Humaima Malick addresses intimate scenes with Emraan Hashmi

'From Bol to Bold', netizens criticised actor's role in her Bollywood debut

Actor Humaima Malick made her Bollywood debut alongside actor Emraan Hashmi in Kunal Deshmukh’s crime-comedy thriller, Raja Natwarlal in 2014. She has faced criticism ever since, regarding her choice of agreeing to bold characters and intimate scenes.

However, the actor only recently responded to the criticism recently on actor Nauman Ijaaz’s talk show when the conversation came up again. Before her Bollywood debut, she appeared in Shoaib Mansoor’s hit film, Bol, starring alongside Atif Aslam and Mahira Khan. Netizens criticised her drastic switch of roles from a pious daughter to a bar dancer, calling the transition, “From Bol to Bold”.

Malick, concurring with her fans’ reactions, said, "My last film was Bol and there I played a typical woman who does not even let her veil fall from her head. And in her next project, if she gets to kiss her co-star then I think anybody would be worried.” She added, “I made myself strong with the thought that 'talent has no religion'. It was just a role.”

The 34-year-old actor shared that she had been working since the age of 14, and to reach a level of financial independence while supporting her family, she only focused on getting work and giving it her best. “I have always been an independent ‘bold’ girl who paid her own bills. I started working at the age of fourteen. I had to support my family and at that time, I did not think twice before doing an intimate scene” Malick clarified that she realised later that her choices will affect how the industry views her.

While the Akbari Asghari starlet understands how kissing on-screen hurt her fans’ sentiments, she did not appreciate the hatred she received for the role of a bar dancer. “There was a lot of hatred for me when I performed the role of a bar dancer. I did a lot of hard work to play this role as this culture is not there in Pakistan. My director took me to various bars and I observed the body language of those dancers. It's a very tough job they are doing and I have immense respect for them," she said, explaining the efforts that went behind the role.

To conclude, Malick said that her fans’ support means everything to her and the backlash made her realise that she needs to consider their feelings prior to taking on any project.

Of late, her work has been limited to the Pakistani film industry. She starred alongside Sikandar Rizvi in a romantic comedy, Dekh Magar Pyaar Say in 2015. Two years later, she appeared in another romantic drama, Arth - The Destination with Mohib Mirza and Uzma Hassan.

Malick’s recent film was the remake of 1979’s cult classic Maula Jatt. She starred alongside the industry’s biggest names, Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi in Bilal Lashari’s popular Punjabi action drama, The Legend of Maula Jatt.

Malick plays a princess in the cult classic remake, and she said that it was “one of the strongest characters” she has played to date. Netizens even said that she exuded Cleopatra vibes.

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