl comes back and nails it! pic.twitter.com/miixvTVfrn

— Kangana Ranaut F (@OfficialKangna_) July 19, 2020

While all of this might be very well true for Bollywood, we too have been seeing an increase in the debate in our beloved industry: Lollywood. Before delving into the ifs and the whys of nepotism, we need to understand how the industry started in the first place and what nepotism entails.

A brief history of Lollywood

Even though films were made in Pakistan before and after the partition but the 1960s is called the Golden Age of cinema. This is when Pakistani filmmakers made their colour films. Also, as Indian cinema was completely banned in September 1965, the general public’s interest in Pakistani cinema grew ten folds.

Pakistan was flooded with talents in the 1970s. Names like Sangeeta who debuted with Kankganin in 1969 came into notice. Syed Noor was also another big name of the time in the director and screenwriter space.

The downfall

The Golden Age was short-lived as in late 1970, Pakistani President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq began to Islamize the country. Pakistani filmmakers are now required to obtain degrees under new registration requirements. The film industry also collapsed due to the closure of many cinemas and increasing tax rates.

By the 1990s, annual film production had dropped to around 40 films. All of which were produced by a single company. Other productions had to be independent of any studio and were frequently self-funded by the filmmakers. Some filmmakers managed to endure the catastrophe. But many couldn’t, as it can be seen that productions were limited and so were the genres and storylines. The final blow happened when in 2005 the government finally decided to bring back Bollywood content in the cinemas.

Nepotism

Simply defined, nepotism is when persons in positions of authority use their influence or position of power to obtain jobs and favours for people close to them. Let’s take a look at some real-life examples to determine if our industry has ever seen something similar. Recently director Abu Aleeha took to Twitter pointing out Adnan Sami khan and Haroon Kadwani.

For those who don’t know, Abdullah Kadwani, Haroon’s father, is an actor turned producer and director. He is the owner of the well-known 7th Sky Production Company. Meanwhile, actor Azaan Sami Khan is the son of Adnan Sami Khan, a well-known Indian vocalist, and Zeba Bakhtiar, a Pakistani actress.

Now comes the question: why shouldn’t parents assist their children in making things simpler for them?

Do our parents treat us the same way? They should, to be sure. They should absolutely do so. Expecting them not to do it is tantamount to disobeying nature’s laws. The true issue emerges when they are unsure when to stop. Because you have contacts in the industry, you forced your son/daughter/sister/mother on our televisions. Fair enough. But, for the time being, let us decide whether we want to keep seeing them on our TVs. Take, for example, Ko Ko Korina. That was not something we agreed to.

What we don’t agree with is the Nepo-babies saying that what they do is all their struggle and has nothing to do with their famous relatives. Here is another question for you all, Do parents in the industry ever stop forcing their children down our throats? Shahroz Sabzwari (due to Behroz Sabzwari’s years in the industry), Shahzad Sheikh (thanks to Javed Sheikh yet again), Ahad Raza Mir (thanks to Papa Mir for jewels like Ko ko Korina), Zara Noor Abbas (thanks to mother Asma Abbas and aunt Bushra Ansari), and the list goes on.

Everyone in the industry now appears to be connected to everyone else. This leads me to my second point: directors have stopped actively looking for new talent. Because of the ties and concomitant handiness of these industry kids and relatives, those in authority have become comfortable. This is likely why we are still miles behind Bollywood. Yes, more films are being released, and the cinema is (ideally) becoming bigger and better. However, do you think we have performers that we can confidently say are truly exceptional at what they do? Personally, I do not believe we have.

My point is that you can use your parents’ professional connections as much as you want. But strive to emulate Ali Sethi, who, despite having a powerful father, has never ceased trying to improve himself. Second, understand when enough is enough.

Pakistani Actors Who Got Work Because Of Nepotism

Many of Pakistan’s popular actors and actresses are related to producers, directors, screenwriters, or other notable actors. The Sabzwari-Sheikh clan includes Behroze Sabzwari’s son Shahroz Sabzwari and Javed Sheikh’s children Shehzad Sheikh and Momal Sheikh.

Zara Noor Abbas is the niece of Bushra Ansari and the daughter of Asma Abbas. Ahad Raza Mir is the son of Asif Raza Mir, a well-known actor. Sheheryar Munawwar Siddiqui is also Sultana Siddiqui’s nephew, the founder of a private channel.

Pehlaj and Shees Gul, two child actors, are also related to people in the industry. Alif, Iqrar ul Hassan’s son starred in Pehlaaj. Sajjad Gul’s son Shees is a well-known screenwriter (popularly known as Saji Gul).

This proves that Nepotism is undeniable in Pakistan’s entertainment industry. And it has crushed more careers than anything else. Individuals, as well as the entire industry, have suffered enormously as a result of this culture of silent practice of casting people who are already well-known from movies and television series has harmed the industry, and no one is willing to admit it.

Nepotism is one of the reasons for the downfall of the industry

I say this because of the following reasons

Resulting in a Dearth of Talent

Most, if not all, aspiring Pakistani actors are never given the chance to demonstrate their talent. As a result, they never advance to a prominent role. Our Pakistani entertainment sector has traditionally rewarded those who have worked there before. While newcomers have been treated harshly. The practice of asking which “talent agency” sent that person is still prevalent.

New Content Avoidance

We can’t stop laughing at the things we see in our movies and on television. Because there is so little change. New talents are never given the opportunity to create original content. The same directors, producers, and actors in every drama or film. Even this can go as far as saying that almost every drama or film on air right now has a similar version in the past.

Talent Pool Monopolization

If television conglomerates and production firms hadn’t been involved in monopolizing talent and forming ‘camps’ of performers who would only work with a specific channel. Nepotism would not have been such a threat to the business.

Taking away credibility

What’s worse than not providing equal opportunities to newcomers? Award shows are losing their respect! These platforms are supposed to identify brilliance. But isn’t it odd that the same people win over and over again? This has just served to demonstrate how strong nepotism is in our field, and it’s alarming to realize how much talent we’re losing as a result.

Even after all this, we blame Hollywood or streaming channels for lack of viewership. Why can’t our directors and producers understand that we as an audience are ready for something out of the box? We want real stories, taboo stories, something that we can relate to. Why are they in the rat race to get a movie done and in the theaters? I understand that there are censorship issues and other folkways attached to film-making (which is a debate for another time) but at least we should try to deviate from the bubble that the entertainment industry has caused.