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If you’re an actor who’s ever gotten married to a co-star in a film or drama, it may be time to update your relationship status because guess what — according to a religious scholar on SAMAA TV, you’re actually married!

That’s right! A resurfaced snippet from SAMAA TV’s Sehri transmission from last year has suddenly gone viral for a bold claim made by a religious scholar. Upon being asked about whether the act of getting married or divorced on television holds any value, the scholar declared that by simply performing a fake nikkah scene onscreen, actors can get married in real life.

So in case you’re an actor who’s married already, it’s time to break this news to your better half! Not just that, the scholar also said that if an already married couple proclaims divorce onscreen, even for the sake of a performance, their marriage will cease to exist. The justification? Marriage and divorce are not things to be joked about.

While we all can agree on the latter, several people online have taken issue with first part of this comment, especially since the entire process of nikkah is rarely if ever performed in dramas or films. Moreover, how a nikkah can actually be officiated without using the actors’ real names was not elaborated upon by the scholar.

Single actors are expressing their joy at being married all this time. Some are even counting the amount of times they’ve been married, by this logic, and are looking to connect with their spouses! “Just counted… I have got 97 nikkahs then. Where are my wives, bro?” actor Ali Abbas asked in the comments section of a post featuring the clip.

Yashma Gill quipped, “S*** and now I can’t recall who was the first one I said yes to. Who is my reel and real husband?”

Ushna Shah felt that it’s time to have an “awkward conversation” with her husband while Ahsan Khan asked, “Seriously?”

Daniyal Afzal Khan demanded someone bring him his wives, while Umer Alam Khan joked, “Going by this, I’ve been married thrice now. Still have room for one more. That’ll probably happen in the next drama.”

Rapper and comedian Ali Gul Pir shared the video to his Instagram stories to poke fun at the situation — “Aur bolo ‘pencil, teri shaadi cancel’ se divorce hojati hai [And you can get divorced by saying ‘Say pencil, your wedding’s cancelled’.”

Fun and games aside, it’s important to note that when channels opt to raise sensitive religious issues during such transmissions, they hold a significant responsibility to ensure that the content they air is respectful, accurate, and does not create misunderstandings among the audience.

Claims such as the one made by the scholar need to be thoroughly researched and verified before being broadcasted to ensure they are factually accurate and do not propagate false beliefs.

Channels also need to strive to provide balanced and nuanced discussions on religious topics such as nikkah and divorce, offering perspectives from various experts and stakeholders in a bid to encourage critical thinking among the audience.