It’s Tough To Be A Pakistani Actor, Or Is It Tougher Being A Pakistani Fan?
Ahad Raza Mir kisses a girl in Resident Evil and … ahem, does a bit more and Pakistani fans are furious. These were, interestingly enough, some of the same fans who couldn’t get enough of the news that Ahad – a Pakistani actor – purely, wholly, solely Pakistani, (so what if he went to college in Canada) was being cast in a Netflix Original Show!
Before I launch into an all-out debate on the dynamics of Pakistani actors taking on shows on foreign-owned OTT platforms, let’s get to know a little bit more about Resident Evil.
Now I was aware that the show has been adapted from a video game, (rated for 18+ players by the way), I went ahead to google the age rating for the show itself.
And this is the first search that popped up:
The live-action series was given an age rating of TV-MA, meaning it may not be suitable for ages 17 and under. It was given this rating due to the frightening scenes throughout, extremely graphic violence, gore, profanity, and smoking. Overall, Resident Evil is meant to be watched by mature audiences only. So we recommend watching the show when the kids are tucked in and ready for bed or when they’re completely occupied with a kids’ movie or show.
Please note MA stands for Mature Audiences and I would seriously rest my gaze on that rating when I expect to watch the series play out.
Want more?
Ahad Raza Mir plays the character of Arjun Batra who plays the romantic interest of Jade Wesker.
Please note: Playing a romantic interest on Netflix might not be what your daily dose of PEMRA verified Pakistani dramas ordered. So what exactly were you expecting from Ahad’s appearance in Resident Evil, my dear Pakistani fan? Time to think that one out.
Now that we’ve established the facts here, and, I still get it. “But Ahad is Pakistani”, you say, “doesn’t he know that he influences the youth of today, so many of whom idolize him and treat him as a role model?”
Okay so, here’s my moment.
Selective Criticism Will Get The Best Of Us
Where were the Twitter police when Ahad decided to star in an advert selling nicotine products aka Velo. That advert was pretty cool huh? Cool is what sticks when the product is neatly, (and secretly packaged) in fab advertising with Ahad Raza Mir playing with your emotions (and more), splashing paint onscreen as he moves rhythmically to a catchy beat and pops a nicotine-filled chewing gum in his mouth. Yeah, that product was made for the youth too, 18 + to be precise. And Ahad was probably picked precisely because he influences that market, which, is, incidentally the target market for this product.
So my question is, why beat him up about one thing and not the other? Because nicotine is not as lethal as watching a steamy romantic scene onscreen?
You answer that one!
Okay, but I digress. That was just to make a point, to bring me to the main point. Which is, of course, Ahad Raza Mir playing a steamy scene in Resident Evil.
Should Ahad Raza Mir have taken on Resident Evil knowing there were certain intimate scenes for Arjun Batra?
Why The Double Standards?
The question is not, should he have taken it up. The question is, why do fans feel that it is only our female actors who need to uphold the sanctity of our culture, our morals, our values, and our principles when it comes to acting in (coveted) foreign projects.
The question is, that our female actors have refused these roles countless times only because of the Pakistani backlash they would face, and also because, many might not have been comfortable acting them out or even be conscious of, and responsible for, their influencer status amongst thousands of Pakistanis who love, adore, and … ahem, judge them?
And if 10 people are calling out Ahad Raza Mir today, 10’000 people will call out those female actors for doing (God forbid) the same!
And that’s the beginning and end of it.
Where do Pakistanis draw the line between culture, moral responsibility, influencers, and Art?
I’ll tell you. Many female actors who represent us on international forums and whom we proudly flaunt as our own have been trolled, subjected to hate on social media and criticized for making personal choices, just because of their gender – they are women.
Many female actors have let go of lucrative offers because they fear a similar backlash.
This is not to say that Ahad or any other male or female actor shouldn’t take on a role on a foreign platform. But I have to say, I’m a bit stumped on that one. On one side, there is the role of the actor, and the Art he or she lives for, on the other side, is the Pakistani upbringing, the culture, the values, and the moral brigade.
Conversation Starter
Silver lining? Perhaps the Ahad x Resident Evil fiasco will initiate a dialogue, a conversation, that one has to consider what one is comfortable with, and, should actors abide by the same rules when taking on foreign projects, even if at the cost of progressing their career? Or should they stick to Pakistani content, and peripheral roles in foreign cinema and hope that one day, our content becomes so popular or mind-blowing that the world is watching and we don’t need to step out of our comfort zones ever?
But what of creative and artistic freedom, argue some.
Please note, a reminder: In 2019, Ahad Raza Mir starred in “Hamlet: A Ghost Story” for The Shakespeare Company, and his interpretation of Hamlet won him Canada’s Betty Mitchell Award for outstanding performance by an actor. Hamlet perhaps, was a safe bet for a Pakistani actor, but Resident Evil wasn’t?
I love the way many are defending Ahad’s work as Art today but may fall silent or might even judge privately if not publicly, a Pakistani actress who does the same. In fact, some of the same people who are proud of Joyland in Cannes and share the Pakistani success story on Twitter might not want it to be screened in Pakistan.
By the way, more general knowledge for you: Resident Evil, as we speak carries a Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 26% and IMDb rating of 3.6 currently. And all that fuss was about?
So now we have Ahad Raza Mir fans divided. They want nothing more than to support him wholeheartedly, but they’re holding back because, well… Romance on Netflix isn’t what they’re used to watching on HUM TV. Do you blame them?
So, what do you say, is it Tough Being A Pakistani Actor? Or is it tougher being a Pakistani Fan? You tell me! I just dropped by to watch the show.
