Video: Casting couch exists in our entertainment industry, says Kiran Tabeir

Despite having hilarious and mind-numbing plot twists in Pakistani dramas for years, there is no denying the fact that social media has played a big part in fueling these scenarios and making them a trend through memes. The most recent drama scene that became fodder for memes in 2022 is the Fiza & Shiza twist from short film Judwa. Thus, Kiran Tabeir, the actress who played the role of the identical twins, became a part of every headline in Pakistan.

In an exclusive chat with Hassan Choudary of Something Haute, Kiran Tabeir shared about her journey in the entertainment industry which spans over nine years, her role in Parizaad, her stint as an RJ and host, and much more.

“I gave an audition for a radio show and got selected, then became a host on a cooking show without telling my family. Later on, there was too much drama and I started living with my khala because my father was against my career choices. He had put a condition that I should get married to pursue this career and Alhumdulillah, may be it was destined that I met my husband during a drama shoot. Then, I did Hum Sab Umeed Se Hain and finally people started noticing me,” Kiran shared.

Hassan Choudary with Fiza & Shiza (Kiran Tabeir)

Casting couch exists

“Today, if anyone says that casting couch doesn’t exist in this industry then I don’t accept it. I started with very small roles; my journey started from playing extras, junior artists, minor supporting roles, major supporting, negative, negative lead and then I have reached lead characters. I have a long journey and it is a process. People usually write that I have not reached the position where I should be despite being a good actress and I think this “casting couch” is one of the factors to be blamed for it. I was finalized for a lot of big projects; I got calls to meet with some big shot director or producer two days before the shoot and when I didn’t accept the invitation, I was told that the project has been delayed. Later, I saw those dramas with a different cast on TV,” she said.

“I believe that it exists but that doesn’t undermine the hard work of many actors. Not everyone is a part of it and this is not the only way to success. However, every actor has to face it one way or the other,” she expressed.

Her role in Parizaad

“I had moved to Islamabad from Karachi and I was on vacation. So, I just signed it because it was being shot in Islamabad and had no plans to go for a shoot to another city. When to the first time on the set, I got that vibe that this is going to be massive, just because Ahmed (Ali Akbar) was doing it so brilliantly. Ahmed is so good, comfortable and smooth in his acting that everything flows organically,” she said.

Fiza & Shiza memes

“The short film aired in 2020 and this clip got viral on social media almost after two years. So, this shows the power of social media and I think no actor would mind being a trend on Twitter once in his life, at least. I was a little fed up when I started getting comments which were too personal. Even I posted about it but then my PR team also advised me to just chill and not take it seriously. I even shared memes because some of them were too hilarious!” she laughing said, adding, “I am enjoying all the attention but I’m not proud of it. It is not because of my work or acting skills. I think social media should be given importance due to actors, but nowadays actors are only important if they have strong social media presence.”

Watch the full interview to find out about her journey: