In Dubai for the HBL PSL 2018 opening ceremony just a day after the Lux Style Awards, I knew I had to speak to Javed Sheikh and get his views on the sansani that had been created around ‘that awkward moment’ between him and Mahira Khan on the LSA stage.
I wanted to know how he was reacting to this new wave of social media sensationalism that he had just been subjected to.
“We should use new technology to our benefit not to spread sensation amongst the people. TV picks up stories from social media and turns it into ‘breaking news’. You saw this happen with Mahira and me at the Lux Style Awards. Absolutely nothing happened. Nothing. Kuch bhi nahin tha. We were on stage, she came to meet me and I bent forward to hug her, as I would under normal circumstances; she didn’t know so turned away at that specific time…it was nothing. People just made a big fuss about it. People criticized me, people criticized her, saying that ‘Javed Sheikh is such a big legend’ and she shouldn’t have behaved this way. She was very upset. I’m on such good terms with Mahira; she’s a good colleague and I have a lot of respect for her. Social media made such an issue of the moment. So yes, technology is good but it has to be used constructively.â€
With Momal Sheikh, Ahsan Khan, Hareem Farooq, and Neelum Munir before the match.
Did he think that this kind of ‘sensational news’ as he and Mahira were made into has any long-term effect or impact on one’s career?
“No, no, not at all,†he said with clarity. “It has a 2-day life and then people move onto something else.â€
- Photos for Something Haute by Baber Hashimi
