A video of a religious scholar from Pakistan discussing on a TV show that the marriage of two actors in a drama would be considered valid in real life if they performed a nikah has sparked outrage on social media. The show aired during Ramadan 2023 but gained attention recently after going viral, as reported by Dialogue Pakistan.
The clip shows a group of religious scholars on a private TV channel discussing whether nikah ceremonies between actors in TV dramas could be seen as valid marriages.
“Yes, certainly. If a nikah is performed in a TV drama scene with two witnesses present, then it will be considered a valid marriage,” the cleric wrote.
The comment faced strong criticism from celebrities and the public. Model-turned-actor Nadia Hussain expressed concern, stating that such statements not only promote obscenity but also could incite violence against women. She emphasized that nikah scenes in dramas are purely fictional and should not be taken as real.
Nadia clarified that in TV dramas, the names of the actors, witnesses, maulvi, and signatures on the Nikahnama are all fictional. She emphasized that unless a nikah is officially registered with the union council, it holds no legal validity and does not formalize the union.
“The names of the actors, the two witnesses present, the maulvi performing the ceremony, the signatures on the Nikahnama – none of it is real. It’s just scribble, and the Nikahnama isn’t even registered with the union council,” Nadia said.
“If religious scholars are saying that staged nikah in TV dramas are considered real marriages, then they are giving a clean chit to promoting obscenity,” the actor said.
Many social media users openly criticized the cleric’s statement, with some humorously congratulating actors Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan after their fictional nikah scene in a drama.
Some users also jokingly congratulated actor Salman Khan, implying that he was no longer single due to his fictional nikah scene in a drama.
“Omg I’m married to my fourth grade classmate 😳😳😳,” a user commented. Another one wrote, “This is what happens when we give too much power & importance to so-called religious scholars.”
