FHM magazine vs Veena Malik

Veena Malik, a Pakistani actress who posed in the nude for an Indian magazine with the initials of Pakistan’s intelligence agency on her arm, has triggered fury across this conservative nation. The photo on the website of FHM India, in advance of its publication in the magazine’s December issue, has been lighting up social network website Facebook and Twitter since earlier this week. Many here anticipate a backlash. Malik has broken Pakistani social and national taboos in the past. She is a target for conservative ire and a heroine to some Pakistani liberals. Conservative cleric Maulana Abdul Qawi declared on TV on Saturday that the latest controversy was a ”shame for all Muslims.” Farzana Naz, interviewed by the same channel on the streets of Lahore, said that the actress had ”bowed all us women in shame. ”Twitter commentator Umair Javed however called on Pakistanis to ”make copies of the picture and bury it in your backyard. This way, our grandkids will know there were some amongst us who lived free!” Asked by reporters whether Pakistan would ”pursue the matter” legally, the country’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Saturday, ”First, let us see whether it is real or fake.” Malik for her part says that the photo at the root of the current uproar was published in violation of her agreement with FHM India. In an interview with Pakistani Geo television broadcast Saturday, Malik acknowledged having been photographed for a ”bold but not nude shot.” She said the editor of the magazine had promised that he would cover most of the photo with the ISI initials. Malik said that the photo was intended to poke fun at the Indian fear of Pakistani spies: ”Whatever happens (in India), people say ISI is behind that.” Malik said she would ”probably” take a legal action against the magazine for violating terms and condition. Magazine editor Kabeer Sharma said Malik did all with her full consent. ”We have all the record(s),” he told the Pakistani television station. ”Veena was very excited about that ISI idea.” Malik does most of her work in India. The entertainment sector there is booming, while Pakistan’s is relatively moribund. Her ties to India have landed her in controversy in the past. During a much-publicised talk show appearance early this year, she lashed out her nemesis Abdul Qawi, who criticised her for having a scripted love affair with an Indian actor on an Indian reality show. ”What is your problem with me?” an angry Malik demanded of the scholar, who had accused her of insulting Islam. While Veena is claiming that she has been taken for a ride, the editor of the FHM magazine, Kabeer Sharma, has gone on record to state that Malik had done everything with her full consent. Mahesh Bhatt, who was recently in the news for having cast Sunny Leone in ‘Jism 2,’ has now spoken to both parties to ascertain what the confusion is all about. “I had never spoken to Veena before and didn’t know her at all. But since so much is being said about her shoot and I too have been asked to share my views on it, I decided to speak to her. She was surprised to get my call and told me that though she had told a shoot but had never been so bold. She felt she was being victimized and that people were believing that she has done something like this because of her otherwise controversial persona. I told her three things – If you feel you are being violated, don’t take anything lying down. Send a legal notice to the magazine. I also asked her to get her PR to take charge and inform her side of the story to the media. Unless she does that, the media will continue writing about her because nothing is more exciting today than a sexual scandal. I have also asked her to get in touch with the joint commissioner of police in Mumbai,” Bhatt says. Meanwhile, Bhatt has also spoken to the editor of the magazine. “Kabeer told me that the Veena had indeed shot for the magazine. He also forwarded me another photograph of Veena from the shoot. The photograph that has been doing the rounds is tame and the one sent to me was bolder with portions …….visible. However, I saw the photo on my Blackberry and have no way to ascertain whether it morphed or not,” Bhatt adds. But does he believe that a nude photoshoot can be a product of photoshop work? To this Bhatt says, “I remember a time when my daughter, Pooja, was involved in such a scandal. After that whole incident, IK Gujral had then told me that though we used to believe that a picture doesn’t lie, it’s time to junk that phrase now. I think, instead of taking a stand we need to first ask photoshop experts to ascertain when Veena’s picture is morphed or not. While every individual has the right to express any craving in front of the world, it’s also a fact that every civilization has its own dos and don’ts.”