Humayun Saeed is undoubtedly one of the most successful producers we have in our industry. He’s given massive hits, from ‘Bin Roye,’ ‘Punjab Nahi Jaungi’ to more recently the box office stirrer ‘JPNA 2.’ The ‘JPNA’ franchise has raked in lotta notes for Pakistani cinema, with the recent installment breaking box office records and even surpassing national collections of the Bollywood blockbuster ‘Sanju.’ Significant backlash rose around the film, however, for its lack of character given to the female protagonists and also for having Humayun star opposite Kubra – an actor much younger than him.
Humayun was criticized for starring opposite a much younger actress and was trolled online in numerous tirades mocking the actor
In ‘JPNA 2,’ Kubra (25) is romanced on-screen by Humayun (47), and audiences felt this was an inappropriate pairing, what with the significant age gap. The actor was condemned for not choosing an actress more suited to his age and was the subject of online bullying with various memes and hurtful comments.
Humayun spoke up against trollers in an interview with Dawn Images about “trying to pass off as a larka”
He said that “the boy within me hasn’t died yet,” and insisted that we always “see heroes leading films at 60.” He went onto say that he’s “a bacha in front of them,'” with his Indian counterparts like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan “being a decade older.” The actor pointed out the judgemental nature of our society, in particular, critics who “aren’t used to cinema-going.” The actor admitted to dealing with the matter in a bittersweet way, saying “it’s part of our job.” For him, it’s the masses that matter the most; “the masses accept me and enjoy what I do, that’s all.”
However, people aren’t buying his response and have criticized his statement about 60-year-old actors
They insisted that the 60-year-olds he referenced to were not romancing younger actresses, but were playing roles suited to their age
This one user was D O N E with the ‘JPNA’ franchise
A few disagreed with his statement about Shah Rukh Khan, stating that he played roles ‘more digestible’ than playing a young boy
Many also picked up on the implication that the actor was comparing himself to Tom Cruise
What do you think about Humayun’s response to haters?