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Urwa Hocane is questioning why Pakistani actors don’t have self-respect and are remaining “neutral” when their country is “being targeted” amidst escalating tensions between Pakistan and India.

The actor’s statement comes after the April 22 attack in India-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that left 26 dead. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, but Islamabad has denied all allegations. In the aftermath, Fawad Khan’s upcoming Bollywood film Abir Gulaal’s release was cancelled in India, and Pakistani celebrities’ social media accounts as well as Pakistani news and entertainment YouTube channels were banned in India.

Many Pakistani stars offered heartfelt condolences after the attack, expressing their grief over the lives lost, including Hocane’s sister Mawra, and her husband Farhan Saeed. Mawra also starred in an Indian movie, Sanam Teri Kasam, which recently saw a resurgence in popularity in the country. Following news of the social media ban, many stars were left confused, while others mocked the ban. Saeed called it India’s “loss” while actor Armeena Khan said she was “not too bothered”.

In an Instagram video, Hocane discussed the matter, stating that she wondered for a few days whether she should make the video because she did not want to escalate any hate or get involved in beating her own colleagues. She later realised that it’s “very 1980s and 1990s that actors don’t have an opinion on politics, and now I have clarity of thought.”

The Udaari actor said the situation wasn’t about politics, it was about self-respect. Explaining it in “layman’s language”, Hocane invited her audience to imagine that a crime such as a murder was committed in front of them, and everyone blamed one individual. She questioned if one’s first instinct would be to mourn the loss of humanity or defend oneself against baseless allegations.

“Obviously, you’d say, ‘I didn’t do this, don’t blame me, back off.’ It’s not like you’re not upset, but your human instinct is to first clarify that you did not do it and [to say], ‘Do not dare accuse me of something I have not done.’” Hocane believed the people around her weren’t understanding this basic matter.

“I don’t want to name anyone, but self-respect comes first. I’m all for collaborating internationally and doing international projects, It’s all well and good that you make your country’s name shine. But when there is a test, you must pick a side. You can’t say, ‘let’s deal with this with kindness and peace’.

“Yes, we’re all for peace and kindness, but if someone kicks you out of their house first and mistreats you…” Hocane said that if someone kicked a person out of their home, the person wouldn’t go back a second time, and called it a situation that had happened countless times.

The actor maintained that she did not understand what celebrities received from India and asked for one example that would help her understand how they benefited. She swiftly added that even if Pakistani celebrities had in fact benefited, they should not have remained neutral on this matter “because there is no bigger loss than that of respect, and no benefit means anything before that.”

“Everything you are is because of your country and its people. You have a name because of them, and if at one instance you have to return that respect, you immediately become neutral and have nothing to say.”

Hocane stated that she was very upset by the matter and tried very hard to pick the words to express herself because she couldn’t live without speaking out. “I do not want to feel like an idiot by not having an opinion.

“This is a strange situation. We all know what’s happening, we need to recognise our individuality, and stand up for our self-respect.” She questioned what Pakistan lacked that celebrities needed from somewhere else, and that in cross-border collaborations, local artists were also adding value to their content.

“Have faith in yourself also. Yes, be grateful, be thankful, be respectful, but if someone is crossing your boundaries, then [show them their] place. We practice this in our normal lives, so why do we forget?”

Hocane continued that celebrities were in a certain position and quoted the iconic Spider-Man dialogue, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

“You’re representing the whole nation as an actor,” she said. Hocane continued that if celebrities weren’t thinking about themselves or didn’t have a habit of protecting their self-respect, before adding that she knew actors did have the habit of setting “boundaries” with Pakistani audiences.

“They’re very clear on which boundaries of theirs shouldn’t be crossed, then when your entire nation and country are being targeted, why don’t you have an opinion? This opinion and shut-up call doesn’t mean you’re escalating hate, it means you’re telling the other person, ‘back off, we have some boundaries, watch what you’re saying and doing because we have self-respect’.”

Hocane concluded: “We are who we are because of our country. This country makes us who we are, and we make it. How can we not stand for it?”