Actors playing rapists, murderers aren't actually rapists, murderers: Yasra Rizvi

'Churails' star shunned social media hate directed towards actors who are only doing their job

Actors in Pakistan are often held accountable for the actions of their characters. And the characters they take up decide whether they will be inviting love or consequently, hate will be paying a visit to their social media platforms.

Taking the issue to social media, the fearless Churails actor Yasra Rizvi said, “Actors who play characters of rapists and murderers are not actually rapists and murderers. They are not condoning or justifying such actions in real life by playing said characters.”

Rizvi, who is rarely seen commenting on everyday issues on social media, is known for silencing the other side when she actually does. The actor will be starring opposite Noman Ijaz in upcoming television serial Dunk, where the latter is portraying an accused harasser.

“This goes for all characters,” she added, clarifying that “the only job of an actor is to do justice to the character they are playing and depict it with authenticity. Not to justify the politics or the morality of the character to general public or take responsibility for a fictional performance in the real world.”

To conclude her lesson, Rizvi remarked, “A realistic performance only makes them good at their job not target for public trial.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Yasra Rizvi (@yasrarizvi)

Earlier this year, another observation came to fore when actors were bullied after Pakistani viewers mistook their onscreen characters for their real-life personas. In May, when the Ertuğrul hype was peaking, a look at the Turkish stars’ Instagram accounts comments section was sufficient to make anyone cringe.

The actors were met with unnecessary questioning on their personal way of life as Pakistanis visited their profiles in battalions, leaving keen observations about their clothes, modesty, and even choice of pets. The mere fact that the masses watching the series here, expected that Turkey still has the same cultural nuances it did, say, in the 12th century, seemed absurd but not unbelievable.

It appears that even while playing a ‘positive’ role – one that meets all the expectations of ‘piety’ defined by the moral fabric of our society – actors are still expected to maintain that image in person.

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