At this point, Badar Khalil is a household name and has been for quite some time. The legendary actress has served Pakistan’s entertainment industry for more than 50 years, and is one of the most respectable names in the industry. Yet, her treatment at the Hum Awards in 2015 is an example of how we treat senior actors in our country.
“I had just received my award and I was sitting in my seat right next to Sultana Siddiqui in the front. She got a call from Fawad Khan, I could hear he was saying that he won’t come to the show if he did not get the front seat to sit with her. That is when Sultana Siddiqui asked me to go sit in the back seat. My problem with this whole thing was that why didn’t she ask Momina Duraid, her daughter in law who was sitting on the other side to leave her seat for Fawad Khan.”
She also clarified that she does not blame Fawad Khan for the entire ordeal:
“It wasn’t Fawad Khan’s fault, it was Sultana Siddiqui’s fault because as a host she was the one responsible for this decision. When she asked me to go sit in the back I left my award there and left!! These awards mean nothing to me, they are nothing but decorations. What really matters is the respect we get when we are invited to these award functions.”
Following this incident, PTV also awarded her a Lifetime Achievement Award and gave the veteran actress the respect she deserves in the process. She also added:
“I cannot be fake, I cannot sugar coat things. Now the same Sultana Siddiqui who did this to me met me like nothing had happened! I cannot do that. I have given this industry 50 years and I have done it all on the basis of my talent. I have never resorted to buttering to get anything in my career.”
Badar Khalil has now settled in Canada and has plans to start teaching acting.