THIS refers to the feature ‘Spotlight’ (ICON, Sept 12). I was shocked to read a quote by actor Yasir Hussain when he said: “…If you play Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, you will find hundreds of references, but there are next to no references of how Allama Iqbal walked, talked or spoke. You will never know how he recited his poetry.”

I wonder how he reached that conclusion. There are various books written on the life of Iqbal, including those written by his son, the late Justice Dr Javed Iqbal, which specifically highlight the aspects raised by the actor. Besides, doctoral theses have been written on the topic. Other than books, there are various interviews and talks in which Iqbal discussed such matters.

Hardly anyone expects our current celebrities to have in-depth knowledge of subjects, such as the life of one of the greatest poets of the region, but they can do themselves a lot of good by not displaying their lack of knowledge publicly.

Javeria Shakil
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2021