When Veena Malik is being panned down as the cultural ambassador for Pakistan, Ali Zafar came out clear with the logic of it all saying that an entire country could not be judged based on actions of just one or two individuals. Now it is for Veena’s critics who have to understand this point.
Ali Zafar said this while being interviewed by the Indian media that:
“You have to understand that she`s an individual and you can`t judge the entire community on the basis of one person`s behaviour. You shouldn`t even judge Pakistan through me. The whole Pakistan is not like Ali Zafar or Veena Malik.”
An actress like Veena Malik who has sprouted controversy wherever she went, she have never been expected to do anything representative of Pakistan’s cultural values. It is a wrong expectation to associate with her. What she needs is a break and long one at that from all the controversies that even media jumps in on sparking. Ali Zafar further went on expressing his thoughts on the matter saying:
“And such individuals are there in very entertainment industry. In India also there are women who ride on controversies. It happens everywhere. It happens even in Hollywood.”
To defend his work ethics and protect pride of his country Ali said that:
“I pay all my taxes. I make sure all paper work is in place and streamlined. I want to work in a manner so that I stay away from controversies.”
Even though Ali thinks that he has gotten away from creating all the controversies but he has in fact done a scene which now might not come out as shot originally where he was also not being the ‘cultural trumpet’ of Pakistan. But he believes that:
“Whatever films I do, I make sure that I don`t do scenes or say dialogues or do stuff that could hurt people back home. In my capacity, I try and keep everyone happy but that`s just me. Everybody has their own style of working.”
There are however different criteria as to what extent an actor and an actress can go to while working in another entertainment industry even on a personal level. Ali shares his wisdom and experience saying:
“It’s unfortunate…I think one should avoid controversies as long as possible, they may help you in the short run, but I don’t think those who are talented need controversies to boost their career.”
Now that Veena Malik has signed a British film, one expects her to learn from the past. Let us hope that talent alone survives rather than this urge of making and hearing more controversies.
