In a world where free speech is promoted through and through, tolerance seems to be waning at the exact same rate.
The annual Lux Style Awards faced a bit of controversy this year with the nomination of Ali Zafar following the #MeToo crisis with Meesha Shafi and several other women who came forward with their claims, resulting in a lot of the nominees and celebrities from sitting the event out (and are still reportedly sticking to their guns!!
One such pioneer, Maheen Khan also spoke out a few times and one of her facebook status’ actually hit home and raised questions – viable ones that others have discussed at length in private – not just this year, but several times over the course of the years. She added that she believed that the nominations are based on popularity and “credence should be given for talent whether they are commercially successful or not.”
Hours before the award ceremony is about to start, she has a facebook status up which states the LSA committee has not sent her an invite out of courtesy, whatever their thoughts are on her comments.
We can’t help but wonder, is this how major events will handle the veterans of the industry for speaking their minds and raising concerns? Will the culture of silence become the new norm if what is being said is unsavoury or riddled with truth?