Indian actors Katrina Kaif and Amitabh Bachchan are among the foreign dignitaries who may attend the annual Literary and Cultural Conference being organised by the Lahore Arts Council in May, Programmes Deputy Director Zulfiqar Ali Zulfi told this correspondent while sharing details.

“We have sent invitations to 12 personalities from India, mostly writers, including two prominent faces from Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif. Hopefully they will attend the conference,” Zulfi added. He says among other personalities who have been sent invitation include Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi and Shamim Hanfi.

This year, the conference is themed around nostalgia, and its title is ‘Beetay Huway Din Yaad Atay Hain’. Renowned people from all fields have been invited to speak. The conference will be held from May 24-26 at the Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall.

Beaconhouse National University’s Theatre, Film and Television Department is most likely to hold an inter-university film festival next month. Dates of the festival will be finalised soon, Head of Department Asghar Nadeem Syed said.

Topics for films will be environment, culture, Pakistan and issues of children. The length of participating films will be three to 25 minutes. The university will award cash prizes to top three winners. The last date for submission of films will be announced in a week.

Shakir Ali Museum, a subsidiary of Islamabad-based Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA), will pay a tribute to late lyricist Khawaja Pervaiz with a musical night at Alhamra Art Center, The Mall, on April 16. Pervaiz penned nearly 10,000 songs for Urdu and Punjabi films in his 40-year career. He also wrote screenplays.

His first film as a lyricist was Riwaj in 1965 and he got his first break with one of the all-time romantic Urdu songs ‘Tum hi ho mehboob meray’ from the film Aaina in 1966.

He wrote more Punjabi songs than Urdu. Some of his hits include ‘Sun way balori akh waleya’, ‘Jub koi pyar se bulaye ga’, ‘Kisay da yaar na wichray’, ‘Mahi aavey ga’ sung by some legendary singers like Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ghulam Ali, Noor Jahan and Masood Rana.

Shakir Ali Museum Director Amna Pataudi shedding light on the objective of the tribute said PNCA wanted to honour leading personalities from performing arts by holding a series of tributes.

“We also want to pay tribute to living legends from showbiz as they have significant contribution to film, television and theatre.”

Amna said popular singers will perform to compositions of the late lyricist on the occasion. She said PNCA will invite prominent names from the film industry.

The Lahore Arts Council is holding a grand evening on April 7 in honour of the women who have been bestowed with the Fatima Jinnah Award. The evening will be held at Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall.

Saleema Hashmi, Naheed Siddiqui, singer Suraiya Multanikar and Bano Qudsia are among those who have been honoured with the award and are likely to attend the function along with other winners.

Ace classical dancer Naheed Siddiqui and Suariya Multanikar along with her daughter Rahat are lined up for a performance on the occasion.

The Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (Pilac) is holding an evening with artist, intellectual and former principal of the College of Art and Design, University of Punjab, Shahnawaz Zaidi, on April 8.

An exhibition of works by Zaidi would also be on display at the institute’s gallery. Another evening with poet Baba Najmi will be organised by the institute on April 11.

Pilac is also holding a daylong festival of folk songs and dance in April in connection with spring. Folk dancers and singers will participate in the festival from across Punjab.