Saba Bukhari says senior actors promote nepotism, discourage newcomers

Aspiring actor Saba Bukhari, who is also part of TV One’s Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi, has alleged that senior actors only promote their children and discourage newcomers.

In a recent interview with BBC Urdu, the actor opened up about her difficult experiences in the industry, saying: “Sometimes senior actors also give tough time to newcomers.”

Recalling her encounter with a senior actor, Bukhari said: “A senior actress was sitting beside me while we were waiting for our next scene and she said samajh nahi aata zara sa chehra hota nahi hai or aa jati hain moun utha kar.”

Bukhari further said: “Some senior actors have also advised me to leave the acting profession altogether.”

“They say that there is no nepotism in the industry, this is not true at all,” said Saba. “These senior actors and their family members are in the field and they promote their children and show their work. This is what my son/daughter is doing or have done.”

“After hearing that girls like me can not survive in the industry, I kept wondering if I should continue working in this profession or not,” lamented Bukhari.

Earlier, in a social media post, Bukhari had opened up on her harrowing experiences with the casting couch and shared the advice she got from different ‘men’ and ‘directors’ in the industry and how those words broke her from inside.

Faryal Mehmood, in a recent interview, had also talked about the casting couch in Pakistan and asserted that it exists.