On social media, a video got viral of girls tormenting the other fellow, they belong to one of Lahore’s elite private schools. On Saturday, the famous actor and singer Ali Zafar said that the bullying issue is much needed to be raised now.
He shared his own incident by sharing a tweet, “Just saw a video of a girl being bullied. I don’t want to share the video because no matter how bad the act was, I feel that those girls (the bullies) need a fair chance in life to learn and become better human beings; however, the issue of bullying needs to be addressed.”
Ali added, “I think at some point in life we have all felt bullied as it comes in different shapes and forms. My first remembrance of being bullied was in NCA, on the day of my admission interview. I came from a middle-class background and I had brought big paintings I had made as a portfolio.”
That's why I'm sharing this very personal story for the first time – to help raise awareness on this issue so we can put an end to the culture of bullying, which can have lasting trauma effects regardless of whether it is verbal or physical. But for that we also must …
— Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) January 21, 2023
Ali Zafar was spotted at PC sitting in a lobby where he was recently offered to model for a shoot. He added, “My hair was first bleached and then dyed burgundy for the shoot. My father suggested I wear something formal to the admission interview, so he gave me his double-breasted checked jacket.”
Ali Zafar stated that “That’s why I’m sharing this very personal story for the first time – to help raise awareness on this issue so we can put an end to the culture of bullying, which can have lasting trauma effects regardless of whether it is verbal or physical. But for that, we also must.”
“A girl, who I don’t wish to name and was probably a year senior, sat next to me & started to make fun of my hair & jacket. It felt like she was enabled by her privileged background to ridicule me and destroy my self-esteem just before the interview. The words she used stuck.”
Afterward, post-interview, he said a crowd of girls covered him and asked him to sing. “We hear you claim to be a singer. Sing for us or…!” he quoted the group as saying.
Ali said that, “We became friends later on – but some of them continued to belittle and mock me with their condescending remarks throughout my years in college. One of them started to spread malicious rumors, including one about me and a dear friend of mine that we had an affair – this was particularly damaging, especially for the girl. I’m sure many who’ve gone through college & university can understand this dynamic & politics.”
Adding to it Ali Zafar spend the remaining years in college getting teased and other students use to make fun of not matching the standards of accent or not wearing fashionable clothes.
Ali Zafar said that “They would also try to undermine my talent as an artist by saying that I was ‘skilled’ rather than ‘creative’, etc. But it didn’t stop there – during the time a malicious campaign was launched against me a few years ago, they couldn’t help but jump on the opportunity and continue to do what they did best in college: character assassination & bullying. It continued and it continues. That’s why I’m sharing this very personal story for the first time – to help raise awareness on this issue so we can put an end to the culture of bullying, which can have lasting trauma effects regardless of whether it is verbal or physical. But for that, we also must deepen our understanding of the mind of a bully and the psychology behind what motivates them, in order to properly address it. We must understand the source of this behavior in order to make meaningful change.”
