Bushra Ansari Responds to Lubna Faryad's 'Zebaish' Critique
Bushra Ansari isn't taking any criticism towards the media industry, taking offence to Lubna Faryad and Momin Ali Munshi's commentary on her penned serial for HUM TV, 'Zebaish'.
Lubna and her son, Momin, are popular for their famed show, "Amma TV Aur Main" known for giving comical reviews, critiques and commentaries on television dramas. In a particular episode, Lubna Faryad made light of Zara Noor Abbas and Asma Abbas's "bad acting" which led to the legendary actress clapping back with her own statement,
'What a pathetic time for our dramas..cheap low class person can just comment rubbish stuff abt the hard work n creative efforts of artists. What criteria they ve about this field? I don’t get it. Why people are watching such a shallow paindoo style of them… its a sin to destroy people s integrity. “This is cheap commentary.. if u don’t like any drama don’t watch it.. but this is gutter level of commenting on somebody’s hard work… actually when people ve nothing to do they get jealous of those who are doing something.'
Bushra Ansari held nothing back when defending her own in a now deleted comment, which led to a spat on social media with people taking sides with either the Aangan Terha star or "Amma". We asked Team Hip In about their stance on the matter and here is what they had to say!
Omair: Bushra Ansari has been around for over 40 years and has done Pakistan proud with her versatility, mimicry, comic timing and above all, setting the bar high for others. Yes, she shouldn’t have used social media to rant like the way she did but what choice did she have left? It has become a trend in Pakistan to bash anything under the sun and while 'Zebaish' might not be the perfect drama, it merits benefit of the doubt. To bash Bushra Ansari and her family including sister, niece and her husband as if they were newcomers waiting for reviews was uncalled for. As reviewers, critics and now social media celebrities, people must realize the stature and body of work of the subject before going out all guns blazing.
'Ehd-e-Wafa' was one such example as it was an ISPR backed play, those having issues with the Army bashed it but it came out on top in the end, and became a huge hit for local TV. 'Zebaish' will need time to develop and if it is anything like its promos, it has all the ingredients of becoming a blockbuster. Whether we like it or not!
Ghazala: I am not a big fan of Amma’s reviews. She has her own way of reviewing dramas that might not necessarily appeal to everyone. Some might laud her for having her own style. The rest may not find it so entertaining. However, Bushra Ansari is an evergreen icon and despite the fact she doesn’t agree with Amma, she could have been more graceful in her feedback. She is a legend for so many and a calm, composed response was need of the hour!
Karishma: With the current social media platform being so open and available to access, it is easy to give statements and address certain issues publicly. However, in this circumstance the situation could have been handled more tactfully, as everything said on social media is permanent on the internet, no matter if it is deleted or not. The review, albeit, could have been a tad more tasteful, but ultimately would be unauthentic to Amma TV Aur Main's style of delivery and character. Bushra Ansari, a legendary actor in the media fraternity, was right to feel insulted by the critique, but taking to social media magnified the whole predicament unnecessarily, with a choice of harsh language.
Zayn: I personally think Lubna Faryad shouldn't review the drama like this; she is trolling it and all the while trying to be cool, like kids who used to make fun of the "nerd" in school. If you don't like the drama, you should give some valid and relevant reason with kindness and empathy. Calling someone's hard work "stupid" is totally wrong. This way you are disrespecting the writer, cast and team just because you didn't like this drama.
With the rapid exchange of statements regarding the now deleted altercation, we can only hope it comes to resolution swiftly; having great respect for icons like Bushra Ansari in the media industry as well as appreciating alternate ways to handle the situation with Amma, who in turn expressed her point of view.