Sethi made her acting debut in 2013 with her first appearance in a leading role in ARY Digital's Silvatein alongside Aamina Sheikh.[11] She then appeared in a supporting role in Umera Ahmad's written Mohabat Subh Ka Sitara Hai in same year.[11] In 2016, she received praise for her performance of a young dreamy painter in Momina Duraid's Dil Banjaara, where she played the leading role alongside Sanam Saeed and Adnan Malik.[12] Sethi made her film debut in 2018 with Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi's 7 Din Mohabbat In as a British-Pakistani returnee.[13] Her performance as a controlling and cunning elder member of the family in 2021 Ramadan special Chupke Chupke was met with critical praise, and further praise came from her portrayal of a Punjabi househelp in Hum TV's Paristan in the following year.[14][15]
In 2023, Sethi starred in the Pakistani television series Kuch Ankahi, directed by Nadeem Baig,[16] where she essayed the role of Samiya, "an obedient daughter, but...also a strong woman with a logical mind."[17] Sethi received praise for her sensitive and relatable portrayal of Samiya.[18][19]
Writing career
Sethi first literary fiction work, Are You Enjoying?, was published by Vintage Books in 2021.[20] A collection of short stories based on life, identity, desire, power, and religion in contemporary Pakistan,[21]Are You Enjoying? was described as being a provocative and striking debut by Publishers Weekly.[22] In its review of the short story collection, The Hindu praised Sethi for her crisp writing style that "nudge[s] the reader into the everyday lives of the relatable protagonists."[21]Are You Enjoying? was longlisted for The Story Prize and was included in Vogue's 2021 'Best Books to Read' list.[23]
Activism
Sethi is a vocal advocate for women's rights in Pakistan and South Asia, stating in an interview: "I believe equal rights are the symbol of every successful society. The oppression of women in Pakistan is getting out of hand."[24] Sethi frequently participates in Pakistan's Aurat March[25][26] to express support for women's rights and call for greater accountability for violence against Pakistani women. Lending her support for the feminist slogan "Mera Jism Meri Marzi" popularized during the Aurat March, Sethi stated: "A lot of people said it should have been Meri Zindagi, Meri Marzi, (my life, my choice) or Mera Wujood, Meri Marzi (my existence my choice). The point is, the slogan was so triggering to men because of the word jism (body). When they think of jism, they think of all things sexual. Whereas Mera Jism, Meri Marzi is women fundamentally saying you don’t get to set the terms of my life, my body, my decisions, my agency, you don’t get to dictate."[27] In a 2023 op-ed published in The New Yorker, Sethi asserted: "To be a woman in Pakistan is to encounter...the cultural assumption that sexual assault can be prevented by dressing and behaving "modestly," no matter that [closed-circuit television] footage of busy streets in Pakistani cities routinely shows women in burqas being harassed."[28]
