False reporting on someone’s illness or death causes great pain: Rubina Ashraf

Veteran television actor Rubina Ashraf recently sat down with BBC to speak about her family, foray into direction, and the misreporting surrounding her health after her Covid-19 diagnosis.

After Rubina tested positive for the virus, the rumours of her ill health led to news outlets running inaccurate reports of her death, which continue to circulate on social media. While speaking about her illness, Rubina explained that her daughter, Minna Tariq, was a massive support throughout, elaborating on the pain inflicted by the rumours surrounding her health on her family.

Rubina caught the virus while shooting for the third season of the television series Khuda Aur Mohobbat. Due to the diagnosis, shooting had to be temporarily suspended, picking back up after her full recovery. The actor spent the initial phase of her illness in Thar, but after her condition began to deteriorate, she was shifted to a hospital in the city.

The Tanveer Fatima (B.A.) actor detailed her ordeal during the interview, “I was in the hospital for about a month and a half.” Rubina continued, elaborating on the isolation she faced while recovering. “I was completely cut off from the world because my condition was so bad. I had no idea what was going on on the outside. The only thing I was fully aware of was my illness. It was a horrible experience.”

Sharing how the rumours of her death caused immense distress to the actor’s family, who repeatedly denied the news, Rubina stressed the importance of responsible journalism. She asserted, “Reporting is a job that comes with great responsibility. Those reporters who share inaccurate news without bothering to confirm it with those affected should feel guilty for sensationalising someone else’s misery. False reporting on someone’s illness or death causes a lot of pain.” She continued, “These people say hurtful things and I am sure one day they will be held accountable for all of this.”

The actor explained that the three people instrumental in her recovery were her brother, husband and daughter. Expressing her love for her daughter Minna, Rubina shared, “Daughters don’t want their parents to go away under any circumstances.” On how her daughter was adamant that Rubina would make a full recovery, the actor shared how Minna would say, “Don’t worry. I won’t let her go,” whenever someone would inquire about the actor’s health at the height of her illness.

Minna, who stars in Ruswai, directed by Rubina, recently entered the world of showbiz. On why the actor did her first play with her mother, Rubina explained, “I wanted Minna to do her first play with me so that I could correct her whenever it was needed.”

Sharing how her daughter did a very good job in the play, Rubina revealed that she was initially concerned about whether Minna would be able to put up a commendable performance or not.

On her own career trajectory, the Lahore Se Aagey actor revealed that she learned everything about acting from her seniors in the field. Rubina asserted the importance of guidance, saying, “My seniors taught me and now it’s my turn to teach the younger generation of actors. However, it’s up to them if they are willing to learn.”

The actor explained that she doesn’t believe in the power of connections in the acting profession. Stressing on the transparency of the work, with your performance being instantly available to you, she said that the right moves help you scale up the career ladder and the wrong moves will inevitably see you going down it.

On how the industry may be losing its spark, Rubina shared, while referring to dramas such as Tanhaiyaan, Ankahi and Pas-e-Aaina, which garnered immense fame in a world without social media, “Our television industry was on par with Bollywood and Hollywood. However, now, we are losing our depth. We aren’t catching onto the right trends and topics in society.”

The actor stressed the importance of content over money and ratings. She added, “You are entertaining people without educating them. It has always been our style to do both these things at once, and if you focus solely on entertainment, if we lose what we were completely, we will never be able to make history. We will not be able to make art. We will not be able to make a place for ourselves in people’s minds.”

Rubina elaborated further, “We will be actors and directors that just come and go. Books, painting and poetry are scarce nowadays. Dramas are what will serve as a look into Pakistani society in the future. They will explain to people what our stories were, what the people were like, how they spoke. We are trapped in a very bad place right now.”

The actor placed the onus of responsibility of creating better content on the shoulders of production houses and TV channels first, and actors and directors second.