Zaira Wasim made a shocking announcement on Sunday stating that she has decided to quit Bollywood. In a long Instagram post, the Dangal fame actress said that she has decided to walk out of movie industry as it "damaged her relationship with Allah", and "threatened her relationship with religion".
Her words made it clear that she decided to quit Bollywood as she now believes that it is against her religion and Islam. Zaira's announcement was followed by scores of reactions from fans, journalists and many renowned personalities.
While some stated that they respect the young girl's decision and she has the right to choose her path, many others disagreed with Zaira's views.
It is true that like everyone else, Zaira too has the right to choose whatever she wants to do. However, her decision becomes questionable because of the reasons she cited.
Zaira did two movies – Dangal and Secret Superstar. Her roles in both the films encouraged girls to break societal and religious stereotypes. In fact, in the movie Secret Superstar, Zaira's character wanted to become a singer but her orthodox father was against it as he believed women are not meant to enter entertainment world.
It is quite ironical to see Zaira being an inspiration in her movies, but she did the exact opposite in her real life. Choosing one's professional path is purely personal choice, and no one should have any business in it. But, Zaira citing religion as the reason behind her decision to quit the industry makes it a debatable issue.
Zaira is not the only Muslim girl who is part of Bollywood. Several popular Muslim actresses also earn their bread and butter through this entertainment world, and surely they are no less religious.
Moreover, this act of publicly citing religion as her reason to quit Bollywood, may put many other aspiring Muslim actresses in the back-foot as they may feel discouraged. "Relationship with religion" can never be threatened by any dignified work one does. We wish Zaira reconsiders her decision, because it is sad to see such a great talent quit.
