KARACHI: Pakistani actress Hira Mani, known for her controversial statements, has said that she has learned to “think before speaking” after social media trolls taunted her for expressing her opinions on various topics.
Mani has been associated with Pakistan’s entertainment industry for over a decade, first as a TV presenter and then as an actress. Over the years, she has played lead roles in several popular television plays including ‘Do Bol’, ‘Mere Paas Tum Ho’, ‘Kashf’, and ‘Bandish.’ The actress is also making her big screen debut with ‘Teri Meri Kahaniyaan’ on Eid Al-Adha 2023.
Mani, however, has made headlines frequently for all the wrong reasons. Her statements on women’s issues have landed her in hot water various times in the past. Last year, she was widely criticized on social media for supporting a case of child marriage and possible abduction. Mani later apologized for her views after the social media backlash.
“There is a lot of disturbance [due to controversies]. One should think before speaking [and] there is no harm in it,” Mani told Arab News during an exclusive interview this week.
“One learns. People are very sensitive. They misinterpret. But why? Why can’t they be normal and simple? They haunt you, taunt you so much until you cry hiding your face in the pillow. They take you to a level where you don’t feel [at] peace.
In 2019, Mani landed in hot water for saying that “men were smarter than women,” and, therefore, women should listen to them. In an interview, she said women turned men into “hardened” beings.
In view of her statements, she has been labeled “irresponsible,” “insensitive,” and supporting “anti-feminism” views.
Asked about her controversial statements on feminism, Mani said she stands with women whenever they are mistreated.
“For me, feminism is, if there is a woman with you on the set who is new and doesn’t know the industry, you should guide her,” she said.
“We do say we are feminists but somewhere the actor or actress inside us comes out and the feminist is left behind. It’s not enough to say that you are a feminist, one’s character and behavior should also show that.”
As for her support for men, she said that her experience with the men in her life had been largely positive but acknowledged that every woman might not have that privilege.
“What I say about men [on different forums], my experience with men has been good. Every girl may not have had the same,” she acknowledged.
The actress, who has been married to host and actor Salman Saqib Sheikh since 2008, has always been very vocal and supportive toward her husband. When questioned if anyone ever accused the celebrity couple of riding on each other’s success, she heaped praises on Mani and thanked God he was more famous than her.
While the actress and her husband have worked together multiple times, which includes sitcoms and drama serials, they will be sharing the big screen in ‘Teri Meri Kahaniyaan’ for the first time.
The movie is part of a multi-director anthology film that includes three different short stories. The one featuring Mani and her husband is a horror comedy titled ‘Jin Mahal’, directed by prominent Pakistani director Nabeel Qureshi.
“It was challenging to work with (Sheikh) because I knew he has done more work as well as movies. [He] adapts so well into the character. I used to think only I can do it,” the actress said of her husband.
