Actress Mamia Shajaffar has sparked intense social media debate after a recent appearance on “Say It All with Iffat Omar”, where she spoke about the toxic behavior and harassment faced early in her career. The interview quickly led to a major case of mistaken identity before clarifications were issued.
During the conversation, host Iffat Omar asked Shajaffar about her initial reception in the entertainment industry. The actress claimed that she encountered uncomfortable professional dynamics with a specific male colleague whom she described as behaving much like “every other thirsty man of our country.” Shajaffar alleged that after viewing her profile, the individual assumed he could be “fresh and frank” and “touchy-feely” with her. “I can barely call him an actor; he can’t even pronounce words and he started to school me on acting,” she remarked, adding that her refusal to reciprocate his casual demeanor visibly intimidated and irritated him.
Shajaffar further detailed two specific instances of alleged misconduct involving the individual. In one instance, during an on-set discussion regarding whether the writer Saadat Hasan Manto was a feminist, the actor aggressively intervened, arguing that women hated Manto. Shajaffar alleged that as the disagreement escalated, the actor “started shaking his belt” as if he wanted to take it off and hit her with it. In a separate occurrence, Shajaffar alleged that the same individual publicly commented on her physique, offering unsolicited advice on her eating habits to put on weight.
Because Shajaffar only utilized the first name “Arslan” during the broadcast, digital audiences speculated that she was referring to Arslan Khan—husband of actress Hira Khan, who recently gained prominence through the reality show Tamasha Season 3. As backlash against Khan intensified, Shajaffar intervened to correct the narrative via an Instagram story, explicitly stating, “Arslan Khan is a gentleman,” and confirming he was not the person she was talking about.
She clarified that her remarks were actually directed at Arslan Butt, her co-star from the 2023 drama serial Meesni.
The situation was further contextualized when a screenshot of a direct message sent by the host, Iffat Omar, surfaced on Instagram. In the leaked image, a message from Omar regarding the identity confusion read: “Can you clarify that it’s not Arslan Khan, it’s Arslan Butt, she just told me.” This development preceded Shajaffar’s subsequent public clarification to protect Khan from unearned public scrutiny.
