Mahira Khan Wants Pakistani Artists to Receive Royalties

Mahira Khan recently addressed the long-standing issue regarding the lack of a structured royalty system in the Pakistani media.

The actress highlighted that while famous stars survive, the crew and junior artists face extreme financial hardships.

This candid discussion took place during a promotional interview for her new movie titled Aag Lagay Basti Main.

Khan appeared on the show Gup Shab With Vasay Chaudhry alongside her fellow lead actor Fahad Mustafa.

The star emphasised that the current revenue distribution in the local industry remains very unfair and heavily imbalanced.

During the show, the host mentioned an old social media post where she advocated for paying artist royalties.

Mahira Khan stated: “I’m not saying we should exactly follow Hollywood, but it is a system that ensures artists don’t go hungry.”

The lead actress explained that a formal system provides a baseline of protection that many local workers lack.

She admitted that even in foreign industries, some artists might go bankrupt if they fail to save money.

“But technically on paper, no artist who gets a certain amount of royalties should face struggles.”

Khan pointed out that television channels benefit from multiple revenue streams that are often hidden from the performers.

“I feel if channels earn so much money and from multiple revenue streams, some of which even we are not aware of, artists like us still survive.”

She gestured toward her cast mate Fahad Mustafa while explaining that lead actors can usually manage their finances.

“But then we hear stories about certain junior artists, support artists, technicians and crew.

“I feel that it is unfair and it should not have to be this way.”

Her comments shifted the focus of the debate toward the invisible workers who keep the film sets running.

These individuals are usually the first to suffer when production companies do not share their profits with workers.

This critical conversation first gained major public attention back in 2021 because of the veteran actress Naila Jaffery.

While battling cancer, Jaffery explained how royalty payments could have helped her cover the rising cost of treatment.

Her emotional appeal sparked a widespread debate, but it did not lead to any lasting structural changes here.

Mahira Khan believes it is time to ask who truly benefits from the success of the entertainment business.