After Osman Khalid Butt shared a recent comment by Zahid Ahmed in which the latter said that Pakistani television is okay with showing violence but not intimacy, Butt received a message from a social media user who alleged that the actors use this as a “pathetic excuse to get physical with female actors”.
“We can slap women on TV but can’t show intimacy,” Zahid had said in a recent interview. Osman shared his colleague’s statement with the caption: “Strange indeed.”
Replying to Butt’s story, an Instagram user messaged: “Just a pathetic excuse to get physical with female actors. Not to mention the influence it has on society and especially on young children and teens.”
Instead of ignoring the comment, Osman decided to school the troll explaining that “intimacy is just not sex”.
“Yeah so reactions like this are wholly predictable,” said Butt.
Elaborating further, the actor said: “First off: intimacy is not just sex. Secondly, I’d rather my child see a healthy intimate relationship between fictional spouses than, you know, physical abuse being normalized.”
“The nerve to talk about ‘influence’,” he concluded.
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In a separate interview, while sharing where the desire to speak about women-related issues comes from Butt said: “Artists have a responsibility [to speak out] because art is very socially relevant, and I think good art creates empathy and empathy is required to bring [social] change.”
Talking about activism in Pakistan, Osman commented: “Activism in Pakistan is focused more on the politics of piety, than the politics of true justice.”
He further said that “we [Pakistan} are a very negative nation. We thrive on the negative aspects of people rather than positive aspects and it is one of the reasons why our industry is not respected.”
Meanwhile, the actor is currently shooting for his upcoming drama Chupke Chupke with Ayeza Khan and Mira Sethi. The comedy-drama, which is expected to go on-air in Ramazan, is being directed by Danish Nawaz.
