Actors playing villainous characters on screen are often subjected to hate, especially when fans forget that it’s the character they don’t like and not the face they see on television. Sabeena Farooq became the latest victim of such hatred for playing the envious lover, Haya, in the hit drama serial Tere Bin.

On Saturday, Farooq penned a note on her Instagram Story to address the hate she has received, including threats which have disturbed not only her but her family as well.

The 30-year-old detailed that she wouldn’t have reacted like this if the fan reactions were only in good humour. “I’ve been all generous and nice about my character in Tere Bin, joining you all in roast[ing] and memes but there is a limit to everything. Now that you are putting fake, absurd content on YouTube and giving me threats, it really is disturbing for me and my family. It is just a character,” she asserted.

She further requested the “idiots” who don’t understand the difference between a character and an actor to stop posting false content on YouTube or she’d publicly name and shame them.

“I request you to stop taking out your frustrations on me and I curse the people earning off of making fake YouTube videos. If I’m that bad, stop following me and skip Haya’s scenes but one more threat and I will publicly post them with your name and YouTube channels.”

Farooq’s character Haya is the cousin of Wahaj Ali’s Murtasim who is hopelessly in love with him. Murtasim gets married to Meerab, played by Yumna Zaidi, who, although takes time, eventually feels the same too. Seeing their inevitable love story take root, Haya seethes in jealousy and still tries to keep them apart. She goes to crazy lengths to do that — even black magic.

However, Farooq isn’t the only one who has received hate messages for a character she is playing. Actor Osman Khalid Butt, earlier this month, shared a screenshot of a chat where a user called him “insensitive” and cursed him for “killing a horse.” Butt tweeted, “I was randomly checking the other folder on Insta DMs and I practically choked on my tea before remembering she’s referring to a character I played.” 

The Sirajul Haq directorial is a fan favourite ever since it started airing last year in December. Written by Nooran Makhdoom, it stars Zaidi and Ali in the lead roles. The cast also includes Bushra Ansari, Sohail Sameer, Hira Soomro, Fazila Qazi and more.

Tere Bin follows the love story of two people getting together despite belonging from different backgrounds. Meerab, who is used to living her life on her own terms, refuses to accept Murtasim’s family traditions and unnecessary social barriers. The friction-filled drama is about how they are going to overcome their differences.

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