Naila Jafry requests for royalty payments amid cancer battle

ISLAMABAD: Veteran actor Naila Jafry recently took to social media and touched upon the lack of royalty payouts plaguing the entertainment industry, as well as her own financial fears.

In her video message Naila was quoted saying, “For the last six years I [have been bound] with hospitals, as well as illness and cancer. I also have not had my second round of chemo either because of a persistent infection and during this time I have wondered, ‘what if the government lends a hand in this? what if they set up some policies for older people from the arts and sports sector?”

She explained, “When I initially joined PTV I would get royalties for re-run shows and while that amount was nowhere near enough, I still got something and liked having a stream of disposable income on the side.”“I have been confined to a hospital bed for six years’ now and while everyone has supported me, loved me, helped me and motivated me I wish there was some way to gain royalties on some of my last re-run plays." "While I understand that it might not look like a lot to many people, for people like me who stopped working years ago, this support becomes important. I request and demand that something be done for senior artists in the future since it’s become harder and harder for us to manage.”

For those unversed with the star’s repertoire, she has been an active member of the entertainment industry since the 1990’s and has showcased her acting skills in a number of productions including ‘Maa Mujh ko Sulana’, ‘Desi Girls’ and ‘Thodi Si Khushiyan’.

In the last couple of years, however, she was forced to bid farewell to the TV industry due to her ovarian cancer diagnosis and has been in and out of hospitals ever since.