Nadia Afgan says actors hide financial stress behind curated images on social media

Urges young actors to travel, save instead of displaying 'status symbols'

Actor Nadia Afgan discussed the pressures facing young actors in an interview, criticising the trend of moving into expensive residential areas to keep up appearances.

Reflecting on the financial strain many young actors put themselves through, Nadia said the profession was far harder than it looked. "Our job isn't easy; it's very difficult. I think about when young actors work so hard at the start of their careers; I believe you should travel, save up, or buy a plot for yourself, rather than trying to display a status symbol just because 'I am an actor and all my peers live there.' That is peer pressure," she said.

The actor argued that this competitive mindset drove actors to spend unsustainably.

She also criticised social media for deepening the illusion, saying, "You can post on Instagram about your car, your view, or travelling business class. But you don't post when you're crying and in pain, thinking, 'Oh God, I have to pay such a huge bill!'"

Sharing her views on the shift within the entertainment industry, Nadia noted that now, visibility often outweighed talent. "Becoming an influencer before an actor has become a new pathway, a channel to enter TV dramas, through social media, influencers or anyone making videos on TikTok or Instagram get a chance because they have a camera, a channel, and a process to make themselves visible," she said.

The actor added that production houses also often followed the numbers rather than the craft. "When you take someone very famous and put them in a drama, obviously their followers watch it, and it gets views on YouTube too, so the channel or production house automatically benefits."

"I know many people who are genuinely very talented, but influencers with high follower counts get more opportunities," Nadia stated.

Beyond discussing the shift in the industry, the actor spoke about her journey to acting. She touched on her wish to move beyond comedic roles and how personal loss reshaped her approach to her craft.

"I used to yearn, asking, 'Please, let me do some serious work.' But I guess I had to come into it very gradually. Eventually, many things happen in your life, so you learn, change with time, your personality changes, your thinking changes, you grow as a person," Nadia said.

She also shared that her father's passing brought new depth to her work. "After my father's illness and after his passing, a sense of steadiness came inside me as a person. I have closely observed the ups and downs of life and felt it, so when you do those kinds of roles, you can understand characters better."

Nadia is known for her roles in dramas including Suno Chanda, Shashlik, Shehr-E-Zaat, and Kabuli Pulao.