Pakistani actress Mawra Hocane was schooled by Twitterati in the country today, after an old video of her glorifying public harassment faced by women in Lahore, resurfaced and went viral. Tweeps criticised the 27-year-old, and some even said she should be "cancelled".
In the video, believed to be from 2018, television morning show host Nida Yasir is seen interviewing Hocane, along with actor Humayun Saeed.
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In the viral snippet from the interview, Yasir asked Hocane: “Has anyone ever teased you?” In response to which, she said, “I think that’s just Lahore’s fun, boys tease you. They play loud music from their cars. I think that’s just the feel of Lahori Eid.”
“So we don’t mind. It’s okay, keep looking at us,” she added.
Yasir continued to ask her: “So even if someone teases you right now you won’t mind?”
To which Hocane said: “Yes, no problem.”
The video was shared recently on Twitter, and many called out Hocane for “normalising harassment”.
Twitter user @rameeshartsyed wrote: “Does she realise she’s indirectly calling harassment an expected norm, and a cultural trait? Does she realise this is encouraging the kind of behaviour that other girls, without bodyguards, will have to endure? @MawraHocane you can do better!”
Tweep @boohaybaariyaan shared her thoughts on the issue: “One simply does not say that catcalling is okay, and that ‘girls don't mind it’. Seriously […] @MawraHocane? We mind.”
Referring to a comment that landed Hocane in hot water previously, user @maha_qureshi26 tweeted: “Mawra Hocane has zero understanding of any matter. From saying ‘food’ can fix your depression, to trying to normalise street harassment by calling it fun... No, it’s not a source of entertainment for us, it’s disgusting and disturbing and should be considered unacceptable.”
Whereas, tweep @smeenbean simply asked to “cancel” the actress: “Can we cancel @MawraHocane? please?”
While there were those, like user @RimelFatima, who questioned the criticism she is received: “You guys were just cancelling ‘cancel culture’ and now trying to cancel Mawra Hocane?”
