I have a secret account that has my fans on it: Hania Aamir

Actor discussed how social media affected her mental health in the past

Pakistani actor Hania Aamir recently appeared as a guest on actor and host Ahmad Ali Butt’s podcast for a candid discussion about her life in showbiz and social media presence as a leading star of television. Reacting to her Instagram following of over 10 million, Hania was asked to put her two cents on the growing trend of brands gauging artists by these numbers.

“It feels okay…That's just the world we live in these days,” the Mere Humsafar actor observed. “Don't know what's to come. It wasn't like this before, I guess…but I think it's just how the corporate world works. And if you want to do good in it, then you have to put in that kind of effort.”

A humble beginning

Starting her acting career at the young age of 17, Hania recounted the unplanned journey that landed her the 2016 comedy film Janaan, her first project. “I had started my business degree and I was just doing that when a mutual friend told me that this producer that I know is reaching out to you, you're not getting back to him.” The film helmed by Imran Kazmi debuted Hania to a positive reception, bagging her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Lux Style Awards.

As the actor’s anecdote goes, she was discovered by Kazmi and his team through a random video she had made on the former American video-sharing social media platform, Dubsmash. For a new actor, Hania insisted her experience of filming Janaan was only exciting given her unfamiliarity with the medium and the lack of pressure compared to now.

She recalled, “I had no idea what a camera looked like. The first day went so smoothly. If you break it down, what is our job?” Summarising the essence of acting, Hania stated, “Understand that you have to say something. How to say it, feel it and then you just say it. At that time it was even lovelier because there was no fear. I wasn't scared that the solo is being made from here, so this is the angle.”

Mental health awareness

When asked about her open advocacy of mental health awareness and care, Hania underscored the necessity of staging an honest conversation that addresses mental illness as a “gender-neutral” issue. Specifically referring to her recent posts on men’s mental health, she added, “I see a lot of my friends struggling and pretending at the same time. And it's not comfortable for me to watch. So I think somebody should talk about it because there is a stigma with men talking about mental health.”

The 26-year-old actor commended the emerging spaces for women to bring up their mental health issues, something that remains absent for men. “Mental health is gender-neutral,” Hania emphasised. “[However,] if you look at the statistics, men live lesser than women. There are a lot more suicides that men commit than women.” The celebrity pointed out that it was not a comparison as such but rather the specificity of different issues that men and women face.

Thoughts on gender equality

Segueing into a commentary on sexism and gender equality, Hania contended that “cerebral opportunities” should be equally accessible for men and women. “I don't think women compete with men in any other way. They want the same opportunities. They want that equality that if you can do it, I can too. That if I birth children that doesn't mean I'm lesser than you or that I have less of a brain,” she added.

The Sang-e-Mah actor also reflected on her years in showbiz, embroiled in controversy and hypervisibility on social media and their impact on her mental health. “I think everything has to do with perspective,” Hania remarked. “So I look at it in a way that yes, I went through that and it shaped me to be what I am today. I wouldn't have been so solid and wouldn't have known what I lacked or didn't lack if I hadn't gone through those experiences.”

“I would have never figured out that I have some past trauma that's catching up, which is getting triggered by social media right now,” she furthered on, adamant about not holding regrets for bygones. “The good parts, I thoroughly enjoyed. I don't regret a second of it. The bad part was meant to happen. I couldn't have done anything about it. So there's no regret there.”

In spotlight

Elaborating more on the complicated spotlight of social media, she recognised the difficulty in drawing clear boundaries between what to show and what to conceal. However, subtly invoking past controversies that blew up online, she came down to one tenet. “When it comes to romantic relationships, one thing I've learned is that they are extremely fragile. And those you have to protect.” As per the actor, fans often enter complex dynamics with celebrities and not out of bad intent.

“It's not like there are devils in front of [the screens] watching us. It's just that they get so vested. They invest so much of their attention in commenting and loving or hating or whatever. So when that falls apart, they don't treat it like a normal breakup or anything. They feel that something has gone wrong in their life,” Hania offered.

Embracing vulnerability

For Hania, affording this nuance to her fandom is part of the responsibility she feels comes her way with the big platform. Cognisant of this weight, she shared how her conduct online is geared towards utilising her reach beyond putting out a stream of selfies. Subsequently, embracing vulnerability online is central to humanising herself for her audience.

She maintained, “There is strength in vulnerability. We live in a world where there is so much facade that if even one person is honest from the heart, we feel that it’s fake.” While most celebrities might be apprehensive about minimising distance from fans, Hania credits the internet’s access for connecting her with fans and friends from across the globe.

“I have a secret account that has my fans on it,” Hania revealed, sharing how she has found some fans who respect her privacy. Cultivating such positivity in her intimate digital space allows her to overcome vitriol from strangers, which Hania disclosed, she rarely encounters. “I don't see it often. If you don't see it, it doesn't have an effect. Until someone says you are trending,” she said.

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