In a recent interview with Something Haute, Faryal Mehmood opened up on the reality of the casting couch and sexual harassment that aspiring young actresses have to face. “They would ask me to go for a drive.”
The Raqeeb Se actress said because she didn’t give in, she was constantly told that she was a difficult actor to work with. “I won’t laugh at your vulgar jokes and will tell you not to have the same jokes again.”
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The actress shared her experience with two channels and she praised Geo TV, calling it “ghar Ki baat” and lauded Abdullah Kadwani’s 7th Sky Entertainment.
Talking about another channel and a producer, Faryal said “There was one producer, who saw me on an event and called me and said that you need a stylist. Look at me, I mean do I need a stylist? I was working on my weight and dealing with a new body at that time.”
“One day I showed up at a premiere at 2:30 at night, after the premiere, he saw me and texted me on Facebook, saying you know you’ve got potential but you need a stylist. I said, sir I am going through a process, I’m also getting to know what needs to be done. It was a new body for me as well.”
“The same person called me to his office, to the other side of the world (Karachi City) and then he tells me that you’ve got behavioral issues and why people don’t want to work with you. I keep giving your name and they keep rejecting you. The sad part is that i believed that,” said Faryal.
She further said: “After six years i decided that I don’t want it anymore, i’ll do whatever i like. Here no one knows the professional language and how to speak. I’ve also worked outside this country. They teach you how to communicate with people ad taking work from them, without hurting them or disrespecting them.”
“They have no manners and no professionalism,” she added.
“Now, all of them know me how I work. So, i don’t face anything like that anymore,” said Faryal.
But the actress also said the main reason why a lot of young actors don’t speak out against harassment is the fear of losing work and getting blacklisted in the industry. Faryal did, however, mention that there are good producers and directors as well who treat actors with respect.
