Veteran Pakistani actress Hadiqa Kiani has addressed the ongoing controversy about her current drama serial ‘Hadsa’ airs on television.
Hadsa has been facing severe backlash on social media from the netizen community over its sensitive topic as the drama makers had prepared its script based on harassment and rape.
The trolls are predicting that the story of the drama is based on an original motorway incident that occurred in 2020.
The matter came to light when one of the social users contacted Z-the motorway incident survivor and asked her if the drama makers took her permission before making the drama on the horrifying tragedy that happened to her on the motorway.
As Z came to know, she lost her senses about how the drama makers could portray her personal life in a show just for the sake of money and viewership. How can they be so shameless for repeating her real-life story in a serial even without her permission?
Without wasting time, Z contacted the journalist Fareeha Idress and told her the whole story in pain and distress.
Fareeha Idress then took to the microblogging website ‘X’ formally known as Twitter and shared the whole distressing conversation she had with Z, to the public in order to highlight the matter and also hoped that PEMRA would take action on it.
Here we have the exact words stated by Z during the conversation with Fareeha.
“My question is, when everyone knew I never wanted to come in the limelight, why was I thrown into it again and again? So many known people, celebrities, politicians, etc., wanted to come and meet me or talk to me post-incident, but I always declined because I wanted my privacy and didn’t want anything else but the culprits punished. Is it all about making money? Does no one care what I am going through with this triggered trauma? What my kids and husband will be going through? Do they even know how I am spending my life? Every day is a struggle. I am thick-skinned and stay alive only for my children. They didn’t even care for my children. Do you know my kids have not forgotten...Every time someone knocks at the door loudly, my kids look at me with concerned eyes because they know I will be scared.”
Further, she said, “The moment the drama episode goes on air, all comments start talking about the motorway incident. Can’t they let me forget about this? They have followed my life. Isn’t this harassment? How [have] they traced things in my life when I was so clear about keeping everything so private? My in-laws must be watching it, my brother-in-law, my mother, my neighbors, oh my God! No one even cared to ask me?"
She added, “Can’t I just forget about this and move on? The drama shows the lady in the hospital like I was; does she even know what it was like? How can you act about something so cruel and awful when you know this happened to someone in real life? Oh my God, I died watching that. I was numb. I was given a bath alive after the incident. Like they bathe dead bodies, that’s how I was bathed. I am dead inside already; what do they want to kill now?”
Amidst sobs, she continued, “Everyone is praising Hadiqa for her great acting skills, If only she knew what is this in real life? People don’t let me live, don’t let me forget. They are now taunting the kids in drama? What is this? Why would someone do this? The drama makers want a tag on me for the rest of my life, that I am that motorway wali.”As Z moaned, I also wondered why senior actors opted to act in a storyline that clearly was going to be so controversial. Especially students of psychology should have had some sensitivity. “Can you pls get this drama stopped?
https://twitter.com/Fereeha/status/1695932740242493531
https://twitter.com/Fereeha/status/1695936403719454730
Fareeha then contacted Hadiqa Kiani, the lead actress in the drama, and discussed the whole matter in detail and then was asked to clarify her involvement as she portrayed the victim on screen.
Kiani then took to X as well as on Instagram and raised her concerns over the matter saying that, being an artist she confirmed her role with the drama makers before accepting the role.
Kiani explained that the drama isn't actually based on the motorway crime.
Here are the exact words stated by Hadiqa:
"To know that something I have been a part of is being used to hurt and trigger a survivor is something I cannot stand for. When I was asked to do the role of Taskeen for Hadsa, my first question was, 'Is this related to the motorway incident?' 'Is this based on the true incident?' I made it clear that I would not do the project if it were based on anyone's story. The team behind the project explicitly told me, 'No.' After many conversations with the team and only after reading the script, I understood that Hadsa was not related to or based on the 2020 motorway story.”
She further stated, “Unfortunately, the horrific act of rape and violence happens far too often in our society to men, women, and children from all social classes and all regions often it happens on the road in obstructed areas. Too often, family members are forced to witness the terror. These are the realities of the world we live in. I have sadly been exposed to many stories like this one, but I can say that Hadsa is not based on any one person's story, it is based on a sickly common part of our reality.”
"Rape and sexual violence are painful and traumatizing subjects, especially for survivors. I believe that episodes should air with trigger warnings, with caution for all those who have been exposed to such evils. I am in no position to say how survivors should respond all I can say and hope for is that we bring the conversation regarding this evil forward and that we can all make strides to protect and empower survivors.”
https://twitter.com/Hadiqa_Kiani/status/1696236560285573554