Actor Nayla Jaffri fights for royalty payments as she struggles to pay for cancer treatment

Actor Nayla Jaffri, one of PTV's golden era actors, took to Twitter to ask the government for help in her fight against ovarian cancer. In response, Sindh Culture Minister Sardar Shah announced that his department would "happily bear all her expenses”.

Jaffri's video was posted on Twitter by her friend and filmmaker Furqan Siddiqui. Jaffri highlighted the difficulty she is facing affording healthcare, given her prolonged illness and rising medical expenses.

“When I first joined PTV, I remember that the broadcasters would pay us royalties for re-runs of our old shows,” reminisced the actor. “And though it wasn’t a lot, receiving that extra bit of money always felt great,” she continued.

“The last serial I did has run on air some six times over the last six years, maybe four. Similarly, other dramas too,” noted Jaffri. “For those re-runs, we should’ve been paid royalties,” she argued, finishing her thought by acknowledging that the royalties would have made her bearing the expenses of her fight easier. “A lot of other people might not need such money, but when you haven’t been working for a while, and have no support, these things become very important,” she said.

She didn’t just make this case for ex-actors, but also included athletes and other contributors to the field of art in her appeal.

In response to the tweet by Siddiqui, Shah made his comment to people’s great delight. Others active on the platform also replied, expressing their eagerness to help.

Jaffri also took the opportunity to thank her fans and well wishers for their love and support over the years.

The news of Jaffri being diagnosed with cancer first surfaced in 2017, though exaggerated. She soon spoke up and addressed the news, saying it was exaggerated, albeit factual.

She is best known for her work in Aa Mujh Ko Sulana, Desi Girls and Thodi Si Khushiyan.