“I initially cast Naeema Butt in the film Mukho but let her go because of her nakhras [tantrums]. She kept on giving suggestions and I asked her to return my advance, and she did.”

“I gave Sangeeta suggestions with good intentions for the betterment of the project. I was also the one who said I didn’t have the dates available and returned the token money.”

“The problem is, our industry or our culture has created a mould for actresses and they’ve kept it so small that not everyone can fit into it. I can’t. You have to be fair, a size zero, tall and have long hair. If you don’t fit into that mould, you’re not good enough.”

“I am the concept writer of Ainak Wala Jinn. I named it, directed it and created a good quality serial, and PTV made millions off it. The film’s director and PTV did not ask me to be part of the new movie, which is daylight robbery. They got a novice to make an AI-based film. My main character, Nastoor Jinn, looks like a dacoit. They have taken a great and beautiful idea, and destroyed it.

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 9th, 2026