Item numbers are not 'art' — they're nonsense, says Hamza Ali Abbasi
From cancelling his Netflix subscription to voicing his thoughts on sexual harassment, Hamza Ali Abbasi is known for his bold comments that may or may not sit well with people.
Recently, in an interview regarding the release of his upcoming movie The Legend Of Maula Jatt, the actor once again weighed in — this time on item songs and their prevalence in the mainstream media.
"Why are item numbers so bad?" the interviewer questioned, referring to a previous comment Abbasi had made, making his objection obvious post the release of his film Jawani Phir Nahi Ani.
"Let me ask you, what could be wrong where dance moves are based upon the utter objectification of the woman who is dancing?" he asked sarcastically in return, when questioned if his reservations were because of them being un-Islamic in nature.
“A song which focuses on the sexual appeal of the woman, the lyrics also focus on the sexual appeal of the woman and it comes on television and circulates on social media for children to watch — what do you think could be wrong with that? Obviously it is wrong!"
The Waar actor went on to say that such dances have a massive negative global impact on mainstream media.
"We don't need it. It's the lowest form of art to take clothes off a woman. It's not art, it's nonsense. It has had a negative impact on our country. Even India and Bollywood are distancing themselves from it. It's considered a B-grade type of content."
Abbasi took the moment to appreciate Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots for being a movie he loved, without any "obscene" songs in it.
"You don't demean a woman on screen and call it art. It may be my opinion but then why aren't strip shows art? From a religious point of view and even a secular point of view, it's wrong," he concluded.
"I don't know why we've come to a point where we can sit with our families and watch this!" he said in disdain, acknowledging that while some may call him conservative, there will be some who will agree with him. "That's how the world is," he laughed.
In the first part of the interview, Hamza discussed television and its impact on those around him.
"TV has this massive reach in Pakistan that cinemas don't," accepted Hamza, owing his popularity to Pyarey Afzal. The actor, however, said he does not regard himself as a 'celebrity'.
"I don't define myself as a celebrity but as someone who did some projects. People recognise me from my face and that's all. I think I can call myself a public personality though because I'm known for other things as well, such as my religious opinions."
Concluding, brimming with praise for his co-actor Fawad Khan, he also mentioned how The Legend of Maula Jatt would be his last film for a long time, given the many other projects he is occupied with.
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