Alizeh Shah Speaks Out on Harassment and Blacklisting

News Desk

Islamabad: Pakistani actor Alizeh Shah has openly voiced her concerns about harassment, media bullying, and exploitative practices within the country’s entertainment industry.

In an Instagram story posted Monday, Shah revealed that these issues have caused her to be trolled, ridiculed, and even blacklisted.

“I’m going to expose every person who wronged me. I’m tired of people trolling me, making fun of me, and turning me into memes. You have no idea how tough an actor’s life already is,” she stated.

The 25-year-old actor revisited a viral moment from the 2021 Bridal Couture Week, where she stumbled on the runway alongside singer Shazia Manzoor. Shah claimed that the fall was intentional.

“We were supposed to turn right, but this woman pulled me and dragged me on the floor,” she said, sharing the video with her followers. She accused Manzoor of repeatedly trying to make her fall and later mocking the incident with TikTok star Jannat Mirza and host Juggan Kazim.

“Throughout the entire show, she had her hands on my hip and kept trying to make me fall,” Shah alleged.

“The strangest part is, this lady appeared on other shows and made other celebrities trip just to mock me.”

Earlier, Shah had thanked Manzoor after the incident, calling the stumble a “simple mix-up.”

A major part of Shah’s revelations focused on the TV industry’s payment system, where she claimed actors often wait months for their fees, feeling like they’re “begging for our own money.”

“We get cheques after three months — and only after begging. When we finally receive the cheque, it’s treated like a big favour. That’s why I stopped working,” she explained.

She said her demands for timely payments and respect led to her being blacklisted, with certain groups “paid to troll me.” Directors, she claimed, would question her “bad image” in meetings despite having no plans to cast her.

“They would say, ‘Your image is so bad, why would we cast you?’ If you don’t want to cast me, why call me to a meeting and then question my ‘image’? Who are you to judge my image?” she asked.

Shah also addressed a widely circulated report from last year accusing her of assaulting a co-actor by throwing a cigarette at her. She strongly denied the allegation, stating that the co-actor had pushed and slapped her first.

“She pushed me; I didn’t fall. Then she slapped me. I was shocked. She then told everyone I threw a cigarette at her,” Shah said. “I asked the cameraman to review the footage since the camera was rolling — nothing like that was recorded.”

However, Shah admitted she later threw her sandal at the co-actor during a confrontation in her room.

“Yes, I threw my sandal. That’s it. I wouldn’t even touch you. How disgusting,” she remarked.

She added that she was advised not to file a police complaint to protect the drama’s progress. “The next morning, I saw news claiming I assaulted her and ripped my or her clothes. None of that happened.”

Shah also highlighted an often-overlooked issue in the industry — consent and personal boundaries — saying: “I don’t allow anyone to touch me unless it’s part of the scene. You have to ask first. I’m not your property.”

She believes her insistence on setting boundaries made her a target, explaining that “some producers just want me out of the game.” Shah concluded her statements by urging audiences and colleagues to show respect, especially to women working in patriarchal environments.