Asad Siddiqui opens up about navigating pregnancy loss

Actor Asad Siddiqui, who rose to fame through the Baraat comedy series, and is currently starring in army drama Sinf e Aahan as well as Aye Musht e Khaak, recently sat down for an interview with a local publication, shedding light on his personal struggles as well as his life in showbiz.

Asad, who tied the knot with actor Zara Noor Abbas in 2017, opened up about the couple’s experience with stillbirth. He shared, “It wasn’t just a miscarriage. It was a [stillbrith]. She actually delivered a five to six-month-old baby that I buried myself. It was a hard time we had to go through. His name was Aurangzeb. It was a good thing when it was happening, but then there were some complications and eventually, by God’s will, this happened. Zara faced breakdowns afterwards because it affects women a lot more as opposed to men.”

Elaborating further, he added, “It affects men, but it’s stronger for women because they have a life inside them. They undergo bodily and hormonal changes. They have a connection that’s already been established.”

On how the couple’s faith helped them through the difficult time, the actor explained, “Five, six or nine months. God gave mothers their high status for a reason. It was a very difficult time for her. But, again, whatever happens, happens for the best and God has his reasons for doing what he does. Yes, there was sorrow after it happened, but that sorrow goes away a little bit once you realise there is someone there to take care of things. Who might give you something better. You never know what God has in store for you.”

Calling out hurtful comments on social media, Asad added, “People are very judgemental. I often read [hurtful] comments that pop up, for example, on people’s bodies. You don’t know the reason behind someone’s bodily changes. What if someone has gone through what we went through and has physically changed as a result of it, and they aren’t comfortable sharing it with the world? You write things without thinking about the kind of effect it will have on the person.”

Speaking about Sinf e Aahan, in which he stars opposite a star-studded cast, including Syra Yousuf, Kubra Khan, Yuman Zaidi and Sheheryar Munawar, Asad reflected on the series’ themes of female empowerment. He explained, “Unfortunately, most of the people in our society have such a mindset, the kind that likes to make women feel inferior. They think a woman can’t do what they are capable of.”

He continued, “But, now I feel like things are changing. The way, back in the day, we’d see that our fathers and grandfather would think in a different way. Our generation thinks differently. We are responsible for bringing change. If there’s something wrong, we have to correct it. Our dramas are changing with the times as well. They’re showing the progression from older values to newer ones. Sinf e Aahan is one of the biggest examples. It shows you that such people exist, but also how these women overcome the challenges in their way and move forward. How they teach them a lesson.”

On his favourite character in the show, Asad was quick to take Syra’s name. He said, “I think my favourite character from all the girls is Syra’s. I don’t know how much of her you’ve seen yet, but when she walks in with the uniform on… you’ve probably seen that in the promo. When I watched that, I called her and said, ‘The way you saluted, it truly made it seem like you are a soldier.’ She carried it really well. Everyone else did a great job as well, but since my association was mainly with Syra, I loved her performance. I had a lot of fun working with her.”

Reminiscing about his early days in showbiz, Asad recounted how his maternal uncle, actor Adnan Siddiqui, inspired him and how he built his career from the ground up. “His dramas first came out when we were very young, so that’s when I first saw him on TV,” shared the Surkh Chandni actor, adding, “The thought just occurred to me on its own that I wanted to do what he does as well. But he’d say, ‘Study first, then get into the field.’”

On his love for the job, he continued, “I always wanted to do this though. I’d take the role of extras in TVCs. Sometimes you’d get Rs 5000, other times you’d get Rs 8000. Slowly, I made my way up to junior artist. I started making around Rs 10,000 then. It was for an ad. I stayed up all night. The car came to pick me up at 8 AM, the work started at around noon, and when the TVC came out, you could only recognise me through my clothes. I’ll never forget that time.”