New Delhi: Pakistani actress Mehwish Hayat’s appearance in the music video for Yo Yo Honey Singh’s Jatt Mehkma has ruffled feathers among fans in the neighbouring country, who are upset over the star’s “vulgar clothes”.
The video has garnered over 1.3 crore views since it was released last Friday.
Pakistani YouTuber Sabih Sumair—with over 6 lakh subscribers—pointed out that Bollywood’s ‘item girl’ tradition has reached Pakistan. He went on to allege that Hayat had once claimed she would never work in Bollywood or work with any Indian, but now is “wearing vulgar clothes and working with Honey Singh”.
A user on X commented on a still from the music video saying that Pakistan’s honour would have been saved if Singh had given his fur coat to Hayat.
ye white coat agar honey singh mehwish hayat ko dedeta tu shayad Pakistan ki izzat bach jati thori
— furry 🇵🇹 (@Ronaldindominus) November 5, 2024
Since her debut in 2015, Hayat has acted in several Pakistani films including Punjab Nahi Jaungi (2017), Load Wedding (2018), and London Nahi Jaunga (2022), catapulting her to fame.
In October, she had teased a collaboration with Honey Singh to her 52 lakh followers on Instagram. The reel featured Singh rapping next to Hayat, the pair dressed in costumes from the Jatt Mehkma music video. The caption read, “Karampura Karachi connection baby something exclusive with one n only.”
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Furs, guns, champagne
Directed by Honey Singh, the video is reminiscent of Hollywood’s gangster films. Dressed in furs and drinking champagne, Hayat and Singh are seen attending a gathering at a large mansion. A fan on YouTube commented that the video reminded him of Peaky Blinders, the British crime drama series set in the late 19th century.
In a bizarre scene from the video, Hayat points a gun at a group of men from a rival gang. Initially outnumbered, she receives support from a group of young children holding assault rifles. People on YouTube were quick to point out that the gun-wielding children represent Singh’s fans, but many were left confused.
On YouTube and Instagram, most users posted supportive messages for the collaboration. One user wrote, “Honey Singh + Mehwish Hayat = international trending,” while another said, “Mehwish Hayat looking stunning.”
In an interview with Pakistani journalist Moin Zubair, Hayat said that she was glad for the collaboration and that she has received offers for Indian Punjabi films as well.
“There should be cross-border collaborations like this. We are the bridge between people… Artists are the ones who can remove these distances.”
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
Wish Pakistan will someday make it to the 21st century. Their obsession with the 7th century is bizarre.
Seems as if there is no escape from this mond numbing stupidity.
Pakistanis love in the 7th century.