Under the current crisis of Coronavirus and its irrepressible spread in Pakistan, celebrities from Pakistan have joined hands in fight against the virus and created a short firm with highly effective message. The project called ‘Call to Action’ instigates people to stand up against their family and friends who ignore guidelines of healthcare institutions and government regarding social distancing and lockdown.
Pakistani Celebrities have always stepped up in National calamities
Whether it is a natural disaster or local crime, political movements or human rights, Pakistani celebrities have always been vocal about it. Pakistani masses are mainly illiterate with literacy rate hardly around 60%. It is one of the main reasons that both federal and provincial governments seem helpless in communicating their plea for social distancing across the general population.
Read More: Corona Virus cases in Pakistan cross 11,000, Live Stats
However, among few things that the masses relate to is the silver screen of Pakistan where Pakistani dramas are watched religiously every evening by families across the country.
The celebrities in Pakistan are well-aware of their influence on general masses and have always participated in social and political awareness programs. The earthquake of 2005, Pakistan floods in 2013, elections of 2013 and 2018, Shahzeb murder case 2012, Zainab murder case 2018, incident of cross fire with Amal in 2018 and many more incidents saw active participation by celebrities in raising their voice against the injustice. The involvement of celebrities in any incident tend to have greater impact on masses compared to journalists and politicians.
Celebrities give a strong message to fight against Covid-19
The short film (2 minutes and 45 sec) on Covid-19 is directed by famous actor and director Faisal Qureshi, and give several messages to Pakistanis regarding not leaving their homes during lockdown, avoid spreading unconfirmed WhatsApp messages, avoid handshakes and hang outs, take healthy diet and maintain great hygiene. The celebrities include Hamza Ali Abbasi, Reema Khan, Humayun Saeed, Bilal Maqsood, Maya Ali, Munawar Sheryar, Ayesha Omar, Faisal Kapadia, Legend Anwar Maqsood and Shehzad Roy. Moreover, Wasim Akran and his wife Shaneira Thompson have also participated in this effort for Pakistani people.
Earlier, Pakistani celebrities also made videos displaying their voluntary work like distributing ration and stitching PPEs for healthcare workers that spread a message for hoarders to step forward and contribute positively to the crisis.
As the cases of Covid-19 exceed 11,000 in Pakistan, we need more social efforts like these to reach out to general public who is unwilling to pay heed to government’s appeal.
