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Ahmed Ali Butt, Yasir Hussain and Faizan Khawaja have joined the growing chorus of voices in the entertainment industry calling for timely payments and better treatment of artists and crew members.

The actors took to social media to share their frustration over the lack of professionalism in showbiz, echoing recent concerns raised by director Mehreen Jabbar and veteran actor Syed Mohammed Ahmed.

Taking to Instagram yesterday, Butt reposted Ahmed’s video and shared his own experience with being made to chase dues long after projects were completed.

“Late payment is industry standard,” Butt wrote. “Production houses, television channels, and corporate sponsors all have a 60- to 90-day payment clause — and that too is hardly ever met on time.”

While he acknowledged that a rare few honour payments promptly, he called out the exploitative practices that persist behind the scenes. “Others will make sure that you have to beg for your money, and that too in instalments,” he wrote.

He advised everyone to “become your own boss” with platforms like YouTube, as he has done so himself.

Hussain weighed in via Instagram, linking the issue to broader questions of well-being in showbiz. In an Instagram story referencing the recent death of model and actor Humaira Asghar Ali, whose body was found in her Karachi apartment, Hussain urged everyone to show concern, not just in moments of loss, but also for living artists struggling within a broken system.

“Pray for the girl who’s no longer with us,” he wrote. “And talk about living legends like Mohammed Ahmed. Make laws. Show some concern. Pay people on time, they’ll be happier.”

Khawaja, too, spoke up in solidarity. In a now-expired story, he addressed those outside the industry who wonder why some actors “disappear” from television.

“To all those people who keep asking me, ‘Why don’t you come on TV anymore?’… well, honestly, some of us don’t have the patience to endure such treatment. I’d rather not act than beg for my dues and allow another human to flex his managerial position on me.”

Khawaja said it was the lack of regulation and enforceable contracts that allowed delays and disrespect to persist unchecked.

For the unversed

Jabbar, during her interview, labelled the entertainment system “deeply flawed” and “unprofessional.” The director and producer, whose credits include Ek Jhooti Love Story, lamented the chronic nature of payment delays and the absence of legal protections.

“In the US, even with all their issues, there’s a fixed schedule for payments,” she said. “Here, you have to chase payments like beggars.”

Jabbar emphasised that this issue extends well beyond actors, affecting everyone on set — from directors to spot boys and technicians — many of whom remain unprotected by unions and underpaid.

Shortly after, Ahmed, known for his warmth and wisdom on screen, stripped back the politeness in a video posted to his Instagram to amplify Jabbar’s voice.

“With the exception of a production house or two, I haven’t seen people being paid on time. Your payment being delayed for three to four months is normal,” he said.

He described the routine humiliation artists endure while chasing payments, recounting how actors are often forced to detail their financial struggles just to receive a cheque.

“We really have to kill our egos, our self-respect, to get paid by these production houses,” he said. “Actors are not beggars.”

Ahmed also pointed to the irony of being overworked, sometimes for 20-hour-long shifts, only to then be ignored or dismissed when requesting compensation.

A problem that isn’t new

This isn’t the first time the industry has been forced to look in the mirror.

Last year in December, Duniyapur stars Ramsha Khan and Khushhal Khan addressed the same issue in an interview with BBC Asian Network’s Haroon Rashid. While they were paid on time for that project, both said such professionalism is a rare exception.

Around the same time, seasoned actor Nadia Afgan also raised concerns during a podcast with Something Haute. She revealed that even well-established producers had failed to pay her, prompting her to keep a personal “black book” of those she refuses to work with again.

Afgan said newer actors often inherit the system as-is and learn to accept it, which only perpetuates the problem.

With actors, directors, and crew members from across generations now publicly calling for accountability, the cracks in Pakistan’s entertainment infrastructure have never been more visible.