Sultana Siddiqui is a legend of the industry. Starting her career from PTV as a single mother of three boys, she now operates one of the biggest channels in Pakistan. She is the face of Hum TV and her work in the industry is matchless. Sultana Siddiqui recently appeared on the podcast DigiTales and she opened up about her life, struggles and motivations. She also talked about the awards culture in Pakistan and how stars have started using it as a money making gig only.
We have seen an increasing culture of alleged award fixing and stars only attending shows when they are getting trophies or are being paid to be there. This is something that has been advocated by some while others criticize the practice. Sultana Siddiqui shared how stars now behave when they are invited to an award show and how this is affecting the industry.
Sultana Siddiqui revealed that at the latest Hum Style Awards, the Hum team called a star to invite them and they asked if they were getting a trophy, otherwise they will not be coming. She said people respect her and would not say this to her but she hears things from the team. Also stars ask money for everything, even clapping or presenting an award. She said this will destroy the importance of appreciation and at one point as there will be no one to clap for the others.
Here is what she said:
She also shared that she takes awards outside the country to represent her culture. The first time they did their awards in Canada is when they were going to spend 40 crores on the show and they were not sure that they would break even but it went really well.
This is what she shared: