High-flying Bollywood star Zaira Wasim quits acting because it ‘damaged’ her relationship with God

The 18-year-old was in Dangal, the country’s highest-grossing movie, and had been considered a rising star of Indian cinema

She announced her decision to quit in a heartfelt Instagram post, prompting both criticism and support

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Bollywood actress Zaira Wasim at the International Indian Film Academy Awards in Bangkok last June. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:33pm, 1 Jul 2019Updated: 5:39pm, 1 Jul 2019

A Bollywood actress who starred in India’s highest-grossing movie said she is quitting acting because it is incompatible with her Islamic faith, sparking a social media storm.

In a lengthy social media post published on Sunday, Zaira Wasim said she was leaving the profession because becoming a Bollywood star had “damaged” her relationship with God.

The 18-year-old won major awards for her two film roles to date and was considered a rising star of Indian cinema.

“This field indeed brought a lot of love … my way, but what it also did was to lead me to a path of ignorance, as I silently and unconsciously transitioned out of imaan (faith),” she wrote on Instagram.

“While I continued to work in an environment that consistently interferes with my imaan, my relationship with my religion was threatened,” she added.

Wasim, from the restive Indian-administered area of Kashmir, shot to fame in 2016 when she starred alongside Bollywood icon Aamir Khan in the hit movie Dangal.