Anwar Maqsood apologises for ‘racist’ portrayal of Sindhis following backlash

Veteran actor, comedian and writer Anwar Maqsood has apologised for his ‘racist’ portrayal of Sindhis in a recent episode of his web-series Anwarnama.

The veteran writer’s apology came following backlash over his latest skit in which he interviewed a "common Sindhi" man.

During the episode titled Aik Sindhi Ka Interview, the man claimed he did nothing for a living "because I am Sindhi" and took multiple bank loans which he avoided paying back by faking his death. 

People were critical over the portrayal of the Sindhi man as “lazy and corrupt” and stated such generalisations "spread hate". 

Comedian, writer and rapper Ali Gul Pir took to Twitter to express that he was “deeply offended by the racist video made by Anwar Maqsood and his team”.

“Comedy and satire should always be about a certain mentality, not a a ethinicity or community. Calling Sindhis lazy and corrupt is not funny, it's spreading hate and maligning,” he said.

Musician and actor Mooroo also criticised Anwar's skit saying, "There is a thin line between racism and stereotyping for the sake of humour #AnwarMaqsood treaded the line for years, racism was funny back then, people have evolved, racism is not funny anymore."

Following the outrage, Maqsood posted a video apologising and said that he himself is Sindhi. The episode has also been removed from Anwarnama's official page.

The writer in his web series Anwarnama "shares a collection of letters, writings, stories and his experiences pertaining to themes of society, culture, politics and personalities in an intimate setting".