Actor Armeena Rana Khan, who never hesitates from calling spade a spade, has asked trolls revolted by her views to “look elsewhere” if they are adamant on adhering to a certain mindset. Taking to her Instagram, the Janaan star asserted that she, like everyone else, has a right to voice her opinions.
The actor went on to highlight how she deals with trolls by sharing screenshots of and responding to the nasty comments she comes across on a daily. To start off, she shared a comment directed at someone else, which read, “What about your dressing, you always wear cheap and bold dresses. You are in Pakistan, not in the US. If you are happy exposing yourself, it means you are inviting [unclear].”
In response, the actor wrote, "Even iblees [the devil] has minions, and so it is with all evil. This is an example of a dark soul who enables misogyny to remain. Imagine, if something happened to her own future daughter or a member of her family. We’ve only just seen a viral video of a burka-clad woman groped in the street and the man in question remains at large. I doubt this is anything to do with clothing but more with mindsets.”
Armeena shared another message which held that commentators are incited by vulgarity and “cheap” dressing. The actor quipped, "As a Muslim why are you on Instagram? I don’t understand. For example, if I don’t drink, why are you in a pub? If you are so lame, get off this non-Muslim on enterprise if it offends you and go be a proper Muslim. She added, “The truth is most of you are just cultists and demand rights you deny others.”
Sharing another comment that read, “I don’t understand why these Pakistani actresses become the mothers of Indian actresses,” Armeena clarified that the person was referring to local stars being sidelined after reaching a certain age. “I agree with her because even here, an actor after a certain age is sidelined. But it’s not your fault, perhaps you don’t have enough exposure or thought process to understand the depth of the given topic.”
To conclude, Armeena penned a lengthy note explaining why she is being vocal about online bullying. "Oh, I have the right to put on my opinions just like you have the right to not consume them. But please make no mistakes I’m a liberal, feminist, woke (whatever labels you wish to endow me with) plus a constructive tolerant contributing member of my society."
She added, "My views are in accordance with global principles and values. I’m also very vocal on social causes because if this is unpalatable then I’m afraid you’ll find this space extremely hostile. I am sure you can look elsewhere to find individuals catering to your specific worldview."
This wasn't the first time Khan had called out problematic takes. The actor previously shared her feelings about extremism playing its way into Pakistan’s entertainment industry, clarifying that she was not targeting any specific artist.
The actor had then shared in a tweet, “Advancing acting careers using religious extremism seems to be quite the ‘in’ thing these days.” She then asked with a giggling emoji, “Can’t make it without huh?”
The Bin Roye star elaborated on her jibe in another tweet saying, “I’ve also observed that no matter what religion you follow if you’re an extremist then your interpretation of that religion will also be extreme.” On the contrary, she reinstated how a “well-balanced person” will interpret their religion with just that; “balance.”
Now, agitated by the parallels being drawn, the actor has assured that she was not referring to any artist in particular. “I’m really disliking the fact that my tweets are being attributed to specific artists,” she tweeted. “Please bear in mind that I have not named anyone nor do I indulge in personal attacks. That is not my style. My commentary is on the general, sudden right-wing ‘shift’.”
Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ