Actor and director Shaan Shahid has warned that online popularity alone may not build a lasting career in entertainment.
He made the comments on a recent podcast, and a clip of them is now circulating on social media.
The veteran actor discussed the rise of digital creators in mainstream entertainment. He said that people need to learn their craft properly before they expect long-term success.
Shaan said he has no say in who gets cast in films or television projects and that creators are free to pursue what they want.
“Your camera, your circus. Do whatever you want; I can’t say anything. I have no control over it,” he pointed out.
He stated that it is hard to convince someone who became famous on social media that their popularity may not turn into a sustainable career, adding that the first wave of fame can be powerful, but it may not last without real training.
“You may get the hype, but it won’t last. It’s a temporary phase and it will fade away,” he predicted.
The Bullah actor described what he sees as the biggest dilemma of instant success: becoming a hit in a field without first learning its basics.
“When you don’t learn art, when you don’t learn a particular craft and still become a hit in it, what a huge dilemma that is,” the veteran Lollywood hero commented.
He predicted that some creators will start questioning the length of their careers once their online popularity drops. He remarked that they may wonder why their careers lasted only a year, two and a half years or three years, or why people no longer remember a song that once dominated social media.
Shaan pointed to singers Mehdi Hassan and Madam Noor Jehan as examples of lasting impact. He said people still listen to their songs decades later because they mastered their art.
“You still listen to Mehdi Hassan and Madam Noor Jehan’s songs today because they had learned the art. They understood music, what sur is and what raag is,” he said.
His comments come as the line between social media fame and mainstream entertainment blurs in Pakistan. Several digital creators have recently appeared in television dramas, and some are now moving to the big screen.
YouTuber Rajab Butt is making his film debut in an upcoming Pakistani film alongside actor Amar Khan. Syed Faisal Bukhari is directing the project, and Sarmad Ibrahim wrote the screenplay.
