It was a very 'poorly managed' show: Ahmed Godil on PSL 2020 opening ceremony

KARACHI: Ahmed Godil, who has made headlines for his performance as the host of the opening ceremony of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 said on Friday that it was a "very poorly managed show".

Godil appeared on Geo TV's 'Jashn-e-Cricket' show hosted by Shahzad Iqbal to talk about the backlash his performance received on social media. Godil said that he was not the host of the opening ceremony. 

Read more: PSL2020: Social media divided over host Ahmed Godil

"I was told to come to the stage for the pre show as they [organisers] said the audience were bored since 4: 30pm," he said, clarifying that he was not the host of the event.

Terming it a huge broadcasting blunder, he said that the mic did not properly catch the sound of the audience's roar. "What sort of a mic was this?" he wondered, saying that the audience's rousing response was not captured properly.

"Was it a bad ceremony? I didn't understand the [concept] of the opening ceremony. I didn't see any people, the stage was too far away. Was it a bad ceremony," asked Shoaib Akhtar, who was also a guest on the show.

"It was a very, very poorly managed show," responded Godil.

Responding to criticism that he had not been selected to be the "ground host" on merit, Godil said he was in the industry since the past two years and had hosted concerts in the US and other countries by acclaimed musicians such as Atif Aslam and Sonu Nigam. 

Godil speaks out against bullying, wants family to be left out of it 

On Friday morning, the PSL ground host appeared on SAMAA TV's morning show, speaking out against the hurt and ridicule he had encountered after hosting the ceremony live. "What were you [critics] expecting me to do?" he had asked. 

"Did you want me to tear off my clothes and start dancing? Were you expecting me to dance? Or sing? Entertain you like a stand-up comedian? I am a ground host; I was doing my job," he added. 

He had said that Fakhr-e-Alam was the real host of the PSL 2020 opening ceremony. Godil said that he didn't even know he would go live as it was just his job to energise the crowd from 6:45pm to 7:00pm before the performances began. 

Godil had said that someone had leaked his number on Facebook, which led to people calling him from all parts of the country and abusing him. "Fine if you have a problem with me, but at least leave my family out of it," he said. "What did they ever do to you?"

The PSL ground host had stated that people did not realise how difficult it is to host an event as huge as the cricketing league and the amount of pressure on an individual when he has to face a massive audience live. 

Read more: PSL 2020 opening ceremony enthralls audience in Karachi

"Whatever you have rehearsed or remembered for the show, you forget it there [live during the ceremony]," he said, appealing to people not to ridicule his hard work as he was an artist and it took him several years to get to where he is today. 

He had revealed how his mother did not sleep the entire night as his memes started going viral on social media. He said that when people made fun of others they did not realise the amount of hurt they inflict on the target of their humour by simply sharing a meme.

The PSL host had earlier responded to all the criticism and mocking on social media by telling people to work hard and not envy him. In a couple of Instagram posts, he had addressed the controversy that had generated during the opening ceremony of the tournament.