The untimely death of Indian actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020 shook the Bollywood industry to its core. Artists and audience members alike began to question the exclusive and dynastic quality of the industry and the nepotistic ideals it seemingly propagated. However, when Lollywood – Pakistan's entertainment industry – expressed shock over what could have led a young and accomplished actor to take his own life, the hypocrisy seemed a bit too blatant.
Gatekeeping within Lollywood
Lollywood functions on similar, if not precisely the same, ideals as Bollywood. Whilst the Pakistani entertainment industry may come across as otherworldly and glamorous from the outside, it is very much defined by lobby systems and patronage schemes from within.
There are no film 'fraternities' nor institutions like actors' unions and managers which support budding creatives. Merit, artistic training, and a desire to tell essential stories do not rank highly on the casting criteria when an aspiring actor need only follow the cookie-cutter standards of being fair and tall with striking features. Possessing significant social media clout also appears to be a bonus.