Internet trolls leave no celebrity untouched and Armeena Khan is no exception. Unfortunately for some venomous netizens, Khan is not the kind of celebrity that ignores verbal jabs and social media bullying. The actress hits back on Twitter as well as Instagram from time to time.

Armeena’s retorts to the trolls and the haters are often classy, much like Armeena herself. However, recently when a troll got on her nerves, Armeena educated the troll by uncovering some information that shed light on some interesting observations about the kind of reception this beautiful actress gets on social media.

What went down

The offending commenter had written that Armeena was “complex ki maari” and would jump at the chance to work in Bollywood or Hollywood even though no one invited her. Armeena, instead of directly replying to the comment, posted the comment to her Instagram story. What followed was a series of Instagram story posts where Armeena talked about her extensive body of work that exists outside her work in Pakistan.

Armeena’s debut film had been It’s Too Much, an Indian feature film that landed her on billboards all over Mumbai and on the cover of Times of India multiple times. She revealed that she’d been scouted by Pakistan immediately after and came to work amongst her people.

Armeena then began listing the highpoints of her career which included British films such as The Real Target, recipient of Best Narrative at LA film festival, Stranger Within Me, and Writhe both of which went to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. She also posted about The Achilles Project, a British short film she’s done that is going to be entered into major film festivals including Cannes as soon as COVID restrictions are lifted.

Armeen also divulged that she’s working on her films now for which she has cast Turkish actors. The first film will be out soon while the next is already in the works. Apart from this, the Pakistani-Canadian informed her fans that she’s been on multiple international book covers and a Sprite ad that ran in three countries.

Her philanthropic side

Besides having a rich career, Armeena shared that she’s a part of multiple charities but she doesn’t share her social work publicly. Her philanthropic side is seldom publicized because she claims she does it for herself only. Armeena shared that she represented Pakistan and brought up the Kashmir Issue at a discussion with UN heads in Strasbourg. She also took up the Pakistani cause at UNICEF when it was the need of the hour.

Her various achievements were made sweeter by the knowledge that she has and continues to represent Pakistan on various international platforms including many film festivals, premieres, and awards shows. They are a clear testament to the fact that wherever she has worked she has taken her identity as a Pakistani with her and showed it off with pride.

Benchmark of success

Considering the considerable amount of work she shared and recognizing the fact that she hadn’t included her projects in Pakistan, one must wonder about Armeena’s popularity. In Pakistan, the public sees Bollywood as a marker for superstardom. Whereas a stint in Hollywood is like an almost unattainable level of success, the likes of which would catapult an actor to the highest levels of popularity and would grant them the coveted title of an A-lister.

Armeena started her career with Bollywood, has done considerable work on international platforms and now, with the huge fervor around Turkish stars, has even managed to get a slice of that pie. Yet, she enjoys a comfortable level of stardom that can not be called extraordinary under any circumstances. It does make one wonder: what exactly is the benchmark of success for the Pakistani audience?

Commendable career moves

A look at Armeena’s filmography will tell us that she has prioritized quality work over quantity. She’s currently working on a Pakistani drama after a self-proclaimed hiatus and has not announced any other upcoming films or dramas in Pakistan. For someone like Armeena who has a good international presence thanks to her philanthropic work and her international projects, to not turn her back away from her career in Pakistan is a commendable move.

For a Pakistani artist to work internationally gives them both opportunities to widen their portfolio as well as a right to boast about it. Just the title of “international” being attached to a project gives it an edge over other projects and Pakistani artists are well aware of it. Yet, Armeena Khan is the one who has hardly, if ever, talked about her international work on any public platform to brag about them.

It would be so easy for Armeena to use all her energies and resources to do more work at an international level. She definitely has enough projects in her filmography to provide her a solid backing. But Armeena continues to work in Pakistan as a Pakistani actor for Pakistani projects because she takes her identity as a Pakistani seriously. Her love for Pakistan is not just empty lip-service but she proves it by continuing to represent the country internationally, all the while contributing to its industry nationally.

Final word

An impressive filmography like the one Armeena Khan has would give any actor bragging rights for life. Yet, it is baffling to see Armeena be criticized for being an “attention seeker”. Is it because her career has taken her from Bollywood to Hollywood before she did her first project in Pakistan? Does the non-traditional route of her career somehow make Armeena’s achievements less worthy? This also raises the question that do we only respect artists who leave Pakistan to work in other film industries?

Nevertheless, the fact remains that Armeena Khan has an impeccable portfolio of work and no amount of trolling can ever take it away from her. More power to you Armeena!