Actress and television host Javeria Saud does not hold back if confronted with bad behaviour, even if the perpetrator is a fan.
She recently opened up about a disturbing experience with a persistent admirer who showed up at her home every day.
Speaking on the comedy talk show Mazaaq Raat, Javeria shared a personal incident from the early days of her career, before she got married. She said that since she had already started acting in television dramas by then, many people recognized her.
“During those days, there was a fan who began coming to my house every single day,” she revealed. “Whenever I returned home, he would be standing at the gate, sometimes with flowers, other times with gifts.”
Javeria highlighted how, at that time, young women often felt scared by such behavior, although, in her view, it was the stalker who should have been afraid.
“Girls used to be scared of these things, but in reality, the one doing it should feel fear,” she said. “But due to family pressure and societal norms, girls would stay quiet and try to ignore it.”
She went on to describe the turning point in the incident, “I didn’t say anything to him as long as he remained silent. But one day, he finally spoke to me and said something like, ‘You act all innocent, as if you don’t know who I’m here for. I’m your biggest fan.’”
That’s when Javeria decided she had had enough. “I grabbed my handbag, which was full of makeup and other things, and swung it right at his face,” she recalled. “I told him, ‘You’ve made a spectacle out of this! You’ve been coming here every day for three months. Everyone in the neighborhood is watching this nonsense.’”
She further disclosed that the fan used to sit in an abandoned house right next to hers, which made it difficult for anyone to remove him from the area.
Eventually, when her family found out about the situation, they took action. “My father and uncle investigated who he was and went to his family to lodge a complaint,” she said.
She also recalled she had to leave her acting career due workplace mistreatment issues.
Javeria Saud’s story sheds light on the uncomfortable and often unspoken challenges female celebrities can face, even in their personal spaces. In a recent interview, actor Faysal Quraishi also shed light on workplace harassment, saying: “If a girl faces harassment at work, like being called into an office unnecessarily, many stay silent out of fear. They’re worried they’ll lose their job, which they may have gotten after great difficulty. But these small incidents can snowball into bigger issues later,” he emphasized.
He went on to say: “Families must support their daughters. If they face such situations, it’s critical they speak up. Either leave the job or take a stand against the harasser. But they should not suffer in silence.” He stressed the need for awareness and communication at home, stating, “Nothing helps more than knowing your family stands with you.”