When it comes to airing his unflattering views on the television industry's biggest stars, veteran actor Firdous Jamal has never been known to shy away or mince his words. It is a fact that television hosts, in turn, capitalise on, secure in the knowledge that the Pyarey Afzal actor's unconventional views will set viewers' tongues wagging and hearts pounding.
Most recently in an interview on Daisbook, Firdous declared that actor Mahira Khan's looks were unremarkable and that anyone who thought otherwise was "crazy". However, Mahira is not the only A-lister Firdous who has received withering condemnation from Firdous; he also opined that Gentleman star Humayun Saeed – whose acting CV includes the hit drama Merey Paas Tum Ho and Netflix's The Crown – may as well be a Z-lister.
"Humayun Saeed?" questioned Firdous in mock puzzlement. "Is he (Marlon) Brando? Who even is he? He has cashed in on the opportunities he has been given and doesn't let anyone else have a chance!"
What does Humayun himself have to say about Firdous' scathing assessment of his star power and acting abilities? Humayun, it turns out, has opted for the moral high ground, and has nothing to say on the subject. Or to put it another way, Humayun has nothing to say that fellow actor Yasir Hussain hasn't already said. Taking a leaf out of Yasir's book – or rather, a screenshot of Yasir's IG Story, Humayun took to his own IG Stories to repost what Yasir had already written.
"I love Humayun Saeed and he's the biggest star of Pakistan," penned the Lahore Se Aagay actor. Composing the remainder of his message in Urdu, Yasir continued, "But in my eyes, Firdous Jamal is also a respectable artist."
Hinting that hosts stoke the flames on purpose by asking Firdous his (by now) well-known opinions of Pakistani stars, Yasir added, "It's not right that at his age, networks still call him and ask him these types of questions."
Yasir has the perfect tongue-in-cheek solution for those who repeatedly dredge up Firdous' views on Pakistan's showbiz stars. "Just ask him once how he feels about Mahira and Humayun, get him to record his answer on stamp paper, and then please leave the rest of us in peace."
Until a suitable stamp paper is produced, however, it is unlikely either Firdous or his interviewers will have a change of heart. As Firdous has unapologetically told his audience in a take-it-or-leave it fashion, "This is how I am."
Read the full story at the express tribune website.
