Pakistan crashes out of World Junior Squash Championship

The conversation sparked by Muhammad Ahmed’s recent remarks about the behaviour of junior actors on set has drawn a thoughtful and balanced response from veteran Pakistani actor Salman Shahid, who offered a perspective that many in the industry may have been thinking but had not yet said out loud. Shahid, who built his reputation through beloved comedy productions including Such Gup, Teen Bata Teen and Family Front before going on to appear in acclaimed dramas such as Seerhian, Aseer Zadi, Khuda Aur Mohabbat, Main Manto Nahi Hoon and Sher, appeared on Rise and Shine, hosted by Zohaib Hassan, where the conversation turned to Muhammad Ahmed’s complaints about junior actors on set. His response was measured, fair and grounded in his own experience of what set dynamics actually look like from the inside. “Listen, if juniors misbehave with seniors, there are also seniors who become unreasonable and behave the same way with younger actors,” he said. “It depends on a person’s nature. Sometimes, seniors also annoy juniors because they want to show their authority. They say things like, ‘You’re young, what do you know about acting? We’ve been doing this for so many years. You’re doing it wrong.’ So, this issue exists on both sides.” The point Shahid was making was not that Muhammad Ahmed’s concerns were invalid. It was that the problem is not generational but personal. Difficult behaviour on set is not exclusively a junior actor problem. It can come from anyone, regardless of how many years they have spent in the industry or how much respect they command. What made his remarks feel credible rather than defensive was the contrast he drew with his own approach to working life. He spoke with evident warmth about the aspects of set culture that he actively enjoys. “Personally, I love socialising,” he said. “I enjoy tea breaks and interacting with my co-stars on set. I really love it. It’s part of my social life, no matter what age my colleagues are. The image he painted was of someone who genuinely takes pleasure in the shared environment of a drama production, for whom the time between scenes is as much a part of the experience as the work itself. It was a reminder that sets are workplaces where people spend long hours together, and that the atmosphere on them is shaped by everyone present, senior and junior alike. Shahid is currently earning praise for his performance in the ongoing drama Bas Tera Saath Hu, which has resonated strongly with audiences. He is the son of legendary actress Begum Khursheed Shahid, is married to Tahira Ali, and has been a consistent and respected presence in Pakistani television for decades. His contribution to the current conversation about generational dynamics in the industry is characteristically grounded. He did not take sides. He simply told the truth.

Sana Javed’s reputation within the Pakistani entertainment industry has been complicated for several years. Before her marriage to cricketer Shoaib Malik, a wave of allegations from colleagues and crew members described her as rude and difficult to work with on set, a controversy that temporarily cost her significant public goodwill. Following her marriage, she stepped away from acting for a period, and her return to screens in the ongoing drama Bas Tera Saath Ho has been watched closely by audiences curious about how the comeback would land. Now, a co-star from the same production has stepped forward to share his firsthand experience of working alongside her, and what he had to say runs contrary to the narrative that had built up around her. Akbar Islam, who plays a supportive neighbour uncle in Bas Tera Saath Ho, was asked directly about his experience working with Sana Javed and whether the stories about her difficult behaviour on set reflected the reality he had encountered. His response was thoughtful and contextual rather than simply defensive of the actress. He said that what people interpret as rudeness is not always what it appears to be. Actors, he explained, need to maintain a certain aura on set. A professional distance, a sense of presence and composure, is part of how performers protect the quality of the work and the integrity of their characters. What some people read as aloofness or arrogance may simply be an actor holding that professional boundary. He said this was the context in which he understood what had previously been said about Sana Javed, and about her co-star Farhan Saeed as well. As for his own experience working with them on Bas Tera Saath Ho, he described it plainly as a great one. He added that dynamics differ from set to set and production to production, suggesting that past accounts may have reflected specific circumstances rather than a fixed truth about either actor’s character. Sana Javed’s performance in Bas Tera Saath Ho has been receiving positive attention from viewers, marking a steady rehabilitation of her public image following the controversy that preceded her comeback. The drama itself has been well received, with Akbar Islam’s own performance drawing warm feedback from audiences who appreciate the warmth and depth he brings to his supporting role. His remarks offer a counterpoint to the accounts that once dominated the conversation about Sana Javed, framing the earlier criticism through the lens of professional behaviour rather than personal failing, and suggesting that the version of her colleagues have encountered during the filming of Bas Tera Saath Ho has been a different and more positive experience altogether.