Director Sangeeta has filed a police complaint against unidentified armed individuals who forcibly stopped the shooting of her drama Bulleh Shah and held actress Saima hostage for two hours.
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore alongside director Syed Noor, Sangeeta revealed that unknown men with weapons threatened and harassed her crew during production.
“It has been 50 years serving this country and nation, and this is how we are treated,” Sangeeta said emotionally. “Seven to eight lawyers came to the set and threatened everyone. They told Saima they would handcuff her.”
Sangeeta explained that she had fallen ill and left the set, asking Saima to complete two remaining scenes, when the men arrived.
“Saima is a lioness. When they said they would handcuff her, she told them to go ahead. They held her there and told her she couldn’t leave without their permission. This went on for one and a half to two hours,” Sangeeta said.
She confirmed that she had filed an FIR against the armed men at Shera Kot police station and named lawyer Ahmed Jahangir Baloch as the person behind the harassment.
“He keeps sending notices to all the artists, claiming he is the producer. He keeps saying ‘Meet me alone, madam, and this matter will be resolved,’” Sangeeta revealed. “He claims he has invested 2 crore 40 lakh rupees. Where is the proof? Who did he give this money to?”
Sangeeta explained she has been producing the 50-episode drama on the legendary 18th century poet Bulleh Shah for two and a half years, and cited writer Parvez Kaleem and other artists as witnesses to her role as producer.
“I have directed 80 films, worked in 150 films, and produced 50 films as a producer. I have never experienced anything like this,” she said.
Director Syed Noor, who is married to actress Saima, also spoke out.
“We are those people from the film industry who only endure hardships. We provide entertainment, we give respect, we portray the world in our films, but what do we get in return?” Syed Noor asked.
“My wife Saima is a brave woman. The way she faced that harassment, she handled it. But if this happens again in the future, if any artist, male or female, gets harassed like this, where will we go?”
He warned about the struggling state of the film industry.
“Our industry is fighting its own battles. If another incident happens, who will be responsible?” he questioned. “Earlier, people wouldn’t let us shoot. Now those in black coats [lawyers] are troubling us.”
Sangeeta revealed that actor Nauman Ejaz, who was part of the drama, refused to continue working due to the threats.
“Nauman Ejaz got so scared he said he won’t work until this matter is resolved. So I let him go, and his son worked in the drama instead,” she told members of the press.
The veteran director also disclosed that Ahmed Jahangir Baloch called them just an hour before the press conference.
“He was asking where we are and what we are doing. How can someone call and ask me what I’m doing?” she voiced in frustration.
Sangeeta appealed to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the Inspector General of Punjab to take the matter seriously.
“If this is how it’s going to be with senior artists like us, if this happens to me as a producer, director, and artist, then who else is safe? Perhaps they think because I’m a woman, they can harass me. But they don’t know how strong this woman’s children are,” she warned.
The drama Bulleh Shah, which is nearly complete, tells the story of the Sufi poet who is buried in Kasur. The shooting was taking place near the River Ravi in Lahore when the incident occurred.