In a candid moment during a recent interview, Mahira Khan revisited an issue that has long simmered within Pakistan’s entertainment industry – the absence of a structured royalty system – but this time, she made it clear who she believes is paying the price for it.

When the host brought up an old post of hers advocating for artist royalties, Khan didn’t retreat into generalities. “I think world over there, [there] is a certain amount that goes to artists as royalties,” she said. “I’m not saying we should exactly follow Hollywood, but it is a system that ensures artists don’t go hungry.” Khan insisted that a formal system at least offers a baseline of protection, something many in Pakistan’s industry simply do not have. “Yes, there are many artists who are homeless and get bankrupt but that’s mainly because they were unable to save,” she continued. “But technically on paper, no artist who gets a certain amount of royalty should face struggles.”

Broadcasters, she noted, benefit from multiple revenue streams, some of which are not fully transparent to the artists themselves. “I feel if channels earn so much money and from multiple revenue streams, some of which even we are not aware of, artists like us still survive,” she said. “But then we hear stories about certain junior artists, support artists, technicians and crew and I feel that it is unfair and it should not have to be this way.”