Veteran Pakistani actor and director Usman Peerzada believes that people who moved to Lahore from smaller cities failed to understand its character, which damaged its culture over time.
The comments came during a recent television appearance that showed Peerzada discussing the divide between old and new residents of the city.
“The old Lahoris and the new Lahoris never really had any conflict with each other,” he said, recalling his time at Government College, where he mixed freely with students from the old city.
“When we went to Government College, many of our classmates were from androon [walled city of Lahore]. We would often spend our afternoons in the old city, so there was never really a cultural conflict,” he said.
Peerzada then explained what he believes changed over the years. “I have always felt that Lahore’s culture was damaged to some extent by people who came here from smaller cities,” he said.
He was careful to note that migration itself was not the problem. “There is nothing wrong with that in itself. People move from smaller cities to bigger cities for a better life or for better opportunities for their children,” he said.
“But unfortunately, some of them could not understand the temperament and character of this city,” he added.
Despite the changes, Pirzada maintained that Lahore’s core identity has held firm. “Lahore is what it is, and I believe it will always remain that way,” he said.
“There are certain traditions and ways of life that, despite everything, still exist,” he added. “I have always been in love with this city because I grew up here.”
Peerzada also reflected on opportunities to leave Pakistan, which he turned down. “There were times when I had great opportunities to leave the country and move abroad for a better future,” he said, going on to compare it to the same pattern of migration he discussed earlier.
“People travel all the time, just as people move from smaller cities to bigger cities, they also move to places like New York or London,” he said.
“But I could never imagine myself living away from Lahore.”
Peerzada has spent more than five decades in Pakistan’s entertainment industry as an actor, director, producer and screenwriter.
He started his career in theatre while studying at Government College, and landed his first major screen role in 1976 in Beyond the Last Mountain, Pakistan’s first English-language feature film.
He went on to write, direct and produce several successful films, including Gori Dyan Jhanjran, which won six National Awards, and Karz, one of the most successful Pakistani films of its time.
In 2023, he received the PTV National Icon Award in recognition of his contribution to Pakistani film and television.
