Twitter: Imran Abbas is an Urdu poet!

Published October 25, 2009

Now that's interesting. On Oct 18, actor Imran Abbas was on a late-nite show on PTV hosted by poet and playwright Wasi Shah. The show is called Raat Gaye and usually has a man of letters, along with a singer, as guest.

Seeing Imran Abbas there took many people by surprise, particularly when they came to know that the actor tries his hand at Urdu poetry. He had brought pieces of paper on the programme on which ghazals and nazms by known verse-wielders and himself were scribbled. He narrated them, albeit in a rush smothering some of the words, on the show. Some of his own poems were not bad, and had the metrical balance that's a prerequisite for poetry.

Imran triggered the debate that actors in Pakistan nowadays don't like to read, which is why their efforts lack poignancy while acting (or something to that effect). Actress Saina Saeed also joined the show by phoning in, agreeing with Imran Abbas that since some of the stars acquire popularity at an early stage of their career without having a book-reading background, they don't deem it fit to study literature to hone their skills.

Now the query that springs to mind like a Ghalib's couplet if Imran Abbas is into literature and stuff, what has he so far been doing on TV? Which one of his plays indicated that he's a literature buff? It's only when he appeared alongside Wasi Shah that we came to know the actor's fondness for poetry.

Opinion

Editorial

Border clashes
19 May, 2024

Border clashes

THE Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier has witnessed another series of flare-ups, this time in the Kurram tribal district...
Penalising the dutiful
19 May, 2024

Penalising the dutiful

DOES the government feel no remorse in burdening honest citizens with the cost of its own ineptitude? With the ...
Students in Kyrgyzstan
Updated 19 May, 2024

Students in Kyrgyzstan

The govt ought to take a direct approach comprising convincing communication with the students and Kyrgyz authorities.
Ominous demands
Updated 18 May, 2024

Ominous demands

The federal government needs to boost its revenues to reduce future borrowing and pay back its existing debt.
Property leaks
18 May, 2024

Property leaks

THE leaked Dubai property data reported on by media organisations around the world earlier this week seems to have...
Heat warnings
18 May, 2024

Heat warnings

STARTING next week, the country must brace for brutal heatwaves. The NDMA warns of severe conditions with...