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For actor Merub Ali, Instagram was where it all started. She was an influencer there before she had her television debut in 2021.

Now, five years into her acting career, she says social media is a boon for the entertainment industry because it brings forward young talent — like Dananeer Mobeen, who debuted alongside Ali in the drama Sinf-e-Ahan.

She spoke to Hasan Chaudhary on his show Buzz about how, with some people, the lines between influencer and actor “intermingle” if the person has talent.

“The biggest example I have… and I am so glad that social media brought her here, is Dananeer, right? Dananeer is very talented,” she said.

Ali said that if social media weren’t there “kids like us would have a hard time navigating [the industry] and getting where we are”. She said people who enter the television space get criticised if they can’t act and don’t belong where they are.

When Chaudhry brought up Romaisa Khan, another social media star who went into dramas, Ali said she was a “beautiful actor” and had an extensive range. “Her eyes, her… I don’t know, man. Social media has given us [stars like] them too,” she said.

Ali said there was nepotism in the industry, but that could only get someone so far. “You’ll get two projects, at max, maybe three, that too by talking to as many people. Then you’ll be gone.”

She also said that the industry was in need of fresh faces: “There are some actors you see on your screen 24/7. So, even if they are good, you’re still seeing them all the time.”

Earlier in the programme, Ali’s Izzat co-star Atabik Mohsin said the industry suffered from an “accessibility problem” where new entrants didn’t know where to go and what to do. “For example, I have no one in the industry, [so I didn’t know] where to go for auditions and whom to meet.”

Mohsin did, however, say that there was hope for those who really wanted to get in. “There is enough space in the industry that you can get work, just keep at it,” he advised young actors.