Pakistani actors have been quite vocal on their stance on whether homegrown brands should hire Turkish celebrities as brand ambassadors or support local talent. And it seems that the fraternity is divided into two groups right now.
Anoushay Ashraf, Ayesha Omar and many others support the decision of having Turkish stars here, while celebrities like Yasir Hussain and Shaan Shahid have opposed it since the beginning.
Earlier, Shaan Shahid even expressed his disappointment in PTV for airing Ertugrul. And now that the show has become so popular, local brands are hiring these Turkish celebs as their brand ambassadors. But guess what? The Waar actor has once again criticized these brands for not ‘promoting local talents’.
Well said brother. For them business is everything .
— Shaan Shahid (@mshaanshahid) September 30, 2020
Let’s Hear Him Out First
This time, the actor has some valid concerns. We all know that COVID-19 brought along a lot of economic challenges as well. Companies went out of business, millions of people across the world were fired from their jobs and even faced pay cuts. The situation was even worse in Pakistan since the lower class was affected the most.
We all saw how locals and celebrities came together to help the ones in need and distributed food and ration bags all across the country. The nationwide lockdown for 6 consecutive months also dealt with greater damage to the overall economy.
At this time, one would think that entrepreneurs and large corporations will step up their game and start pushing their own people to the front. However, with growing popularity and and even greater competitive market, brands went out and signed Turkish celebrities to seek advantage.
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This is not wrong entirely, they have to maintain their ‘brand image’ and they have the right to hire anyone they want. If we take a look at the industry from a few years ago, long before the tensions between India and Pakistan arose, Bollywood celebrities were an important part of Pakistani media market. Considering that, one shouldn’t have an issue with brands seeking after Turkish celebrities.
Nothing wrong … at all .. with the brand strategy …. it’s a question of values . In COVID not only the Pakistani artists but every profession got hit badly now was the time to support your own 🇵🇰… that’s all
— Shaan Shahid (@mshaanshahid) September 30, 2020
Is Shaan Shahid Right?
But Shaan Shahid has a firm stance on ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’. When Twitteratis reminded him of the time when Bollywood celebrities used to promote Pakistani brands, Shaan Shahid had an epic response. He said,
“I have highlighted my reservations on Indian content artist and our artists working there .. not vocally but professionally as well.”
I have highlighted my reservations on Indian content artist and our artists working there .. not vocally but professionally as well .. ARY awards where another Pakistani singer artist was supporting India and I had an argument with him ..pls do your research.
— Shaan Shahid (@mshaanshahid) September 30, 2020
People started calling him out this time as well. They called him ‘jealous’ and an ‘attention seeker’, but if you look at the other side, his points are valid.
Yes, brands can still hire whoever they want and the Khuda Kay Liye actor is all for it. But there is also a gap in the industry that he tried highlighting.
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What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
