Pakistani actress Ushna Shah has shown her staunch support for Palestinian civilians going through genocide at the hands of Israeli military forces and aims not only to ‘amplify’ Palestinian voices but also to counter online misinformation.
With more than 18,500 Palestinians killed since October 07, the Habs star has been vocal about the ongoing conflict and shares her thoughts on social media platforms about “one of the worst atrocities in history.” Shah has been regularly calling out politicians, international brands, and celebrities who have supported Israel’s war in Palestine or stayed neutral on the matter.
“We are watching [in Gaza] one of the worst atrocities to have ever happened in the history of mankind and in our living history, you know, this generation especially,” the Parizaad actress shared in an exclusive interview with a media outlet.
“I can’t pick up a rifle and go to the frontlines. The only thing in my capacity is to counter this disinformation … the media war is part of this war, the propaganda, the disinformation .. And that’s all I’m doing on that very small platform that I have myself,” Shah emphasized.
But speaking up for Palestine came at a cost for Shah in the form of hatemongering comments on social media. From people painting her as a hypocrite for not speaking about Afghanistan, Kashmir or Balochistan to hurling abuses, Shah has faced it all and remained unfazed.
“People have said extremely stupid things to me and uninformed things to me. There are people who just have a problem with people taking a stance for something,” the actress noted.
“And I think in all this, people often forget that I’m not an activist, I am an actor. I’m a human being. And if something tugs at my heartstrings, I’ll speak about it … My day does not revolve around waking up every morning and picking causes. If I speak for something, it’s coming from the heart.”
Speaking on her upcoming project, Chikkar, Shah revealed some interesting insights. Essaying the character of the wife of a police detective, portrayed by Usman Mukhtar, Shah’s character is a leg spinner who dreams of going to the Cricket World Up.
“I got tips from everyone, the best of the best leg spinners helped me and I got the leg spin down,” the actress said, adding that she watched videos of Australian cricketer Shane Warne and Pakistani leg spinner Abdul Qadir to prepare for the role.
“So I got a lot of help and I managed to pull through, but if you were to ask me to do a leg spin right now, it would not work out too well,” the actress said, laughing. “I would look very stupid doing the run up.”
Ushna Shah criticizes selective activism regarding Palestinian genocide
