No actor, including Sakina Samo, should have to suffer online abuse for playing a role in a drama

Actors that play negative roles in dramas or movies often have to bear the brunt of netizens not being able to separate reel from real life. Veteran actor Sakina Samo recently had to experience this when she received a negative comment from a follower on Instagram account who had some choice words about her character Durdana Aapa from Dobara.

Five days ago the actor had shared a now deleted picture on Instagram captioned, "In a complex world, be simple be closer to the truth. It’s about you. Peace to you all." Her post received flak from one follower who went after her character in the drama that also stars Bilal Abbas Khan, Hadiqa Kiani, Usama Khan and Nabeel Zuberi.

As shared by Galaxy Lollywood, the follower not only questioned her role in the drama but also called her a "cheap phuppo" and said she doesn't deserve to live. In response, Samo asked why actors have to "put up" with this and said actors get bullied, harassed and threatened. "This... they value art and artists. I swear I feel like quitting this sh*t** job - where in return you get abuse," wrote the actor.

In the drama, Samo plays the character of Mehrunissa (Kiani's) sister-in-law who stays at her place after her brother Hidayatullah passes away. However, the reason for her delayed stay was to conspire against Mehrunissa who, according to the will, gets all her late husband's wealth. Durdana is seen manipulating Mehrunissa's children Affan (Khan) and Minal (Maheen Siddiqui) with her husband Zameer (Zuberi), whom she dislikes. She even goes as far as painting Mehrunissa's new and young husband Mahir (Khan) as a dishonest man.

Ever since the comment was shared on multiple Instagram news platforms, fans flocked to Samo's post to appreciate the actor's time and effort she put into the show and her character. However, the original comment and Samo's response have since been deleted. She has seemingly deactivated her Twitter account as well.

We don't know if she deactivated her Twitter account due to the hate comments or whether she just wanted a break from the platform but one thing is clear — reel is not real and people need to think twice before leaving a comment that could hurt anyone's feelings, be it an actor, musician or anyone else.

People feel very comfortable sharing their often unasked-for opinions on social media, caring little about what they're saying and how it would impact the person whom they're commenting on. Such is the case for Samo, who only acted as a character in a drama. We're sure we don't need to tell you how insane it is to be telling someone they don't deserve to live or using expletives for a role they played in a drama.

People need to learn how to give constructive criticism without personal attacks. You can always say you don't like Durdana Apa, but that doesn't mean you start hurling curses at Sakina Samo.