Actor Maham Aamir has praised Hareem Farooq for promoting body positivity through her character Masooma in the TV series Bismil.
In a recent interview, Hareem Farooq shared that she chose not to lose weight through crash diets for her role in ‘Bismil’ because it was affecting her mental health during a tough period in her life. Maham Aamir, wife of actor-host Faizan Sheikh, took to Instagram to applaud Hareem for her honesty about societal pressures.
“Thank you for saying this, Hareem Farooq,” Aamir wrote in response to Hareem’s viral confession.
“Constant pressure to look a certain way isn’t easy for a lot of women in our society,” she added.
“Comments that women face in our everyday life… These are not nice, and trust me, nobody wants to hear how fat/skinny/chubby or different a woman looks.”
“They know what they are going through, please STOP telling them,” Aamir urged, ending with a folded hands emoji.
Earlier, actress and producer Hareem Farooq’s journey in ‘Bismil’ revealed her character’s complexities and her battle with psoriasis.
In a recent interview with BBC Urdu, she discussed her role in the drama.
“I developed a skin condition called psoriasis during the shoot, which caused red spots to appear on my face and other parts of my body. The scars on my face may not look appealing to everyone, but they will encourage others who suffer from the same condition,” she said.
Psoriasis is a condition where the skin cells grow too quickly, causing red, scaly patches on the skin.When asked about her physical transformation, the ’22 Qadam’ actress shared that she initially considered losing weight before shooting ‘Bismil’.
“Before shooting started, I was going through a difficult phase in my life, which caused me to gain weight. I thought about losing it but eventually gave up. I had the option to delay the shoot by months, but I chose not to. I decided to shoot with the weight I had,” Hareem Farooq stated.
When asked about her work in the industry, Hareem explained, “Pakistan doesn’t have a film industry, so the same actors work in both films and dramas. All the other Pakistani actors, including me, work in films out of passion. If the country had a film industry, we wouldn’t have to work in dramas.”
Earlier, in a recent interview with Something Haute hosted by Hassan Choudhary, Hareem Farooq talked about her role in ‘Bismil’.
Hareem Farooq said, “When I first discussed the role of Masooma in ‘Bismil’, my primary focus was to align it with the director’s vision. I always asked the director [Aehsun Talish], ‘How do you see this character?’ I wanted to ensure we were on the same page.”
“The director described Masooma as someone who acts out of innocence, not malice. This resonated with me because I believe people are rarely inherently evil. Their experiences shape their actions. Masooma’s impulsive decisions reflect innocence… where she doesn’t consider long-term consequences… a characteristic I find relatable in real life,” the ‘Bismil’ actress explained.
Talking about Masooma’s intentions, Hareem shared, “I wouldn’t call her a gold digger because it wasn’t just about money. She was also running after security, wanting power, wanting change in her life. She wanted that lifestyle for herself. It’s a very selfish manner, but she cared about securing her future. Once she has something in her grasp, she won’t let go. I think Masooma’s relationship with TT [Nauman Ijaz] is more than just that of a gold digger… she is a selfish person, but not just running after money.”
‘Bismil’, featuring Hareem Farooq, Nauman Ijaz, Savera Nadeem, and Saad Qureshi, airs every Wednesday and Thursday on ARY Digital.
