Sajal Aly calls out Pakistani dramas for romanticizing toxic relationships

Actress Sajal Aly sat down for an interview with BBC Urdu where she opened up about the difficulties of finding good scripts in the Pakistani entertainment industry which do not romanticize toxic relationships. She reflected on how she had to work hard to ensure progressive dramas aren’t just once in a blue moon happening, but then the industry goes back to making sexist, regressive shows:
“We have to fight hard, we have to say no to a lot of scripts. Right now you would notice there are a lot of dramas airing on our Pakistani screens where harassment is shown to be a sign of love. And then at the end of the day that harasser falls in love with the girl and that gets a lot of views, unfortunately. But I think television has the power to change the mindset of the audience. Because we think our audience isn’t smart but they’re very intelligent. So we will keep fighting for better roles in dramas.”
Aly also talked about how she got selected for her role in the upcoming rom-com ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ and revealed it was her agents who told her this was a role she could excel at.
“My agents, who are responsible for international projects, had told me about this role and said I was made for it. They sent me two scenes and asked me to record them…Later I got an email saying I was on board.”

Watch the full interview here: