KARACHI: Yasir Hussain knows how to keep himself in the headlines. Ironically, the actor seems to attract more negative energy for his politically incorrect comments as opposed to his work. Only a few months ago, he expressed his concern over Turkish dramas destroying the industry. Last weekend, Hussain called them ‘bahar ka kachra’ (international garbage).
The term was used in one of Hussain’s instagram stories where he shared pictures of Pakistanis who seemed to resemble the actors from Diriliş: Ertuğrul because of their attire. According to Hussain, the locals were not going to get as much recognition as the Turkish actors “kyun keh ghar ki murghi daal barabar aur bahar ka kachra bhi maal barabar” (No one is going to give them any attention because things at home are always undervalued while even garbage from outside is very valuable)
For obvious reasons, the internet came at Hussain as soon as he uploaded the story. While many fans expressed their concern over his choice of words, Anoushey Ashraf decided to teach Hussain a few things about respect and acceptance. “Let’s just gently remind Yasir that NO one is kachra for one. And even if their work isn’t at par to his liking, actors from around the world must be respected. It should be an unspoken ‘bond’ of mutual respect between artists. You’ll know your struggles better than the world does,” she wrote.
The television host also appreciated Diriliş: Ertuğrul in her comment, “Having said that Ertugrul is far from kachra, if anything the series is an eye-opener for how people are finally rejecting ‘kachra’ work at home and looking out for better scripts, shows and budgets. Lastly, these people in the picture have gotten some attention because of the play itself, not because of any of us anyway. So thanks to a foreign drama for having inspired them to come forth.”
To make things worse for himself, Hussain told Ashraf to ‘calm down’ and that nowhere had he mentioned Ertuğrul. Apparently, the actor had been referring to the use of foreign products (which are deemed to be of a better quality) all along. However, Hussain was not entirely happy with Esra Bilgic being appointed as the brand ambassador for a local brand earlier, so parallels made between his comment and Bilgic’s Ertugral were perhaps not that ridiculous.
Despite Hussain’s attempts at justifying his choice of words, Pakistanis are not happy with the actor. Twitter, a platform which immediately turns every topic into a trend, also started its own chain of ‘garbage’ posts.
