Ushna Shah explains why she refers to male colleagues as 'bhai'

Pakistan’s entertainment industry figures are no strangers to playing it safe or diplomatically but the candidness of talent powerhouse Ushna Shah comes as a breath of fresh air.

Never one to shy away from sharing her two cents, the Bashar Momin star recently took to her Twitter handle and commented some insight on the prevalent culture in Pakistani work environment. 

Shah revealed why she calls people in the industry “bhai”. Many Pakistani women call men they meet throughout the day as well as those they work with bhai to avoid any issues they may cause for them later on. 

“‘Yaar bhai kyu kehti ho”. Professional environment mein humein bhai kehnay ka shauk nahi, zaroorat hei. Agar bhai na kaheiN toh kaafi hazraat ka deemagh kharab ho jaata hei. Ap larki/aurat ko as a platotic friend ya colleague treat karein toh bhai bananay ki zaroorat nahi hogi,” she tweeted.

“Yaar bhai kyu kehti ho”. Professional environment mein humein bhai kehnay ka shauk nahi, zaroorat hei. Agar bhai na kaheiN toh kaafi hazraat ka deemagh kharab ho jaata hei. Ap larki/aurat ko as a platotic friend ya colleague treat karein toh bhai bananay ki zaroorat nahi hogi.

— Ushna Shah (@ushnashah) November 15, 2022

She shared that no one wants to call people “bhai” in a professional environment. However, in the work environment, people start getting other ideas thus mirroring the problem faced by many women in the workplace in Pakistan. 

For women, the fearlessness that comes with our 30’s is perhaps the best part. The ability to say “No” without an apology, the ability to call out patriarchy & and the ability to let men know when they cross a boundary and to call them out on making us uncomfortable. I love it!

— Ushna Shah (@ushnashah) November 15, 2022

On the work front, Ushna Shah's drama serial Habs has been receiving a mind-boggling response from TV viewers and social media users. With many loving the drama, there are some who are criticising it for various reasons.

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