'Chill out': Faryal Mehmood justifies body-shaming jokes

The actor shares her controversial opinions on an episode on 'Time Out with Ahsan Khan'

Long-time friends, singer Ahmed Jahanzeb and actor Faryal Mehmood recently made an appearance on Time Out with Ahsan Khan, candidly speaking about their experiences in the entertainment industry. The duo addressed controversies and answered pressing questions during the interview. The Raqeeb Se actor shared several laughs with the Kaho Ek Din crooner, who recently celebrated the completion of two decades in the music industry. 

Mehmood, who enjoys singing as well as acting, made her industry debut fairly recently when compared to Jahanzeb. However, the starlet has also managed to attract a fair bit of controversy during her career so far. Addressing comments that she made about Hareem Farooq, in which she body-shamed the latter, Mehmood shared, “I said this on Mazaak Raat. They asked me a question in which they said you have a car and it has three seats, and they gave me a list of names, all of whom were my friends with the exception of Hareem. They asked me why I wouldn’t include Hareem in the car so I cracked a little joke and said, ‘She won’t fit.’ So, Hareem ended up taking offence at that. Of course, it was a joke. Why would I make fun of anyone? I used to not be able to fit anywhere. There was nothing to take so personally. Just lose some weight, it’s not that hard.”  

The actor then added, “Even if she doesn’t lose weight, she’s doing really well. People consider body-shaming bad but because I’ve been through the journey, I know what body-shaming does. It is bad, but if ex-fat people crack a joke, it’s not a big deal. Chill out. If I had always been thin, then it would have been bad. If I’ve lost weight then I can say it, because I know anyone can lose weight.”

Later on in the interview, Mehmood revealed the reason behind her fallout with actor Sonya Hussyn, who has repeatedly asked, “Who is Faryal Mehmood?” during interviews, despite having worked together. “Sonya doesn’t know me, but I know her very well. We’ve worked together. Unfortunately for her but fortunately for me, I replaced her,” she shared. The actor went on to explain, “She had made fun of me for my weight when I was fat. I called her out on it and it turned into a very long thing, and now all of a sudden she doesn’t know me. We have been on a set together. I don’t know what issues she has with me, but it is okay. Professional jealousy maybe, but I like it. I love Sonya.” 

Speaking about his younger days, Jahanzeb explained that while his father was well-connected socially, the singer had to catch a break on his own. “My father was very socially active, but I had to go and knock on doors myself. My father wouldn’t call anyone. He’d tell me to pack up my instruments and just go to places like radio stations and play my songs. I’d end up going to my friends’ houses instead,” he shared. 

Jahanzeb also addressed his long breaks between new releases. “I believe in my merit and my product. If I don’t have the potential, then no matter how hard I try my time in this market will be very short-lived, because anyone can come in the next day and wipe me out. But, if my skill has weight and I’ve worked hard and taken my time, I can go further than the rest of the people,” elaborated the singer.  

On the topic of traditional versus modern music, Jahanzeb explained that he believes all genres are worthy of praise. “Everything changes with time. Back in the day, there was a focus on Eastern classical and semi-classical music, even in films. Now we have a more modern sound, but I adore that also,” he said. The musician, “People tell me that I’m being clever about it, but I adore today’s singers. I loved Noori and Ali Azmat who had rock music. Why not? It’s not like if I’m a classical singer and sing ghazals then I’ll favour classical singers. Even though Sajjad Ali and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan are exceptional, the newer singers also deserve praise regardless of genre.”  

For Jahanzeb, dipping out of the scene followed by a single hit is not the way to go. He shared, “I think it’s important to leave a legacy. Do something that people can remember you by. People should focus on that because our industry is already very limited. And even in that, people don’t seem to have done much since the 80s and 90s.”

When asked if there was a particular message that she wished to send out to the public, Mehmood said, “I’ve been living in Pakistan for the past eight years, and the women here are taught to take care of everyone around them. I’ve never heard anyone tell women to take care of themselves first. This is such an issue here. Women don’t know they are their first priority. What makes you happy? It’s important to have your own ambitions and life path and support yourself.”