Was offered Kubra and Ushna’s role in ‘Parizaad’ and ‘Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay’: Jannat Mirza
Pakistani TikTok sensation Jannat Mirza shares the same number of followers and reach, if not more, than former prime minister Imran Khan. “I might have a little more followers than him,” she said, on Express TV's Talk Talk Show.
Mirza, who spends half her time in Islamabad and half in Japan, opened up about her feuds with the drama industry, her small-screen debut, and tips for the younger generation looking to make it big on TikTok.
Small screen debut
Mirza, who made a guest appearance on the talk show, revealed that she will make her debut in a TV serial soon. The starlet has already been featured in the lead role in a film titled Tere Bajra De Rakhi. “I’ll be part of the drama industry very soon. I have a few scripts with me, and I plan to accept some of them,” she disclosed. However, she is not looking for the typical regressive female characters.
“One thing that people need to understand is that I don’t need to come in this industry because of financial reasons. I am here because I want to act. I have always wanted my drama debut to be Geet’s character in Jab We Met or Hania Aamir’s character from Ishqiya called Rumi. The bubbly, fun girl. After that, I look at the cast and the story. My only problem right now is moving to Karachi for six months,” she added.
When asked why she couldn’t pull even half of her TikTok audience to watch her film debut, Mirza blamed the marketing and final outcome of the film. “I wish I had enough data to market the film properly on my channel. I was also disappointed by how my debut film turned out on screen. But, let’s just say that it’s the beginning. There are many more films and dramas to come,” she said.
Upon being asked whether she has auditioned thus far, Mirza said, “I haven’t auditioned yet, but I was offered Parizaad and Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay. It was Kubra’s and Ushna’s characters in those dramas. It was sort of a done deal, they just wanted me to come to Karachi. I still regret that I was in Japan. I don't think I could've done it better than them, but I would've tried for sure, and maybe people would've liked me,” she revealed.
Continuing further, she said, “A debut drama with Mahira Khan would have been amazing for me. But I couldn’t come to Karachi and that’s a regret I’ll have always."
Mirza, who has family in Japan, shared that she’s like actor Ahsan Khan who “lives here and there.” However, now it is her personal preference to go there for half the year to ensure her privacy. “I feel like my private life has sort of been comprised in Pakistan now. I have to look presentable all the time. Everyone is watching, and people make videos of you from random angles and post it without consent. It is quite distressing then,” she said.
Feuds within the drama industry
In a previous interview, Mirza had alleged that certain people in the drama industry have an issue with her. Actor Aiman Khan once suggested that Mirza do less makeup and veteran actor Bushra Ansari criticised her once on social media.
Speaking about the same, she revealed that all is good between them now. “I met Bushra Ansari a few days ago, and we hugged. She apologised to me about the misunderstanding and it was big of her to do it. I told her that I had forgotten about it already,” she said. However, she continued to add that people can criticise her and suggest things, but there are respectful ways to go about it.
“You can’t come on social media and call someone illiterate. That is completely wrong and there are better ways to say things,” she asserted. Sharing whether she feels actors are now threatened by her and other TikTokers, she said, “They shouldn’t feel threatened by me. Financially, maybe they do, but I'm not going to say no to brands and tell them that they should go for an actor instead if they have approached me. Competition is everywhere, but we’re all young people on TikTok. We have a bigger reach, more views, and active social media accounts. It is a developing industry.”
When asked whether she feels entitled to power given her massive social media reach, the starlet responded humbly. “I’m still learning. I’m inspiring people, but there are people who have done this for a far longer time than I have. I can’t compete with them now, but I’m grooming myself and I know there will be a day when people will be truly inspired by me to be independent and work for themselves,” she said.
The host questioned how she deals with the rather dismissive attitude that the older generation has towards TikTok as a platform. “It is true that people look down upon it. But if you look at any system, our entertainment industry or even education system, there's negativity and positivity,” Mirza responded, adding that she tries to take the higher road always.
“If you see TikTok, it entirely depends on you and your personality. If you watch religious videos, the algorithm will show you those only. If you watch cricket, you’ll get those videos on your home page. Similarly, if you like disgusting, shameful videos, then that’s what you’ll see. A lot of people enjoy that here apparently,” she exclaimed.
Mirza usually engages in branded content, comedic skits, lip-syncs and travelogues. Talking about how her TikTok fame kickstarted, she revealed that she had posted three to four videos only and then deleted her account. She was in Japan for the next six months and it was only after that, that she gained 600k followers. However, while her fame skyrocketed, she was also part of a controversy surrounding her relationship and very public breakup with ex-beau Umer Fayyaz Butt.
“People think that I kept my personal life in front of them but I didn’t. They only saw what I chose to show them. If a relationship wasn’t working, we ended it mutually in a polite way. There’s nothing wrong with it. But in the future, I’ll go for an arranged marriage and only share pictures after the nikkah is done,” she said.
Upon people trolling her on social media, Mirza stated that she has her self-set boundaries. “My line is that nobody should raise a finger at me. People still say things. But for me, character matters more than reputation. I can’t control what my reputation is, but I should know my character. That’s enough for me, and my parents are by my side.”