Actor Anayah Shahid recently found herself dealing with online hate, all because she did her job well. She called out people watching her drama Zanjeerain for sending her hate over the role she plays in the show.
In the drama, Shahid plays Shirin, the head of household staff serving tribal chieftain Sar Buland Khan, played by Danyal Zafar. Recent episodes revealed that her character tried to poison Sar Buland’s older brother, Sherdil Khan, played by Ahsan Khan. Shirin carries out this plan on the orders of Sohrab, Sar Buland’s cousin, who wants to seize power by eliminating that branch of the family.
In the latest episode, Sohrab’s sister Bano uncovers the plot and threatens to expose it, leading to a struggle in which she is shot. Shirin then helps cover up what happened.
While the dramatic twist clearly struck a chord with viewers, many directed their anger at Shahid personally rather than her character. She responded by addressing those criticizing her morals based on a fictional character’s choices, sarcastically thanking them for their concern. She added that if her acting upset anyone, it simply meant her performance worked, signing off as “the employee of the script.”
The incident highlights a recurring issue actors face: viewers blurring the line between performance and real personality. As the original report points out, it raises an obvious question — if an actor plays different characters across different projects, which one is supposed to reflect who they really are?
