Firdous Jamal is a pretty renowned name in the Pakistan media industry. Having hundreds of media projects to his decades-long career, the reverent actor has been part of the industry for years. So it definitely came as a surprise when the veteran actor made headlines for making misogynistic remarks about Mahira Khan.
In a segment for a Faysal Qureshi’s show, Firdous Jamal commented that Mahira isn’t “heroine stuff” and is “mediocre model.”
What really made things worse was when the 65-year-old actor called Mahira Khan, “too old” to be a heroine and suggested that at her age she should play the role of a mother instead of being a heroine.
It’s 2019. Can we stop equating female actresses as perishable goods and equating a shelf life to them? Last I checked, talent doesn’t have an expiration date? Also, am I the only one who finds it ridiculous over the dichotomy drawn between being a “mother” and a “heroine”? How does one role cancel out the other?
Anyway, amidst all this disappointing news, it’s heartening to see people from the industry stand up in support for Mahira and dismiss the ridiculous notions that were shared by Firdous Jamal.
Amongst one of the most active media personalities to speak out against this is Osman Khalid Butt.
If we as members of the film & television fraternity can't keep our chauvinism in check, if we keep reinforcing regressive & sexist stereotypes, how do we expect the public to treat our industry – and specifically the women in it – with respect?
— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) July 27, 2019
Osman tweeted how the industry can’t expect to be treated with respect by the public if the fraternity doesn’t respect the people in it and not keep their misogynistic comments in check. His tweet sent the trolls in frenzy and he was being attacked left and right.
Not one to let the hate slide, Obi pulled no stops to slam the ridiculous tweets he was getting.
My tweet was about his ageist comments, not his opinion on her acting.
But yes, meray ghar ka choola to Mahira ke aagay sar jhukaanay se chalta hai. https://t.co/E3V9tSbibo— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) July 27, 2019
Apparently, you’re only allowed to speak out against someone if you ingest their sweat…
Sounds delicious! https://t.co/6VZMJG7DVN
— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) July 27, 2019
Tbh, I’m more of a Rahat Bakery eater myself, but I see where he’s coming from.
Call me Obi, liberal scum, first of his name, destroyer of cultures, eater of tehzeeb. https://t.co/vbLcOC5v5j
— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) July 27, 2019
Oh, the irony of calling out OB for “not having tameez” and then retorting to abusing him in the same sentence.
Maa baap ne sahi aur ghalat mai farq bhi sikhaya hai. https://t.co/UCE6btbwpa
— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) July 27, 2019
Obi, if you are confused about a place to go to, my heart is always open for you.
Koi kehta hai roles nahi mil rahay koi kehta hai I'm everywhere and it's overkill mai jaoon to kahan jaoon. https://t.co/U66kMYmzxF
— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) July 27, 2019
Tbh, jokes aside, it’s actually super refreshing and endearing to see a man from the industry actively rise up to speak for his fellow female actress at a time when we’ve just been hearing horror stories.
Dismissively claiming actresses have a shelf-life, that they should stop acting as leads and appear as mothers is not the same as 'mentioning their age', you bashi-bazouk.
I'll stay in my lane when you delete your account, and your existence. Acha tamasha lagaya hua hai. https://t.co/aUHs1rQEso— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) July 27, 2019
I mean, his replies are just straight up SAVAGE.
Just for that, I'll appear as a lead till I'm 175 years old.
And I won't even get shit for it. https://t.co/5IasQ2e0rH— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) July 27, 2019
Although Osman took the most active role in calling out the undue hatred towards, Mahira, others from the industry also spoke out in favor.
Bin Roye co-star, Humayun Saaed was quick to condemn the harsh comments as well.
Extremely disappointed and strongly condemn Firdous Jamal’s comment regarding Mahira Khan. Whatever his point of view is, there’s absolutely no justification for such rude remarks for a colleague publicly & on television. Mahira is extremely hardworking and honest to her craft…
— Humayun Saeed (@iamhumayunsaeed) July 27, 2019
He also went on to praise Mahira for her work ethic and talent followed it up by saying that the ability of an actor is not bound by their age. Kudos.
And it is her dedication and passion towards her work that has led her to this position. She is a heroine and a star in every sense of these words. As far as age is concerned, an actor and their talent is not bound by it.
— Humayun Saeed (@iamhumayunsaeed) July 27, 2019
Singer Annie Khalid, of “Mahiya” fame, also went on to call out the double standards of the entertainment industry.
Mahira Khan is too old to play lead heroine roles and should play roles of a mother whereas Junoon are older than our dads but have a tour coming up and no ones bats an eye. Both are from entertainment so plz don't try to differentiate. Double standards in this country. Pathetic
— Annie Khalid (@annie_khalid) July 27, 2019
Supermodel, Nadia Hussain wasn’t one to let the toxic comments go lightly either.
Why the FUCK is age an issue only with FEMALE actors????! No comments when men still play the hero above 30!!!! Wo bhi baap ka role karein na phir??? Bloody double standards!!!!!
— NADIA HUSSAIN (@NADIAHUSSAIN_NH) July 27, 2019
She then went on to share an article that shared the thoughts of Hollywood actresses where they spoke about how the industry was progressing and being more age inclusive.
Hum nahin seekhain ga!!!!!! Toxic age shaming at its peak!!!! #firdousjamal @TheMahiraKhan u rock girl!!!! Yes I said GIRL!!!! 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/yAWS96C86p
— NADIA HUSSAIN (@NADIAHUSSAIN_NH) July 27, 2019
Fellow starlet, Mawra Hocane wasn’t pleased with the disrespectful comments made about her peer, Mahira Khan, and took to Twitter to express her displeasure.
Taking a dig at the biggest name of your country makes you as small as it gets. Disrespectful remarks in the garb of opinions need to STOP. Hope the two mins of fame were worth it. Mahira works extremely hard to be where she is. It’s not easy
So Proud of you my M❤️ @TheMahiraKhan— MAWRA HOCANE (@MawraHocane) July 27, 2019
Women who support other women are the TRU KWEENS. Like Mira Sethi.
Disgusted? Yes. Surprised? Not in the least.
Misogyny is the Rules & Regulations branch of Patriachy.
You’ll never hear Bushra Ansari, for example, commenting on a younger actress in this fashion. https://t.co/IUs9MJTzO1
— Mira Sethi (@sethimirajee) July 27, 2019
In fact, actor and model, Tooba Siddiqui, dedicated an entire Instagram post to Mahira, thanking her for being an incredible role model and expressing her disappointment about the comments made by Firdous Jamil.
Ali Kazmi also shared this sweet Instagram post for Mahira, where he called on people to be more respectful and requested everyone to not tear others down.
Gohar Rashid also rose to Mahira’s defense by saying that Firdous Jamal should have been more responsible when sharing his views on such a public platform.
Everybody is entitled to their opinion true that !! But when a public figure like #FirdousJamal sharing his opinion on national television then the choice of words are very important (1/3) #RespectfortheSeniors #LovefortheJuniors #MahiraKhan
— Mirza Gohar Rasheed (@GoharRsd) July 27, 2019
He followed this up by saying that demeaning comments were not fruitful in helping anyone learn. Instead, senior actors should resort to providing constructive criticism if they wished junior artists should flourish in their art.
sir with all due respect if a legendary actor like you will be so demeaning towards juniors like @TheMahiraKhan then how will we learn? Constructive criticism is very important for the growth and that’s what we seek from you (2/3) #RespectfortheSeniors#LovefortheJuniors
— Mirza Gohar Rasheed (@GoharRsd) July 27, 2019
He ended his tweets by saying that he expected better from a veteran actor and that the reason other industries are thriving is because of the mutual respect love and respect between senior and juniors.
There is a reason why other entertainment industries of the world are thriving because the seniors pass on the torch with grace and love to their juniors sir personally speaking I expected better from you (3/3) #FirdousJamal #MahiraKhan #RespectfortheSeniors #LovefortheJuniors
— Mirza Gohar Rasheed (@GoharRsd) July 27, 2019
Anoushey Ashraf also expressed contempt for the disrespectful comments shared by Firdous Jamil. She also pointed out the absurdity of an elderly actor dismissing a woman’s talent on the basis of her age.
Respect. To get it, you must give it. I don’t think our elders sometimes realise how regressive they sound. #FirdousJamal a person’s age has NOTHING to do with their acting ability sir. You should know this better than anyone. https://t.co/Ock2wyKBQL
— Anoushey Ashraf (@Anoushey_a) July 27, 2019
Fahad Mustafa also tweeted this super sweet message for Mahira where he basically told her that she was his superstar and that regardless of whether a comment was positive or negative, she should know that if people are talking about her, she’s doing something right.
@TheMahiraKhan jab log aapke baray main achee ya buree batein karen aapke naam se kuch chaar min kee importance chahen to is ka matlab hai you must be doing something right ..you are and you will be My Super Star ⭐️ Shine More ✨
— Fahad Mustafa (@fahadmustafa26) July 27, 2019
Actress and model, Zhalay Sarhadi also spoke out about how Firdous Jamal’s distasteful comments were more of a reflection of his mindset rather than a metric for Mahira’s acting ability.
When Firdous Jamal sir decides to pass his unwarranted judgment on Mahira khan, it says volumes about his chauvinism and redundant thinking concerning women in general, than who #MahiraKhan is. I am so livid I can barely type!
— zhalay sarhadi (@Xxhalay) July 27, 2019
Even Faysal Qureshi, who shaded Mahira on the show by condescendingly stating that none of her moves as of late had done well, tweeted in favor of her later.
Thats how he thinks kiya faraq parhta hey …she is super star and i was shocked too. I meant jo hit milni chahiye woh mily #binroye was hit but bari wali hit .khir i praised her 1000 times in my show no one shared that 🤔 https://t.co/xb5IYwukgs
— Faysal Quraishi (@faysalquraishi) July 26, 2019
When people called out Faysal for not speaking up in favor of Mahira, during the show, he explained how the live nature of the show made an on-spot response tricky.
Live shows can be tricky but as a host of one i have always strived to peoject positive image and energy of our people , country and traditions . What happened with veteran actor #firdousjamal commenting on @TheMahiraKhan on the show was totally uncalled for and unnecessary .
— Faysal Quraishi (@faysalquraishi) July 27, 2019
He then went on to praise Mahira and also promised that he would comment further on the entire situation on his show, soon.
I as a responsible host will address this on the same platform in the coming week also. As a host I am and was shocked at our veteran actor Firdous Jamal's comments on the live show for @TheMahiraKhan who is undoubtedly an icon of our industry and for our country.
— Faysal Quraishi (@faysalquraishi) July 27, 2019
Mahira herself, though? She just shared this post with the caption, “Desi me rollin, they hatin”
While everyone is entitled to have an opinion, public figures need to be more mindful of how they speak their mind out and be more careful of the choice of words they use when expressing their views. In a society where hate towards women is so normalized, taking extra caution towards being more respectful is definitely warranted. It’s definitely a step in the right direction to see how people aren’t willing to tolerate misogynic comments in the industry and hopefully, this outpour of emotion also displays itself practically and more roles for older women as central characters are seen.
What are your views on the whole situation? Let us know in the comments below.
It’s 2019 And Firdous Jamal Still Thinks Saying Mahira Khan Is Too Old To Be A Heroine Is Okay
Cover image via highlightsindia.com, showbiz.pk