Acclaimed Pakistani actress Ayesha Omar got candid about her experiences in Lollywood about controversies and characters. In a recent interview with Arab News, the Bulbulay famed star revealed how challenging it becomes for an artist to speak about sexual harassment and the culprits.
Omar detailed how she entered the entertainment fraternity as a 22-year-old star who learned a lot through eye-opening experiences. While discussing how sexual harassment — a taboo issue — could potentially dunk an artist’s career, the Habs star revealed how she was harassed by a person twice her age. The star also added that when she made it public, the record labels asked her not to take the name as it could lead to controversy that would eventually backfire and make her lose the opportunity.
“There are a lot of limitations, you do lose out on work if you start raising your voice about things which are either taboo or will lead to a controversy,” Omar told Arab News in an exclusive interview in Karachi this week.
Revealing how she was in talks with a well-known brand for a two-year-campaign when she spoke about her traumatic experience and the brand confirmed whether or not she would name the person to which Omar detailed that she might do it one day, but fears backlash currently.
“And the brand said, ‘Because if you do [name], we’ll not be able to sign you. We don’t want any controversies attached to anybody who’s representing our brand’,” the Zindagi Gulzar Hai actress said.
Speaking about the dynamic shift of her on-screen characters from a bubbly yet an independent wife as Khoobsurat in the sitcom, Bulbulay, to landing serious roles including her recent role of lead investigator in Kukri — a film based on the notorious Pakistani serial killer Javed Iqbal who sexually abused and killed more than 100 children in Lahore in the 1990s — Omar believes she came a long way.
Discussing Kukri, Omar said, “Our intention was to create awareness about characters like this [Iqbal]. People like this exist around us, [so] how to protect yourself and your children, how to empower your children to protect their own selves because you can’t be around them all the time.”
The Money Back Guarantee star added that she understood how the film could “triggered” people due to its sensitive topic and a ban but believes that the film will be appreciated by the audience.
“Even if it’s edited and cut and chopped up and yes, a lot of the sentiment is not there anymore, but at least people are getting to watch a part of it, and the rest of the world has watched the uncensored version,” she said.
Prior to its release in Pakistan, Kukri played at the UK Asian Film Festival and the Berlin Biennale. It will next play at the Indian Film Festival in Melbourne in August.
Apart from acting and modeling, Omar is also a successful entrepreneur running her skincare brand, but often feels burnout. To tackle with such an exhaustive schedule, the actress makes sure to maintain a healthy lifestyle and preaches her fans to do so. Recently, Omar announced a two-week digital detox in which she traveled to the Barberyn Reef Ayurveda Resort in Sri Lanka.
As an actress, model and businesswoman, the star says she has to be “constantly available for people,” whether in person or over the phone and social media “and this availability is very taxing on human beings, we are not meant to be constantly at everyone’s beck and call, right?” she asked.
“So, I needed a break from that. And I also wanted a break from talking to people … I wanted to just be in a space where I don’t need to wear makeup, where I don’t need to dress up every day, where I can get up and roam around and just be me, a person who is not recognized,” the actress added.
“Social media is probably the one thing that is creating the most amount of anxiety in people,” she remarked. “And I just wanted to disconnect, and it was lovely. And I wish I could do it for longer.”
Talking about her future, Omar revealed that she is working on jer next film, Taxali Gate, which helped her come out of her “comfort zone.”
“It is shot in the inner city [of Lahore] in the Shahi Mohalla which was known as Heera Mandi [red light district] before, and my character is based there … It is around a rape incident… It is sort of shedding light on our judicial system,” the Kukri star excitedly shared.
