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Scriptwriter Nasir Adeeb has formally apologised to actor Reema Khan after claiming he met with her for a movie role in Lahore’s redlight district, Heeramandi.

During a recent appearance on Suno TV’s podcast, Adeeb alleged that he and director Yunus Malik needed two women actors for a small project and went to the redlight district to scout talent. After the host asked him a question, he clarified that he was talking about Heeramandi.

The writer claimed that he met with a young girl who he rejected, however, she later became a superstar and “her name was Reema”. He further said that he did not cast her because he felt she was “made of plastic” as her sweetness and smile did not extend to her eyes and an artist was “useless” without emotive eyes.

Following severe backlash, Adeeb apologised to Khan in another appearance on the same podcast.

“I apologise to Reema for spreading this information without ascertaining the facts. After this happened I asked my friend to Google her, and I knew she was Pakhtun, but then I discovered she’s part of the Qizilbash family.”

He detailed that he found out that her birthname was Samina, she was one of four sisters and brothers, was born in Lahore, and faced such poverty that she had to drop out of school.

“She lived in that bazaar, where there’s no poverty and no shame.”

Khan herself took to Instagram to indirectly respond to Adeeb’s comments and said, “According to Jaun Elia, humans are excellent, rich, beautiful and intelligent but our downfall is that we’ll die one day and leave our worldly hatred behind.”

The actor continued that God had blessed humans greatly but He withheld the power of three things; the first and foremost being life and death. She added that if humans had that power they would lower everyone to the gates of death except themselves.

“Second is sustenance and poverty. That power also lies with God, because if humans could control that they would starve everyone but themselves. The third thing is respect and dishonour, because if humans could make that decision they would disrespect everyone but themselves.”

Khan maintained that the people who took this power into their own hands ruined their worldly lives and their afterlife. She prayed to God to give guidance to people to be better.

Backlash from celebrities

Adeeb faced severe backlash from members of the entertainment industry. Fahad Mustafa took to his Instagram story to condemn the statement.

“These podcasts tarnish people’s respect and whoever says whatever their heart desires. Serious action must be taken. It’s not necessary for seniors to be intelligent. Who will ask them to stay quiet?”

The actor also apologised to Khan and said she was a star.

Television host Rabia Anum Obaid said “problematic podcasts” had to be stopped, “where any random person gets to say whatever they feel like about any celebrity”.

“All I want to say is Reema Khan is an extraordinary person whose transformation is truly unparalleled. She is a wise, intelligent, and graceful soul, living a life of respect and dignity. It deeply disturbs me to witness some individuals who, at every opportunity, try to undermine women.”

Veteran actor Bushra Ansari, in an Instagram video, commented on the situation and said, “You dug out dead bodies and brought a writer who used to write, and okay did good work back in the day, but he’s revealing girls and film actors’ secrets. How would he feel if his secrets were revealed?”

Ansari said that while she was also a senior, old people tend to bring up ghosts of the past to assert their importance if they aren’t getting the attention they used to. She questioned if such people weren’t afraid of God.

“I don’t get irked by film people, but I do get irked by people like this who used to be an important part of the industry but don’t respect others. These people deserve to be rebuked.”

The veteran actor, without naming Adeeb or Khan, said obscure people spoke extensively about famous people so others would talk about them, and called this phenomenon “disgusting”.