Latest news with #Iffat
Express Tribune
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Zara Noor wants you to age loudly and proudly
Actor Zara Noor Abbas has taken to Instagram with a heartfelt message urging women to embrace ageing and to stay clear of dangerous anti?ageing practices. In a recently posted Instagram story, she said: "Let's please stop promoting anti-ageing. Ageing is going to happen. That's the only natural and beautiful truth. Accept it. Let this be a process of life you don't control." Commenting further about body image issues, she added, "Slimming drops, medication that makes you drop weight or turns your skin colour lighter – please stop promoting these. Drug abuse with medication is the worst sort of addiction." Zara's message is especially relevant given the societal pressures women face in Pakistan. Women are constantly told that their value diminishes with age, fuelling a belief that they come with an expiration date. In the entertainment industry, this situation seems even dire. In her post, the Badshah Begum star shared the antidote to counter pressure that comes with ageing, saying, "Vanity is very short?lived. Work on your mind. Your brain. That will last." Zara's statement adds to a growing chorus of voices challenging the double standards around women and ageing in the entertainment industry around the world. Earlier this year, Cate Blanchett became the latest to call out the bias, recalling, "The shelf life of an actor when I first came on the scene was about five years." At this year's Cannes Film Festival, Meryl Streep reflected on being pushed into certain roles as she aged. "I was offered three witches in one year when I turned 40," she revealed. "It was as if the industry decided I was old, no longer the ingenue or leading lady, but someone to be cast as strange or sinister." Back home, women in showbiz have been long holding their ground against ageism. In 2021, after Iffat Omar posted a picture from Angeline Malick's birthday party, she was ruthlessly trolled for looking "too old". Ayesha Omar sent love to Iffat in a comment on social media, saying: "But most humans will get 'budha' in their lives. If Allah wills and they reach that age It's a natural human process. In fact, it's a blessing to be alive and healthy in the latter part of your life. Why do people use 'age' as an insult or in a derogatory way?" Similarly, Nausheen Shah showed support for Iffat, "Instead of saying MashaAllah, people think getting old is an insult or some sort of crime. I mean, how can you not get old? We should be thankful for being alive and ageing gracefully rather than being negative." She also echoed Ayesha in questioning people if they also looked down upon their parents and grandparents for being old. The comments of these actors lay bare the double standards of the industry, where men in their fifties can get away with being cast opposite much younger women, while women are subjected to intense scrutiny.
Express Tribune
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Zara Noor Abbas isn't here for slimming drops or skin lighteners
Actor Zara Noor Abbas has taken to Instagram with a heartfelt message urging women to embrace aging and to stay clear of dangerous anti‑ageing practices. In a recently posted Instagram story, she said: 'Let's please stop promoting anti-ageing. Ageing is going to happen. That's the only natural and beautiful truth. Accept it. Let this be a process of life you don't control.' Commenting further about body images issues she added, 'Slimming drops, medication that makes you drop weight or turns your skin colour lighter - please stop promoting these. Drug abuse with medication is the worst sort of addiction.' Zara's message is especially relevant given the societal pressures women face in Pakistan. Women are constantly told that their value diminishes with age, fuelling a belief that they come with an expiration date. In the entertainment industry, this situation seems even dire. In her post, the Badshah Begum star shared the antidote to counter pressure that comes with the ageing saying, 'Vanity is very short‑lived. Work on your mind. Your brain. That will last.' Zara's statement adds to a growing chorus of voices challenging the double standards around women and ageing in the entertainment industry around the world. Earlier this year, Cate Blanchett became the latest to call out the bias, recalling, 'The shelf life of actresses when I first came on the scene was about five years.' At this year's Cannes Film Festival, Meryl Streep reflected on being pushed into certain roles as she aged. 'I was offered three witches in one year when I turned 40,' she revealed. 'It was as if the industry decided I was old, no longer the ingenue or leading lady, but someone to be cast as strange or sinister.' Back home, women in showbiz have been long holding their ground against ageism. In 2021, after Iffat Omar posted a picture from Angeline Malick's birthday party, she was ruthlessly trolled for looking 'too old'. Ayesha Omar sent love to Iffat in a comment on social media saying: 'But most humans will get 'budha' in their lives. If Allah wills and they reach that age … It's a natural human process. In fact it's a blessing to be alive and healthy in the latter part of your life. Why do people use 'age' as an insult or in a derogatory way?' Similarly, Nausheen Shah showed support for Iffat, 'Instead of saying 'MashaAllah', people think getting old is an insult or some sort of crime. I mean how can you not get old? We should be thankful for being alive and ageing gracefully rather than being negative.' She also echoed Ayesha in questioning people if they also looked down upon their parents and grandparents for being old. The comments of these actors lay bare the double standards of the industry where men in their fifties can get away with being cast opposite much younger women, while women are subjected to intense scrutiny. Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.
Express Tribune
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Iffat believes Fahad needs to go easy on vloggers
In an interview with Hina Niazi, seasoned actor Iffat Umar expressed her opinion on the clash between content creators and showbiz professionals. "I'm not the kind of person who lives in the past. I've always changed myself according to the times. I have nothing against anyone," she said. "Whatever someone wants to do to attain fame, I feel that we should let them." Iffat believes that actors, especially someone as high up in the industry as Fahad Mustafa, should not be too critical of vloggers like Rajab Butt. "Don't criticise everyone," she stressed. "'Don't do this, don't do that.' I mean, why must it be a competition between Fahad and him?" The film-and-TV star has voiced his distaste for content creators on multiple occasions in the past. In an interview with Shoaib Akhtar, he disapproved of the idea of sharing the screen with a TikToker, asking whether his peers would do the same. Condemning the process of content creation, he said, "'Content' is the most overrated word in this country. There is no such thing as content. Everyone is selling their families." The Na Maloom Afraad actor has also been critical of the influence of YouTubers on the entertainment industry in the past. He pointed out that, in his opinion, celebrities exercise great caution when giving interviews, as some content creators tend to focus on sensationalising and misrepresenting their statements to generate content for their platforms. Fahad's firm views caught the attention of YouTuber Rajab Butt, who in turn criticised the actor for accusing content creators of exploiting their families. While defending himself and his craft, Rajab also stated that a senior doesn't get respect by default but must earn it through their actions. Addressing Fahad in reference to this feud, Iffat said in her interview, "You've worked hard yourself, Fahad. You are the pride of Pakistan. Measure your hard work with dignity, not with your financial status. And again, you are the highest paid actor in this country. Tend to your own business. Get out of the clutches of frequent criticism. Live and let live." Differences aside, Iffat went on to say that things have changed for the better in the entertainment industry. Speaking of her juniors, she said, "I'm very happy for these kids, who are able to build a grand lifestyle with the help of their hard work and talent. This wasn't the case in my time. I'd tell people I'm an actor, and they'd ask me what my real profession was." She believes that younger actors no longer need to deal with these conversations. "Now nobody asks Fahad or these other kids what they actually do."
