We are as flawed as our fans: Momina Iqbal

In a world of glitzy glamorous shots of celebrities and influencers catapulting into the phones of their followers with dazzling shots of their chic homes and to-die-for mouth-watering days out at restaurants, model and actor Momina Iqbal gave her viewers a dose of reality by reminding them that it is all an illusion.

Appearing as a guest on Ramzan Eid Aur Hum on Fuchsia TV, Momina, draped in a long white dress, sat casually on the floor and wondered aloud at the speed with which people update their socials, and exclaimed, “I just don’t understand these people who are always posting first thing in the morning! On my day off, I just I want to be in bed and relax!”

Bemoaning the crowd of naysayers who criticise celebrities for living in an alternate glamorous reality, the Daal Chawal star added, “The people who look at us think of it negatively, but we are the same as you guys. Sometimes I put up a picture that is a week old. It is not happening in real time.”

Turning her focus to fasting and the discipline Ramazan entails, Momina conceded that with the all-pervading power of social media, she may be pulled to her phone on a regular basis between prayers during the day, but not after iftar. “After iftar, I just want to eat, pray, and go to bed,” she remarked.

Embracing her spirituality, the actor revealed how she keeps a regular connection with God by repeatedly reciting the Quran and keeping a regular schedule with her prayers, a habit she attributes to her mother.

“Throughout my childhood, my mother would always be reciting something and always said her prayers on time,” she shared. “To me, I understood that this is something you have to do, and now, it gives me peace.”

Being at peace is not something Momina has always found easy, as she reminded viewers that she had gone on record in the past to say that she is very sensitive and easily hurt. However, after performing negative roles despite backlash from audiences criticising her for not “looking” like the stereotypical villain, Momina has at last made her peace by rising above critical feedback.

“Now I don’t care,” stated the fresh-faced actor. Channelling the energy of her negative characters to pull her through, she explained, “It wasn’t the comments of the audiences that made me stronger. It was when I started to think like my character, and it gave me the strength to keep moving forward knowing that people will say whatever they will say whatever I do, be it positive or negative.”

Discussing the types of projects that come her way, Momina illustrated that the majority of scripts she has worked with have had black and white characters, with no room for grey in between. “People can say what they want about me, but if I am given a script a certain way, that is the only way I will be able to represent the character,” she stressed.

Momina made her acting debut on television in 2018 with Parlour Wali Larki. She has gone on to appear in a string of dramas and made her film debut in 2019 with Daal Chawal. With a few years of acting under her belt and having learnt to rise above the whims of viewers wanting to slot her into only the roles that match her youthful face, Momina can look forward to expanding her horizons with whichever projects come her way.

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