Osman Khalid Butt is known for his dashing good looks paired with great acting and quick wit. Another thing that Osman excels at is calling out bullshit. He simply just doesn’t stand for it. The man speaks out against trolls, and also against the very narrow-minded soch that persists in our society.
He grabbed a lot of attention when he spoke out against all the hate Mahira Khan got for simply smoking.
'SHOCKING: Behaya male actor cigarette-noshi kartay huay pakray gaye – sharmnaak manazir'.. said NO ONE EVER.
F*** your double standards. pic.twitter.com/t91Owh1D1i— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) September 22, 2017
More recently, the actor spoke out against a PEMRA order that targetted Pakistani dramas and their content.
What, pray tell, is the 'true picture of Pakistani society'?
Not every drama serial is meant to be watched with the family. Pinky & Babloo can be put to bed before, no? How is television content expected to diversify when we get sweeping generalizations like this: https://t.co/0sHwMVGtDc— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) September 3, 2018
Osman Khalid Butt has also spoken out against trolls who make fun of movements such as #MeToo.
When he posted a picture with his good friend, Amna Ilyas, a lot of people in the comments section made the same joke.
Of course, the actor responded promptly and aptly.
The actor also bagged the award for ‘Agent Of Social Change’ at the Masala! Awards in Dubai.
Clearly, all of this proves one simple point: Osman Khalid Butt is a man who understands current debates and discussions happening in the world and is someone who doesn’t mind being extremely vocal about it. The actor gave an interview to Dawn, and this interview poses one simple question in the title; ‘Why is a man like Osman Khalid Butt, in an industry like the Pakistani Entertainment Industry’.
The actor talked in great detail about his views and how he sees the world of Pakistani entertainment.
He reveals that he always tackled the topic of women’s right and feminism even before the wave of activism took over world news in general and Pakistan in particular. According to Butt, his early YouTube skits and vlogs would challenge certain gender roles, however, he would always put a satirical twist to it.
He also talks about the video that put him on the map; his ‘Humsafar’ spoof video. Osman says that for him, the most interesting part of the show was how Khirad (the good girl) was pitted against Sara (the bad girl). This aspect of the show was one he played on heavily in his Youtube video.
“I am not just criticizing our society but also the influence of, let’s say, old school Bollywood, the cinema we’ve grown up with.”
“We never used to see these things as problematic. So that’s what I wanted to change. I wanted to force people to look at things from a bird’s eye perspective. I don’t want to be a killjoy – I don’t want to say that hey now you can’t enjoy desi music or Bollywood music oh that’s objectification so I can’t enjoy this – but we have to be cognizant”.
One of my favorite parts of his interview is when he talks about the status quo.
He admits that our entertainment industry is definitely patriarchal and that it is something he felt would come across very clearly on scripts. Initially, he says, he would not speak out against this but as time has passed, he feels as though he should be true to himself and his work.
“When you have a platform and when you still stay silent – then that’s a problem.” said the actor.
“That’s a disservice. When you have come to a point when you have a respectable amount of influence, you have to use it very responsibly. I couldn’t care less about the blowback within the industry. Honestly. It has never affected my work.”
This interview only goes to prove that Osman Khalid Butt is a shining light in this industry. He is among the very few in Pakistani entertainment concerned about equal rights for everyone and creating a safe working environment for women all across the country. Bollywood has dictated a lot of how we see masculinity and how a lot of young women interact with women. It’s important that we now, in 2018, move further and shed this behavior, behavior that is regressive and propagates hyper-masculinity. Lastly, celebrities have the power to influence people and their mindsets, which is why Osman Khalid Butt and his attitude are so important since he is challenging existing norms by speaking out so openly against them.
You can read the entire piece by Dawn, here.
More power to you Osman!
Maya Ali’s Response To Osman Khalid Butt’s Letter Is Making Fans Decide Their Shaadi Ki Dates
Osman Khalid Butt Has A Lot To Say About PEMRA’s Notice And We’re Here For It
Cover Photo Courtesy: somethinghaute.com