Pakistan Television (PTV) has been accused of ‘humiliating’ veteran actor Rashid Mahmood by giving him a cheque of Rs 620 of which Rs 500 is the Pride of Performance fees, leaving him with only Rs 120. The baffled actor took to social media to express his confusion and disappointment over the matter, saying “What are the criteria of paying a Pride of Performance winner in this country and who spent 50 years of [his] life in PTV.”
In a video message, Mahmood shared how he was invited to recite a marsiya two years ago in Muharram.
“I hadn’t really received any work opportunities from PTV in the past two years. During Muharram, Pakistan Television Lahore had commissioned me to recite Mir Anees’s marsiya. I recorded it and it aired on the 9th and 10th Muharram multiple times. After two years, I received a cheque of only Rs 620,” he said, referring to the compensation as an ‘insult’.
“In this Naya Pakistan, will my mother institute insult me and give me this sort of attitude? People whose worth in the showbiz industry is questionable take Rs 1.5 to 2.5 million. Today I announce that I will never work for PTV,” he lamented.
Following Mahmood’s tweet, several celebrities including Ali Zafar, Shamoon Abbasi and Omair Rana extended their support to the senior actor and expressed their disappointment over the state-owned channel.
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PTV management later apologised to Mahmood and clarified that the cheque was “mistakenly issued in his name”.
However, PTV then issued a new cheque to the veteran actor which was worth Rs 9600 only. Posting a picture of the new cheque, Mahmood said that he will not work with PTV in the future and will not be cashing the cheques either.
“I [have] framed the decorated [the cheques] in my drawing room,” said Mahmood.
Meanwhile, when Minister for Information Shibli Faraz was asked to share the government’s stance on the matter, Faraz said he immediately reached out to PTV MD when he saw the tweet and was assured that the matter has been dealt with.
VJ and TV presenter Sophiya Anjum also shared her experience of not getting her dues from PTV, commenting that the channel lacks basic deceny.
