Renowned actor Mehwish Hayat has spoken out against the age bias in Pakistan’s entertainment industry, singling out the double standards faced by women to criticise. 

 

In a recent interview with Rabia Mughni of Fuchsia Magazine, Mehwish highlighted how women in showbiz are expected to stay young, while men continue to get lead roles no matter how old they get.

 

“Here, men are allowed to age gracefully, to appear as heroes and main leads with younger girls. That’s okay. But with our female actors, we’re expected to freeze in time,” she said.

 

Mehwish added that this problem isn’t as common in Western industries. “Why are we so fixated on the age of an actor, instead of their craft, their work, their character? Everything else is sidelined.”

 

When asked how the industry could move forward, she stressed the need to show strong female characters in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, women who are leaders and role models. “That’s the only way we celebrate and cherish them,” she said, urging artists to be proud of aging instead of hiding it.

 

She also pointed out the hypocrisy in how male actors over 40 are respected for their experience, while women face judgment. “Female actors above 30 are taken seriously because that’s when they’ve grown and matured as an artist and as an actor,” she said.

 

Her comments come at a time when the age gap between Humayun Saeed and Sajal Aly in ARY Digital’s upcoming drama Main Manto Nahi Hoon has led to heated debates online. With a gap of more than 20 years between the leads, many fans called the casting “vile” and symbolic of the industry’s obsession with youth, especially for female roles.

 

Mehwish believes the industry must change its mindset. “Writers need to write those scripts. Producers need to produce those stories. We as actors need to do more women-led roles where we have women of all ages,” she said.

As for the constant questions about marriage, Mehwish shared that it’s more of a societal pressure. “Every person has a timeline, a goal in life. For some people, getting married is their main goal. For me, it never was. Of course, it’s important, marriage is the most important decision of one’s life, I would say,” she explained, adding that she would only marry when she’s fully sure about the person.