Veteran Pakistani actress and comedian Bushra Ansari has sparked a heated online debate after questioning a growing trend in television comedy. During a morning show appearance, Ansari questioned why male comedians often adopt female-oriented roles to appear funny, asking, “Why does every actor have to become transgender to make people laugh? I am tired of seeing this.”
The actor also spoke about men dressing as women and performing exaggerated scenes and acts, asking, “Are these obscene conversations considered funny?”
The comments quickly went viral on social media, with many users agreeing with Ansari and saying they had never previously considered the issue, as such portrayals had become normalised in comedy.
Some social media users, however, also accused Ansari of hypocrisy, pointing out that she herself has previously taken on exaggerated comedy roles during her career. The debate has since opened wider conversations online about the fine line between satire, character acting, and reinforcing stereotypes in television comedy, with audiences divided on whether such portrayals are harmless entertainment or outdated humour.
This is not the first time Bushra Ansari has spoken out about entertainment standards. She previously criticised declining standards of comedy at a university lecture, saying vulgarity and insolent behaviour are being mistaken for humour, adding that earlier comedians “used to make people laugh with simple and clean humour.”
Bushra Ansari, born in 1956, is one of Pakistan’s most celebrated entertainers, having started her career as a child performer in the 1960s and winning the Pride of Performance Award in 1989.
