The Faiz Festival, a wide-ranging literary festival kicked off this weekend at the Alhamra in Lahore, and if you’re the kind who’s interested in literature and the performing arts, it was the place to be.
The event opened up on Friday with a number of people descending upon the Alhamra for the experience, including students, poets, literature enthusiasts, and general intellectuals. While the opening day included a performance by Ali Sethi and a play by the Ajoka Theater, the following two days had even more exciting and insightful things planned out, including a session with Mahira Khan.
Mahira Khan in conversation with Sarmad Khoosat and Mira Hashmi
The renowned actress was invited to share the stage with actor/director/writer, Sarmad Khoosat and Mira Hashmi to talk about how to tackle stardom with responsibility. She talked about a number of things, including why she’s taking a well deserved break right now.
“My son, Azlan, he’s in the 5th grade now, and he needs me to establish that foundation for him, and my mom is also not in the best of health, so I’m taking time out for that,” said Mahira about not working after Superstar. She also talked about how she tackles being stereotyped as just a pretty face. “I’ve battled that my whole life, and now I don’t give it importance,” she said.
Mahira also reflected on the past one year, her movie Superstar, why it struck her the way it did and how it affected her.
Sarmad Khoosat also performed a recitation of Main Tenu Fir Milangi by Amrita Pritam, alongside Nimra Bucha and put up a noteworthy show for the audience.
Can anyone does that better than @KhoosatSarmad This man has some amazing talents, thoroughly enjoyed the performance #faizfestival2019 #sarmadkhoosat pic.twitter.com/V1uD6XjclW
— Sadia Rana (@Rana55Sadia) November 17, 2019
The event also included a tribute to Faiz Ahmed Faiz courtesy of celebrated thespian Zia Mohyeddin; it was titled Aik Sham Faiz Ahmed Faiz Ke Naam.Â
Zia Mohyeddin pays tribute to Faiz Ahmed Faiz at the Faiz Festival
An amalgamation of literature, music and art, the three-day event offered musical evenings, theater performances, musical evenings, film shows, art exhibitions and folk nights etc. with more than 100 scholars and speakers participating in the event over the weekend, the festival is one of its kind in the region, and this year, with the festival coinciding with Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary, honored him with special exhibitions as well.
You can watch the complete recorded live stream of Mahira’s session here.
