In an interview with Faridoon Shahryar, Dananeer Mobeen shared her candid feelings about being romantically paired with Ahad Raza Mir, following their onscreen chemistry in Meem Se Mohabbat.
“I have two different opinions on this. Firstly, it’s a big compliment because people love you two together onscreen so much that they want you to be together in real life. But I also think that with fame and exposure joining the mix, people need to understand that this is all just part of our jobs,” she said.
“Our work and our personal lives are separate entities. Who we are on set and who we are at home are two completely different people,” she added. “It’s fun when people ‘ship’ you and create ‘ship names’ for you, but they also need to understand that everyone has their own lives.”
Maintaining her stance, she said, “I personally believe that the audience should keep onscreen and offscreen chemistry separate. I understand that it’s fuelled by excitement, but it’s better to keep those boundaries in mind.”
Dananeer emphasised that shipping actors is transitory, as pairings change with projects, which is also why she believes that shipping should be reserved for the screen. “It’s taken as a compliment onscreen. But offscreen, fans should avoid it.”
On the bright side
While the Sinfe Aahan actor doesn’t prefer fans conflating her onscreen portrayals with her real-life personality, she is grateful for the love she’s been receiving within the border and beyond it.
Speaking of her cross-border fans, she said, “It’s incredible! I know that I’ve been getting all this love because I’ve put in a lot of effort and time into my work. When your efforts are widely recognised and appreciated, that is an unparalleled feeling. I just want to hug all the people who love me from India, from Bangladesh, and anywhere else in the world. I love it! I don’t know how else to explain it.”
Dananeer gave a quick shoutout to the pleasant comments, reviews, and reaction videos, especially those from India. “They’re so much fun to look at. They make me think, ‘Oh, these are our neighbours and they like our work too!’ So, it’s a really nice feeling.”
The shipping aspect of fan culture aside, Dananeer also shared that she enjoys working with Ahad. “I think he’s an incredible actor. He’s one of the greats, and we’re lucky to have him and his talent onboard. Whether onscreen or offscreen, he’s an incredible human being.”
She shared that she respects her co-star’s craft, as well as the projects that he has done so far. “I was lucky to work with him on this project,” she said, adding that the time spent with Ahad both on camera and behind the scenes was productive.
“I think our wavelengths matched because we’re both hungry for knowledge and learning new things. Our conversations were very interesting. They would range from discussions about Mars to retirement plans.”
Dananeer admitted that she learned a lot from Ahad due to both of them having strong opinions about things. “He’s well-versed, so it’s always fun hanging out with him. I got to learn so much from him, be it about our craft or otherwise.”
She added, “I haven’t worked much yet. In the beginning, you’re in the learning phase. So, I’ve been fortunate for the experience I’ve received thus far.”
