Saba Qamar and Bilal Saeed apologize for controversial mosque shoot

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 9 August 2020

Saba Qamar and Bilal Saeed faced backlash for filming a dance sequence at the historic Wazir Khan Masjid. They have since issued an apology regarding the incident.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—After outcry over social media, actor Saba Qamar and singer Bilal Saeed have apologized for an alleged dance step while filming a nikah scene at the historical Wazir Khan Masjid in Lahore.

Saba and Bilal shared the teaser of the music video—Qabool—on Instagram, saying: “This is also the only sequence that was shot at the historical Wazir Khan Mosque. It’s a prologue to the music video featuring a Nikah scene. It was neither shot with any sort of playback music nor has it been edited to the music track.”

Saba further added that the BTS video making rounds on social media was just a circular movement to click stills for the poster of “Qabool” depicting a happily married couple right after their nikah. “Hurting or offending anyone or being disrespectful to a holy place is as unimaginable and unacceptable for me as for any decent human being,” she added. “Despite this if we have unknowingly hurt anyone’s sentiments we apologise to you all with all our heart. Love & peace!”

Saeed said the video is coming out on August 11 and asked everyone to see the full video before jumping to conclusions.

The question of who allowed the filming of the scene at the mosque was hotly debated. A copy of the permission by the Auqaf and Religious Department, Punjab, was also widely shared on social media. It allows for the filming of the scene with specific conditions such as no music during the recording.

BBC Urdu said Syed Saeed ul Hasan, Punjab’s Minister for Auqaf and Religious Affairs, has confirmed the permission for the filming of the nikah scene. However, he added that no shooting of any kind is allowed in mosques except for a documentary. Yet, the minister has ordered an inquiry, seeking a report on it in three days. In this regard, a manager of the Auqaf circle 4 has been suspended.

KEY POINTS:

• The controversial scene filmed at Wazir Khan Masjid sparked public outrage.
• Saba Qamar and Bilal Saeed expressed regret and clarified the filming details.
• Permission for the shoot was confirmed by Punjab's Minister for Auqaf.
• An inquiry has been ordered regarding the filming conditions.
• Social media reactions prompted the actors to apologize for any offense caused.