Investigation reveals paintings featured in “Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum” were not stolen

Sindh government's investigative team, tasked with probing the alleged theft of paintings from Frere Hall, revealed that the paintings featured in the ongoing drama series Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum were not stolen.

Earlier, a young artist named Safdar Ali, also known as Seffy Soomro from Sindh's Daharki claimed that a scene in the popular drama series featured his 7-year-old paintings, which he alleged had been stolen.

He asserted that his stolen paintings were featured in a scene shot with the play's characters Adeel and Natasha.

In 2017, Safdar Ali submitted his work titled “Innocent Faces” for an exhibition at Karachi's Frere Hall. According to the exhibition rules, if a painting is sold, the proceeds are paid to the artist while unsold artwork is returned to their owners.

However, according to Safdar, when he inquired about the return of his paintings, he was informed a month later that they had been stolen. 

Seven years later, he was surprised to see them featured in an episode of a TV series.

Sindh Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah took notice of the controversy and formed an inquiry committee, which submitted its report to the provincial minister.

A committee consisting of the Director General of Culture and the Director General of Antiquities disclosed that the paintings were not stolen and had been present at Frere Hall since 2017, where the play was also filmed.

The report stated that the paintings had been moved to various locations for different exhibitions, leading to the misconception that they had been stolen. However, the paintings were not missing.

The inquiry also noted that artist Seffy Soomro had not expressed any interest in reclaiming his paintings, resulting in the artworks remaining at Frere Hall.