It’s never too late, they say. The playwright with a sharp socio-political sense (and DMD Pakistan Television) Shahid Nadeem has been bestowed with President’s Pride of Performance for Literature.

The marked feature of Shahid Nadeem’s showbiz and literary career is the no less than 40 top-notch Urdu and Punjabi plays that he’s written. In a country where original scripts for theatre are a rare treat, his plays have been a source of inspiration for many. For television he has penned and produced critically acclaimed drama serials such as Neelay Haath, Zard Dopehar, Janjaalpura and Ghairat, apart from telefilms Choolah Aur Chaardeevari and Sahara.
Shahid Nadeem has produced documentaries on human rights issues as well, a couple for Amnesty International, and one of them was selected for screening at the South Asian Documentaries Festival in 2001.

Not many are aware that Shahid Nadeem’s plays have been included in the MA Punjabi syllabus in India. Recently Oxford University Press published a collection of English translations of his dramas. His association with the country’s foremost theatre group Ajoka as its executive director has also been exceedingly productive.

Courtesy: Dawn Images