Pakistani actress and model Saheefa Jabbar Khattak has defended Suneel Munj amid the controversy surrounding an alleged leaked call in which he reportedly quoted a $10,000 fee for appearing on a podcast.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Saheefa recalled attending a major car launch with Suneel and shared an incident that, according to her, showed just how much value brands place on his presence.
She said several car brands were unveiling their vehicles at the event and recalled that one company refused to reveal its car until Suneel arrived. According to Saheefa, she was also being paid for the event, although her fee was nowhere near Suneel’s.
She remembered the company calling Suneel and telling him, “Sir, jab tak aap nahi aayenge, hum gaari reveal nahi kar sakte,” meaning they would not reveal the car until he arrived.
For Saheefa, the incident was proof that Suneel’s influence was built over years rather than overnight. She pointed out that he has been reviewing cars for years and has spent a long time building trust and credibility with his audience.
“The problem isn’t what Suneel bhai charges. The problem is you’re not making that kind of money,” she wrote, making it clear that she believes people should not resent someone for earning according to the value of their work and influence.
Saheefa also noted that Suneel was creating car content long before being an influencer became a common career in Pakistan. She argued that people should be allowed to earn from the reputation and audience they have built through years of work.
The actress then turned her attention to what she described as the growing culture of hate and mockery on social media. She said people are now regularly mocked for their success, happiness, appearance or simply for living their lives, while roasting and humiliating others has increasingly become a form of “content.”
She also criticized brands and advertising campaigns that use other people as the subject of jokes. Saheefa revealed that she had once received a brand brief asking her to mock Pakistani influencers, but she refused to take part in the campaign.
“I’ve made mistakes, I’ve learned, I’m still learning, but I don’t believe someone else’s humiliation should be my content,” she wrote.
Saheefa also called for an end to violence and abuse against women. While expressing her love for Pakistan and acknowledging everything the country has given her, she said seeing hate become normalized toward people, their success and their happiness had become suffocating.
Her Instagram Stories then moved towards another issue she believes needs attention: discipline and professionalism on entertainment and fashion sets.
Saheefa criticized artists who arrive hours late for shoots, saying their delays can force an entire production team to spend much longer than planned at work. She questioned how an eight-hour shift could stretch into 26 hours simply because someone failed to arrive on time.
She also objected to the excuse that an artist was not technically called to the set and was therefore “just at home,” arguing that a person’s entire day can still be affected when they are kept waiting.
According to Saheefa, workdays should have proper limits, with a 9 AM call time ending by 9 PM at the latest. She urged people in the industry to respect call times, value other people’s time and take responsibility for poor work practices.
Saheefa said she does not compromise on her own call times because she considers her time extremely valuable and expects the same respect for everyone working on a set. She also stressed the importance of keeping professional matters transparent.
Her comments come as Suneel Munj faces criticism over an alleged leaked call involving a media representative. In the portion circulating online, a man purported to be Suneel can be heard discussing a $10,000 fee for an appearance before asking the woman about her salary and making remarks about her appearance and income.
The alleged remarks have drawn criticism from social media users, with some questioning the amount he reportedly demanded and others mocking the tone of the conversation. Some users have also called for the complete recording to be released, arguing that the circulating clip may not contain the full context of the exchange.
Suneel Munj has built a prominent name in Pakistan’s automotive space through years of car reviews and automotive content. His work has helped him develop a large audience among car enthusiasts and buyers, which Saheefa believes is an important part of understanding the value he brings to brand collaborations.