She also criticised what she described as an obsession with social media virality.

Veteran actor Saba Faisal has criticised the growing culture of viral clips, saying her comments are often edited out of context and used to create controversy online.

Speaking in a recent interview with Vasay Chaudhry, Faisal said the issue was not necessarily what she said but how her remarks were repackaged for social media.

“I don’t even say anything, and yet it still happens,” she said, explaining that she had started taking longer breaks from public appearances because of the frequency with which ordinary comments were edited into controversial clips.

Faisal said such editing could damage the reputation and respect she had built throughout her career.

“The respect and honour we have built over our entire lives gets severely disturbed when a couple of words are spliced together and edited into the video,” she said.

She also criticised what she described as an obsession with social media virality.

“Virality is a strange illness that has become so widespread. People have such an obsession with going viral, and becoming viral is the easiest thing in the world,” Faisal said.

Saba Faisal raises concerns over industry criticism

Faisal also spoke about what she sees as a decline in professional courtesy within the entertainment industry.

She argued that disagreements involving senior artists should be handled privately rather than discussed publicly on television.

“You sit and criticise artists, and those people criticise who have no standing here, who have achieved nothing, who have nothing to their credit,” she said.

Referring to Sajal Aly and other established performers, Faisal said artists working within the same industry should support one another.

“Whether it is Sajal or anyone else, a seasoned artist whom a major production house invests money in, you cannot just sit on a channel and criticise them like that. We are all people from within the same industry; we are all here for one another,” she said.

Saba Faisal on punctuality and success

Faisal also identified punctuality as an important quality for professional success.

“A successful person is always someone punctual, who values time, and who knows how to subtract their personal ego from their work,” she said.

She described consistency as the “ultimate secret to success” and said fewer people in the industry appeared to prioritise it.

Saba Faisal discusses saas-bahu dramas

Asked about the continued popularity of saas-bahu dramas, Faisal said the genre was largely driven by audience preferences rather than simply actors’ creative choices.

“It’s not for me; it’s because of people’s approach and mindset,” she said.

She added that television audiences often relate to the problems and situations shown in such dramas, which is why production houses continue investing in the genre.

Discussing her own approach to selecting roles, Faisal said she considers factors including pay, the quality of the character and screen time.

“Whichever character offers me a good margin, good pay, and maximum screen time, I will do it,” she said.

Saba Faisal recalls Humsafar milestone

Looking back at her career, Faisal identified Humsafar as a turning point in her approach to acting.

“I was always cast as a good-looking lady wearing sarees with heavy makeup,” she said about her earlier roles.

She said working on Humsafar helped her understand an actor’s ambitions and develop her approach to performance.

“When I got Humsafar, I learned what an actor’s true thirst is, what an actor wants, and how to perform,” Faisal said, describing the drama as a milestone in her acting career.

Saba Faisal on positivity and family values

Away from the entertainment industry’s controversies, Faisal said maintaining a positive mindset had helped her deal with difficult periods in life.

“A positive mindset should be a weapon for everyone. It gives you support during difficult times and when you hit rock bottom,” she said.

She also spoke about the importance of living in the present, saying people can sometimes view the past more positively through nostalgia.

“The present moment is the best; it is the most supreme,” she said.

Faisal has also continued to express her belief in traditional family values and mutual respect, views she has previously discussed publicly and maintained despite criticism.