Controversial actor Feroze Khan made headlines last year when allegations by his ex-wife Aliza Sultan surfaced, detailing the abuse and torture she allegedly suffered during their four year marriage.
Now in a recent Q &A session with her followers on Instagram, Aliza has opened up about whether Feroze Khan plays a role in providing financial support for the upbringing of his children.
He does, Aliza said. “No that’s not true. He has taken on their financial responsibility.”
Another user asked Aliza about whether she thought the height of a man mattered in a marriage, to which her response was: “Height of his patience and personality bas.”
Aliza Sultan had previously shut down rumors claimed by Feroze that he wasn’t allowed to visit the children when a user chided her for not letting the father visit them during Eid.
“No one has stopped anyone from visiting. You should relax and enjoy your Eid,” she wrote in response.
Actor Iqra Aziz in an Instagram post announced last month that she is retracting from a project with Feroze Khan after he was accused of domestic violence.
“To stay silent in the face of injustice is to side with the oppressor.’ In lieu of the situation regarding domestic violence, I have made the difficult but necessary decision to retract my project with Feroze Khan as a sign of support for victims of domestic abuse. I support Aliza Sultan for seeking justice, more strength and power to you,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
After Iqra’s announcement, her sister Sidra took to her social media handle to share details of Iqra’s decision-making process while opting out of the project.
Now Iqra has opened up on her decision in a chat show, the Ranjha Ranjha Kardi diva said she simply was not comfortable working with him after he was accused of domestic violence by his wife Aliza Sultan. She said everyone has the right to choose how they want to work and who they want to work with.
Aziz appeared on The Talk Talk Show and talked about her retraction. “For me, it was a very personal decision. I did what I thought was right for me and [it was] what I wanted to do, what according to me was the right choice. I took a decision — I wasn’t comfortable working with him, so I said no. I wasn’t waiting for anything to be proved to take action because, before that, there was a time in which we worked together (Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3) and I wasn’t comfortable with him during that so I said no this time.” she said.
The host summarised her point saying that the bottom line is it’s okay for an actor to have the liberty to say no if they’re uncomfortable working with someone. “Of course!” Aziz responded. “I think that we live in an era where, whether it’s a woman or a man, working in this industry or anywhere, other than the choice of career, they have the right to say yes or no to however they want to work according to their comfort level and to who they’re comfortable working with.”
The interviewer then asked her if her take would be any different if in the future the allegations proved to be false in court. “I think we have to wait for that time then. We can only decide that then, we can’t decide before time thinking what if this happens, just based on assumptions,” replied the Suno Chanda actor.
When the host tried to dig into the matter some more, Aziz put a stop to it with an uncomfortable chuckle and asked him to leave it at that instead of delving deep into it.
From glorifying abusers and then giving them awards, the Lux Style Awards (LSAs) became a sorry affair this year. The coveted LSAs rolled out nominations for its 21st edition. As soon as the names were dropped, viewers condemned what they felt was an injustice to other artists and women.
Actor Feroze Khan, who recently came under fire for alleged abuse against his ex-wife Aliza Sultan, had been nominated in the Best TV Actor – Viewers’ Choice category for his drama Khuda Aur Mohabbat. Aliza had shared proof of domestic violence in court and on social media. Actor Feroze Khan released a statement denying all abuse allegations levied against him a day after fellow celebrities and social media rallied behind his ex-wife. Many are saying the case is still in court, and the court has not given a final verdict on Khan but the court will not be deciding whether Khan abused his wife or not. They are deciding a case of child custody. The proof that his wife submitted, which later went viral on social media, is enough to believe Aliza.
So here are a few questions LSA should answer: Why was a man accused of domestic abuse, one of the nominees? How can a brand that capitalises on selling soap to women, become so insensitive towards their target market? LSA should have set the bar by upholding ethics. It takes courage to stand with victims and survivors of violence and abuse. In a country, where we are still dealing with the horror of the murder of Noor Mukadam, we haven’t yet healed as a nation. Having witnessing the bone-chilling gruesome murder of Sara Shah Nawaz at the hands of a man who was raised as a result of patriarchal norms, here the LSA decides to nominate Khan, further legitimising that men can get away with anything.
We at The Current, on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, decided to delete all videos and coverage of the LSA. As a platform that supports women’s rights and the rights of all marginalised communities, we strongly believe change starts from within. We hope all award ceremonies in the future, keep in mind that when women come forward with their stories of horror, we, as a community and society, need to support the women, not nominate the men for stardom and applause.
