While we already know Saba Qamar is a hero, actress and scriptwriter Mehar Bano reaffirmed this. She shared a story of how the Kamli actress stood up for her.
In a recent interview with Something Haute, Mehar Bano spoke up about encountering harassment on set and how Saba Qamar stepped in to save her. The Baaghi actress saved her the first time it happened.
“One of the first cases when I faced harassment, Saba Qamar came to my rescue. It was a mic operator, and this just goes to show that, you can be harassed by anyone at any time. Especially when you don’t know what’s going on and you’re just a child. I told her (Saba Qamar) I don’t know what’s going on and I was very confused. And she just went on set and had him kicked out. That’s the only time I can remember a woman taking such a strong stance for me.”
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She shared how it took her a while to realize that she was being harassed because she was so young and sheltered when she debuted in the biz. She emphasized how harassment isn’t necessarily physical, it can be anything that makes you uncomfortable.
The Mere Paas Tum Ho actress shared how there is no culture of accountability for harassment in the Pakistani entertainment industry.
“The fact that this is being kept so hush-hush and it isn’t talked about is the biggest problem. And this happens when women feel like they cannot speak about this because their job or livelihood will be affected,” she said.
Mehar Bano is one of the few artists in the industry that have spoken out about the ‘casting couch‘ in the industry. No, not like Hollywood auditions with an army judging you. In South Asia, this term is used to refer to people in power asking artists for sexual favors in exchange for roles.
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Known as a rebel feminist in the industry, the actress also had her fair share of roles playing a damsel.
“Before the strong women characters came my way, I had to play the bechari aurat too,” confessed Mehar
She talked about how the drama industry went from iconic plays presenting strong female characters decades ago to the ‘bechari aurat‘ and ‘achi aurat vs buri aurat‘ trope today.
“Our industry is standing on the foundation of dramas like Tanhaiyaan. The female characters had agency and they were empowered women,” she said.
