Lahore: The Pakistani entertainment sector comes with its dose of sparkle and glamour, as well as some unspoken guidelines that every budding actor has to abide by if they are to become successful. Such rules determine who among the actors gets to take the lead role in the dramas, recently shared by one of the industry’s upcoming stars, the pretty-sought and skilled Momina Iqbal. Momina, who appears in the Khan series and in a candid video that is currently trending, stated that one’s meant to appear more of an Instagram influencer hoping to land a particular role, which is what tends to get people cast.
The Role Played by Instagram Followers in the Ghareeb Family Constructions
In the video, Momina Iqbal discusses the realities of the drama industry and the particulars concerning the casting criteria for leading roles. In her opinion, it’s not only talent or experience anymore; the number of fans on social media networks, particularly Instagram, has become an essential consideration.
She said that nowadays, production teams are attracted to famous actors in media, feeling that such actors would draw maximum viewers. Momina explained, “Several requests are made for lead characters, and one of those requests is to have a huge Instagram following. Nowadays, even while shooting, it is so there, one of the works will be to this person who has more followers.’”
Thus, the trend to include social media manipulation as a compulsory part of a modern actor’s skill set is alarming. This tendency has been fuelled by the proliferation of social networks, where personal presentation is an end and a means to achieve professional goals.
The Reach of Social Media: More Than Images
Further, by Damaged Husband, Marwa elaborated on how this focus on social media numbers, in a certain way, has improved the fortunes of those actors who are still coming up. “They check your Instagram and the number of followers, how many people know you, how popular you are. On sets, it is very commonly said, ‘Who are you? Who knows you? You do not even have many Instagram followers,’” she shared.
For new or relatively fresh performers whose performance cannot be adequately gauged through the existing social networks, this quest for ‘popularity’ may prove to be a particular problem. Even those with good skill practice may ignore it for expansion with the new targeted social media growth phenomenon. It may even miss projects that these new standards require them to meet but which no such projects exist.
Challenges Faced by Aspiring Actresses
Momina has made an emotional appeal about this. The catch-22 that most actresses are caught in, which was most emphatic in her video. Another observation that she made is that where work is not given to actresses as a rest because. They are not on social media; they can’t be given. A chance on the screen and build a social media following to begin with. She asked, “How will people get to know them if they do not show themselves on screen?”
This situation puts emerging talent in a very difficult situation. It is unclaimed because the skills are there, but the opportunity hasn’t been waiting. One of the hurdles that has emerged in a traditional gradual rise in stardom by focusing from minor to major is through social media.
The Development of the Showbiz Industry in Context.
The facts exposed by Momina Iqbal are part of a rage owing to Momina Iqbal’s experiences. And reflections on more changes within the entertainment industry. In which social media is growing in importance. This evolution is also tapping into the new trends in how the audiencesticalsverticals audiences media content and interact with stars. Instagram and similar channels allow direct communication between fans and actors. Brouwer adds that starring actors as marketatives enhances a high volume of selling decisions. Thus hastening casting towards more audience and less talent.
Nevertheless, questions that threaten the status quo also invoke more questions about the future scope of the video industry. Is all the passion directed at social media with such? Is a focus on influencers going to override the value of creativity? Can such developments be good news for all those creative professional actors who do not have much online activity?
Momina Iqbal’s frank opinions about the relations between social media and casting speak of the adaptation processes in Pakistani showbiz. The focus on the number of Instagram followers is nowhere out of the rise of social media. And societal evolution, however. However, it introduces new hurdles for many such hopelessly ambitious actors. Who find themselves within this harsh and highly competitive landscape. With the shifting movement of the industry. The outcome has been that it’s open to questions about what happens to the evolution of television drama in Pakistan.
