Bollywood actress Veena Malik knows about controversy, but the actress is in some hot water that has left her stunned. She’s been sentenced to 26 years in prison by a Pakistani court for playing the Prophet Mohammed's daughter in a mock TV wedding ceremony.
The controversial segment aired on Geo TV in Pakistan in May and sparked anger, even though other scenes had aired without problems, notes The U.K.’s Independent. Months later, an anti-terrorism court in the country ruled that she was guilty of “malicious acts” of blasphemy.
In addition, the court also sentenced her husband, Asad Bashir Khan, and network owner Mik Shakil-ur-Rahman to 26 years in prison. Show host Shaista Wahidi also received punishment.
“26 years! Come on. 26 years is a lifetime … But I have faith in higher courts in Pakistan,” Malik told the magazine tabloid! Wednesday, reports Gulf News. “When the final verdict comes, it will do justice to me. Nothing bad is going to happen.”
She does have a reason to sound optimistic. The court order will only be enforced in Gilgit, a Pakistan-controlled city in the Kashmir region, which India also claims. That means it isn’t a main province of Pakistan and the court’s ruling won’t apply in other areas of the country.
Still, she will return to Pakistan within two weeks to challenge the verdict. Malik, Khan and Shakil-ur-Rahman currently live in the United Arab Emirates, notes Fox News.
The three were ordered to turn in their passports and pay a fine of 3 million rupees ($12,630).
Malik does know how to handle controversies. Back in 2011, she famously posed for Indian FHM.