The 2024 Presidential Awards are underway on the occasion of March 23, and many known and beloved faces have been decorated with honours. Filmmaker Bilal Lashari, who was on the initial distinguished list of 694 individuals, was awarded the coveted Sitara-i-Imtiaz. The filmmaker, who has been riding high on the success of The Legend of Maula Jatt, has proven his mettle time and again with high-impact projects.
Taking to their Instagram Stories, many congratulated Bilal. Ammara Hikmat, the producer of The Legend of Maula Jatt. congratulated the filmmaker. "A star for a superstar," she penned, sharing an image of the recipient. "Where do we begin the congratulations?" she asked. She also highlighted how this is a proud moment for the team behind the staggeringly successful film starring Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan. Bilal reshared the IG Story to his own and thanked Ammara for making the award possible.
Mirza Gohar Rasheed, who essayed the role of Maakha Natt in The Legend of Maula Jatt, also took to Instagram to congratulate Bilal on the major win and honour. "Congratulations on receiving the honour," he shared, tagging Bilal. "This is such a proud moment," he added in Urdu.
Screenwriter and actor Vasay Chaudhry also seems to have been bestowed with the sought-out honours. Taking to his Instagram Story, Ahmad Ali Butt congratulated Vasay. Sharing a grainy image of Vasay from the ceremony, Ahmad penned, "Finally. First of many to come, brother. Proud of you." Ahmad also congratulated Bilal on his win, writing, "Proud moment indeed."
As per many local news reports, shopkeeper Johnson Tariq, who was a key part in protecting a woman against mob violence during the recent Icchra incident in Lahore, was also honoured at the Pakistan Day parade. Furthermore, Sajal Ali has also received the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz. As per a previous conversation with The Express Tribune, Sajal shared, "It’s a great honour for me to receive this prestigious recognition. It feels like just yesterday I had entered the industry and to be honest, it feels surreal. I am grateful to my fraternity, fans and family for their constant support," she told The Express Tribune.
However, not all is well within the infrastructure of the awards. Sarmad Khoosat, who was supposed to receive the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, as per the initial list in August 2023, recently revealed on his Instagram handle that his name has been struck off the prestigious list. “My name has vanished from the 14 August ’23 list of Presidential Awards that everyone ‘officially’ and unofficially congratulated me for,” posted the actor and director, just days before the awards were to be officially announced.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, actor Simi Raheal shared the news and said, "Countless 'actually' deserving artists are repeatedly missed out/ignored just because..award? What award?" Tagging Sarmad, she added, "You are a fine, honest, credible artist, dearly loved."
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