Tag: toxic relationship

  • Sajal Aly calls out Pakistani dramas for romanticizing toxic relationships

    Sajal Aly calls out Pakistani dramas for romanticizing toxic relationships

    Actress Sajal Aly sat down for an interview with BBC Urdu where she opened up about the difficulties of finding good scripts in the Pakistani entertainment industry which do not romanticize toxic relationships. She reflected on how she had to work hard to ensure progressive dramas aren’t just once in a blue moon happening, but then the industry goes back to making sexist, regressive shows:
    “We have to fight hard, we have to say no to a lot of scripts. Right now you would notice there are a lot of dramas airing on our Pakistani screens where harassment is shown to be a sign of love. And then at the end of the day that harasser falls in love with the girl and that gets a lot of views, unfortunately. But I think television has the power to change the mindset of the audience. Because we think our audience isn’t smart but they’re very intelligent. So we will keep fighting for better roles in dramas.”
    Aly also talked about how she got selected for her role in the upcoming rom-com ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ and revealed it was her agents who told her this was a role she could excel at.
    “My agents, who are responsible for international projects, had told me about this role and said I was made for it. They sent me two scenes and asked me to record them…Later I got an email saying I was on board.”

    Watch the full interview here:

  • Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni to star in film adaptation of controversial book ‘It Ends With Us’

    Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are set to star as main leads in a film adaptation of the controversial Colleen Hoover book ‘It Ends With Us’, with Baldoni also directing, Deadline has reported.

    Hoover’s novel has been slammed by bloggers and social media users for romanticizing abuse and championing aggressive and toxic male characters. Users have pointed out that even though the book was marketed as a ‘romance novel’ it depicts an abusive relationship where the female lead, Lilly Bloom, is consistently abused and sexually assaulted by her husband, Ryle, and even highlighted how regardless of this, there are no consequences for the abuser by the end of the novel.
    Recently, Hoover had to cancel the release of the adult coloring book based on ‘It’s End With Us’, after social media users called her ‘insensitive’ and ‘tone deaf’.

    When news of the film adaptation broke out on Twitter, users criticized Baldoni’s involvement in the project, citing his description of himself as a ‘male feminist’. Baldoni had also held a TED talk on encouraging better representation of masculinity on social media.
    “Isn’t Justin Baldoni Mr ‘we have to address the negative ways masculinity is taught/enforced’??? Sir, in what world does that line up with Colleen Hoover/her work? lmao what,” one user wrote.

    “Justin Baldoni is such a promising actor & his opinions are always very interesting to listen to, so why… as a man who spoke up about toxic masculinity and abuse, you’re taking this role…”

    https://twitter.com/venuseIy/status/1618882700869500928?s=20&t=uE1nNRWsBo-ShR4JwO94qg

    “Justin Baldoni crafted his entire image to be a role model to create emotionally open and sensitive young men. And now he’s not just starring in this awful adaptation, but DIRECTING it?? With BLAKE LIVELY??? Insanity”