It runs in the family: Hina Bayat and Sadaf Kamal

Gifted actress Hina Bayat and her sister Sadaf Kamal share their sisterhood. From playing pranks on each other, to chasing goons on the streets of Karachi, these sisters have been through it all – certainly two peas in a perfect pod!

What’s your first memory of each other?

Hina: We shared a room with three identical beds covered by a huge bed cover. Once Sadaf wrapped me up and left me swaddled in it after we had a fight. It took me forever to get myself out of it!

Sadaf: We always did things together. I would mess up and she would fix it.

What is the craziest thing you have done together?

Hina: Oh, way too many! One of the craziest had to be when Sadaf was driving a friend and I to have chaat on Boat Basin. Two guys started following us on a motorbike and in trying to escape them, Sadaf almost knocked them over. The chase that followed was something out a Hollywood movie — and yes, we succeeded in losing them!

Sadaf: You don’t want to know!



What did you get punished for the most as a child?

Hina: I rarely got punished, but when I did, it was for my temper and insolence. I was banished to the bathroom till I got my manners back.

Sadaf: I used to end up breaking many things around the house like glasses and jugs, so naturally I was punished for that. Also for just being naughty and bullying Hina.

If you could only wear one piece of clothing for the rest of your life, from the other’s closet, what would it be?

Hina: Sadaf’s favourite blue jeans, just to torture her!

Sadaf: Anything embodying her style and elegance.

If you could swap places with each other, what’s the first thing you would you do?

Hina: I would tidy up her closet!

Sadaf: First I would lose 20 kilos. Then, when I see her on TV screens, I would tell her: “you look 10 kilos heavier.”



What is the one thing you love about your sister?

Hina: I love and admire Sadaf’s sheer generosity and warmth. She has a heart of gold and a very welcoming aura — a rare quality in people today.

Sadaf: That I can totally depend on her. When I am in a crisis or feel as if things are falling apart, she is always a call away. It is if she has a magic wand, because she always manages to take care of everything for me.

If you are fighting with each other, how do you make up?

Hina: We fight, vent our anger, then once we have calmed down, we apologise to each other and literally hug and make up.

Sadaf: Since our childhood, we have argued and fought the most. At that time we used ice cream to make up and now a hug followed by a nice cup of tea and samosas does the trick.



What is the one secret talent your sister has, that you wish you did too?

Hina: Sadaf has a remarkable talent for making friends who will go out on a limb for her. She inspires a fierce loyalty in her friends, perhaps because she gives so much of herself to her friendships that it is reciprocated in the same manner.

Sadaf: She is extremely articulate and so methodical in all that she does. She has the ability to see beyond what most can.

Describe your sister in three words:

Hina: Glamorous, pure and gullible.

Sadaf: Limited edition.
They don’t make them like this anymore.

Which fictional character is your sister most like?

Hina: If Peter Pan had a female version, that would be Sadaf. She lives in a happy world.

Sadaf: Tinker Bell.



How are your personalities similar?

Hina: We are very different as individuals but we share a common bond due to the values instilled in us. We will never compromise on our honesty or integrity and when it comes to our family and country, we will claw out the eye that casts an evil look our way. We are fiercely emotional when it concerns our own!

Sadaf: We both share a common love for reading, travelling, shopping and enjoying life. Also, we are not fussy people. 

I can’t live without my sister because…

Hina: My sisters are my world! There is no other way I can express it. I am so grateful to my parents for inculcating such feelings in us and forging such a strong bond between us.

Sadaf: As we live our lives, we all forget to say many things to the people that matter and touch our lives the most. I could never fathom the idea of my day, let alone my life, without Hina. She has always been my inner strength and inspiration. Hins, I love you, sister!