Judge me by my work, not my colour: Samira Khan Mahi

Recently, a video of popular small-screen actress Samira Khan Mahi went viral on the Internet. In the video, Samira is seen in a casual black outfit without make-up. The video has prompted many to make harsh comments about her skin colour. However, the actress herself has addressed the issue on her social handle as well.

The Daily Star reached out to the actress to find out what actually happened that day and how the video went viral online.

Samira was shooting for 12 days without a break on a project, rendering her utterly exhausted. "Our call time was early in the morning, and I just went to the set casually like I always do," she shared. "I never wear make-up if I am not appearing in front of a camera, so I was bare-faced when one of my co-artistes made a video. Initially, I thought she was making a 'reel', and I consciously covered my face as I didn't want to appear on the video."

Many also criticised her unwillingness to show her face without make-up. "I covered my face not because I wasn't confident, but due to my exhaustion -- I was not comfortable facing the camera. Also, I didn't consent to it." She mentioned that it is a common practice for artistes to make reels or videos on the set to post on social media.

A day later, the video was uploaded by her colleague, and then she saw that already gone viral on the Internet, where people were making harsh comments about her skin tone. "That was really shocking for me, as I have come this far with my work, and people who have showered their love and appreciation were making fun of my skin tone. They commented, 'She is dark-skinned, she is not beautiful'." Samira asserted confidently that her skin texture is tanned, and she is confident about it. "I have faced this since my childhood. However, after working in this industry, I haven't come across this kind of incident before. A few months ago, I was trolled for my teeth. It is funny and sad at the same time that even in 2024, we have to deal with such things."

"Many of us are still stuck with medieval thoughts and perceptions. Personally, I have always been evaluated for my work. Now, where I stand in my career, there is also a lot of effort, struggle, and hard work."

After the video went viral, Moutushi Biswas and Shihab Shaheen, amongst other celebrities, stood up for Samira. Although the original video was removed from the source, it still kept circulating on the Internet. "My co-artiste apologised for the incident and explained that she didn't think this would go south this way. However, the damage was already done!"

Samira feels happy that the showbiz industry is speaking up on the issue. "We have so many TVCs and telefictions that shed light on the fact that shaming and commenting on skin colour is not an appropriate practice. However, I believe that it will take time, and the mindset will definitely change someday."

The actress further added that she wants to be judged by her work and not her appearance.

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"I feel uncomfortable about people making such trolls about skin colour, even though, only a few people do it. A person, an actress, should be judged by nothing but her work. Criticise my work, and I'll accept it. I'll work harder on myself. But you only define yourself when you criticise someone for skin colour. I am and will keep working for the audience and their love."

Samira is currently occupied with quite a number of small-screen projects, scheduled to be released this Valentine's Day, pairing with actors like Musfiq R Farhan and Khairul Basar.