People are fooled into believing Humayun can act: Firdous Jamal

Veteran actor Firdous Jamal, at a recent appearance on a local talk show, tried to bury a controversy while birthing another. The renowned star has cleared the air on his ageist remark against Mahira Khan while sharing his reservations about Pakistani heartthrob, Humayun Saeed.

"Humayun Saeed has no voice, no character, no body language," Jamal opined. This is where Ahmed Ali Butt, the host of the show who has worked with Saeed on several projects, intervened and shared, "But Humayun is our biggest superstar. He delivers one hit after the other." To this, the veteran actor responded, "Some people can be fooled into believing he is a good actor."

On Mahira Khan

Talking about the infamous controversy regarding his ageist comments about Mahira Khan, Jamal shared that he has never had any personal animosity towards any actor; his criticism was merely on the basis of their talents.

Jamal later added, “I don’t say anything to anybody on the basis of personal grudges. I have been blessed way more than I thought I deserved. I talk on the technical grounds, I don’t watch their work as a normal viewer because I am an artist.”

Speaking about the Verna star, Jamal remarked, "I shared that Mahira should do character roles." Elaborating, he said, "To us, the concept of a heroine is that she's a teenager - someone who's 15, 16 - who's bubbly and chirpy. Like a doll. So, there's a difference between a woman and a heroine. So, I simply shared that Mahira should opt for more womanly roles, not heroines. She's not age appropriate for the latter roles. I never meant to say that she is aged." Citing his own example, Jamal retorted, "For instance, if I'd star as a hero in a project, I'd look terrible."

Xarnish Khan chimes in

Actor Xarnish Khan, too, shared her own take on the veteran on Instagram, whilst sharing a 'fruitful thought'. "Respect can't be demanded, it is earned," the Aitebaar actor penned. Sharing a post about Jamal's comments regarding Saeed, Khan wrote, "He [Jamal] cracks me up with his weird issues with things and people (no offense intended)."

Sharing her own interaction with Jamal, Khan wrote, "So long time ago, we were doing a project together and out of respect, I said, 'AOA Firdous Uncle, how are you?' and he got pissed that 'Woman, I didn't join showbiz so that people can address me as an uncle.'" Khan shared she was left uncomfortable with Jamal's response. "Uncle or no uncle, he could have been polite."