Veteran actor Khaled Anam openly criticized how people now commemorate the tragedy of Karbala, arguing that Muharram has lost its sanctity and become a commercial event.
Speaking on the Off The School podcast, Anam lamented the shift from tradition, saying, “When finances enter the equation, things take a different direction.” He pointed out that some people who forbid music have no issue adding drum machine beats to naats and nohas. “These are not tunes!” he stressed.
He noted that senior artists no longer guide juniors, and juniors, in turn, reject any mentorship. “They just say they’re earning millions on YouTube and know better,” he added. Anam criticized the current trend of stylized Muharram videos, saying, “This is not a film!”
Recalling the past, he praised the respectful tone of PTV's Muharram programming, where presenters wore black sherwanis and maintained solemnity. He contrasted that with the current culture: “Karbala and Muharram have become just another event — like Ramazan transmissions — with albums released just for the occasion.”
