Indians appreciated Haya's portrayal: Sabeena Farooq draws comparisons with Pakistani fans

Actor was subjected to online harassment following her role as villain in ‘Tere Bin’

Pakistani actor Sabeena Farooq recently sat down for a candid interview with host Maliha Rehman in which she delved into showbiz challenges and mixed experiences with her online fans. The Kabuli Pulao actor disclosed that she has received a shocking amount of vitriol online from Pakistani fans.

Sabeena said, “I have said this before and people said to me then that I am dying to go and work in India but if you can’t digest the truth, that’s not my fault.” Contrasting her reception in Pakistan with that in India, she contended that the latter expresses a better appreciation of her work and the art of acting.

“Why should I lie and say that my people have given me a lot of love?” She posed the question, underlining how her role as an antagonist Haya in 2022 drama Tere Bin was received by Indian fans. “Indians understand the work. Those people appreciated Haya’s character as a good character which was played well by somebody,” she stated.

Sabeena furthered on, “They say that the show would lack spice without Haya. This is sad because I want people here to understand similarly.” The theatre actor revealed how her success with Kabuli Pulao is reduced by some Pakistani fans to solely her previous association with other big names in showbiz like Wahaj Ali and Yumna Zaidi.

“Same goes for Kabuli Pulao. People there [Indian fans] identify small nuances and reach out to me. It’s unbelievable, the extent to which people understand the culture here,” Sabeena commented. Earlier this year in March, the actor took to Instagram to address the hate she received, including disturbing threats over her actor Haya.

The 29-year-old detailed that she wouldn’t have reacted like this if the fan reactions were only in good humour. “I’ve been all generous and nice about my character in Tere Bin, joining you all in roast[ing] and memes but there is a limit to everything. Now that you are putting fake, absurd content on YouTube and giving me threats, it really is disturbing for me and my family. It is just a character,” she asserted.

She further requested the “idiots” who don’t understand the difference between a character and an actor to stop posting false content on YouTube or she’ll publicly name and shame them.

“I request you to stop taking out your frustrations on me and I curse the people earning off of making fake YouTube videos. If I’m that bad, stop following me and skip Haya’s scenes but one more threat and I will publicly post them with your name and YouTube channels.”

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.