KARACHI: Pakistani actress Ushna Shah said this week she was using her social media accounts to speak up about the war on Gaza in order to “amplify” the voices of its people and counter disinformation, saying it was the least she could do as “one of the worst atrocities in history” unfolded in the enclosed enclave.
The Pakistani-Canadian A-lister, who made her TV debut in 2013 and has since gone on to star in a number of hit Pakistani TV shows, has been the most vocal among local celebrities speaking up against Israel’s assault on Gaza in which more than 18,500 Palestinians have been killed since October. Shah has also called out politicians, international brands, and celebrities who have supported Israel’s war in Palestine or stayed silent on the matter.
“We are watching [in Gaza] one of the worst atrocities to have ever happened in the history of mankind and in our living history, you know, this generation especially,” Shah told Arab News in an exclusive interview this week.
“I can’t pick up a rifle and go to the frontlines. The only thing in my capacity is to counter this disinformation … the media war is part of this war, the propaganda, the disinformation .. And that’s all I’m doing on that very small platform that I have myself.”
Speaking up for Palestine, however, came at a cost, said Shah, especially in the form of hateful comments on social media.
“People have said extremely stupid things to me and uninformed things to me,” the star of the hit show Parizad said, pointing out how people engaged in whataboutery, asking why she did not raise her voice for Afghanistan, Kashmir or Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, long plagued by human rights abuses and an ongoing insurgency.
The actress said she had actively spoken up in the past for people in these areas as well as for the rights of animals and minorities.
“There are people who just have a problem with people taking a stance for something,” the actress said.
“And I think in all this, people often forget that I’m not an activist, I am an actor. I’m a human being. And if something tugs at my heartstrings, I’ll speak about it … My day does not revolve around waking up every morning and picking causes. If I speak for something, it’s coming from the heart.”
Shah also spoke about her upcoming film Chikkar in which she plays the wife of a police detective, essayed by Usman Mukhtar, and is herself a leg spinner who dreams of going to the Cricket World Up.
“I got tips from everyone, the best of the best leg spinners helped me and I got the leg spin down,” Shah said, adding that she watched videos of Australian cricketer Shane Warne and Pakistani leg spinner Abdul Qadir to prepare for the role and was also trained by field coaches of the Pakistan team.
“So I got a lot of help and I managed to pull through, but if you were to ask me to do a leg spin right now, it would not work out too well,” the actress said, laughing.
“I would look very stupid doing the run up.”
