KARACHI: Seasoned TV and stage actor Talat Hussain has regretted steady decline in the content of locally-produced television plays, severely affecting the needed change the strong medium can bring about in society.

Speaking at a programme titled ‘Meeting with Legends,’ organised by H.E.J Alumni, he emphasised that stage and television plays must not cross moral boundaries as art could not achieve excellence without spirituality and sanctity.

He regretted that current drama production largely lacked quality and excellence, and it was mainly because substandard content was being produced in the name of commercialism.

He said there was no dearth of qualified and competent individuals in the field, but they were being deliberately ignored and consequently whatever was being showcased was having negative implications on the society in general.

Later, during a question and answer session, Mr Hussain urged students to inculcate book reading as a habit as this not only widened the vision of the readers, but also opened fresh avenues for them.

“My association with learning took me to England where I joined the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1972 and got myself trained in the field of drama,” he said in reply to a question.

The event held at the Prof Salimuzzaman Siddiqui Auditorium, International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, was attended by students of the centre as well as scholars and researchers from different departments of the university.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2020