Mahnoor Baloch is a name synonymous with eternal beauty, impeccable talent, and charisma. The 53-year-old Pakistani actress leaves the audience’s jaws dropped due to her fresh-faced and rosy-cheeked looks anytime she makes a public appearance. While Baloch enjoys fans’ and critics’ appreciation, she is often asked about the indefinite hiatus in her career. The actress recently answered the question once and for all.
Having gained popularity from the drama serial Marvi for PTV, Baloch established herself as a successful star in a short span of time. The serial was followed by Yeh Zindagi Hai, Chandni Raatain, and Kabhi Kabhi Pyaar Main to name a few. This allowed her fans to assume that the star would go on to have a long journey in the entertainment fraternity but Baloch took a break leaving many people confused. In an appearance during Meethi Meethi Baatein, Javeria Saud and Saud Qasmi’s Eid Ul Fitr Special Show, Baloch talked about the limited narratives for actresses and the oft-used tropes by the drama industry and claimed the little bubble to be the reason for her break.
Baloch suggested, “To be honest, our industry is still evolving. It is quite unfortunate that female artists are bound to portray damsels in distress or spoiled brats, and if that wasn’t enough, there is the age factor that limits any worthwhile project to be screened.”
While comparing Hollywood and Lollywood, Baloch said, “If you look at international entertainment industries, they have different genres of films and series which tell stories about people of different age groups. Their shows are based on different phases of life, and not limited to a specific theme.”
“They [Hollywood] have actors portraying characters of the same age, for example, Nicole Kidman is still working and essays a character that fits her age group. In our industry, we tend to show monotonous and cliched love stories with a hero that may be 55 years old but is forced to look young. It might sound plausible to them [producers] but, when you see from a normal person’s perspective, it doesn’t work,” she added.
“People are evolving, and they don’t find such things amusing anymore,” Baloch concluded.
On the work front, Baloch has worked on a number of projects including Main Hoon Shahid Afridi, Pachtava, Pal Mein Ishq Pal Me Nahi, Khoobsurat, Apni Apni Love Story, Talafi, Mera Saaein 2, Ishq Ibadat, and Torn.
