Content creator and actor Dananeer Mobeen took to Instagram Story to relay how her forthright support for Palestine cost her various opportunities but feels no regret about speaking up for the cause. She penned, “The amount of work I’ve lost because of standing with Falasteen and I have zero regrets.”
While artists in the West continue to get the axe for solidarity with Palestine including influential celebs like Susan Sarandon and Bella Hadid, creatives in Pakistani showbiz have not reported similar censorship, given the country’s longstanding pro-Palestine stance. Dananeer’s revelation has prompted speculation as to whether she lost local or international prospects.
The 21-year-old shot to fame as “Pawri girl” after her five-second video went viral on social media across the subcontinent, spawning numerous renditions of her monologue where she deliberately mispronounces the English word “party” as “pawri” to poke fun at South Asians who adopt Western accents.
The internet personality has been using her official Instagram account to raise awareness for intensifying humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and West Bank under Israel’s occupation. In another Story, Dananeer shared a picture of herself crying, remarking on the scenes of violence and loss coming from Palestine. “Every day I wake up and think it’ll get easier. But how does looking at torn-apart bodies of children become easier?” Dananeer expressed her sorrow. “Fathers holding their dead children in their arms? How does it get easier?”
The Muhabbat Gumshuda Meri actor furthered on, imploring people to continue vocalising their support for Palestine. “It doesn’t. And it shouldn’t. And this feeling should be our sole motivation to keep talking about it.”
With over 14,500 people killed in Gaza since October 7, the truce deal between Israel and Hamas is underway. Mediated by Qatar, a total of 50 hostages are to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners, some of them convicted on weapon charges and violent offences, over four days.
In the first exchange on Friday, 13 Israeli women and children – out of around 240 hostages captured by Hamas fighters on a killing spree in southern Israel on Oct. 7 – were released. Twenty-four jailed Palestinian women and 15 teenagers were released from Israeli jails.