The siblings' showcase: Ali and Mariam Ansari talk careers and relationships

Sibling actors Ali Ansari and Mariam Ansari have been the talk of the town for their respective weddings in January. The duo made an appearance on Time Out With Ahsan Khan and spoke about their soulmates, careers and relationship with each other.

A shock to many, Ali shared that his marriage with Saboor Aly was completely arranged. “Saboor and I have worked together in the past and she would always set me up with her friends instead. We had that friendly bond but never more,” recalled Ali. “ Our sisters were the ones who got us hitched.”

“I was after Saboor for the past seven years. I constantly asked her to marry my brother, you know how friends gossip about personal lives, but would never pay heed to it,” Mariam remembered.  “On the set of the last drama we did together, I nudged Saboor again and this time, Sajal [Aly] also stepped in, and look where we all are now. They are made for each other”

Mariam on the other hand tied the knot with legendary cricketer Moin Khan’s son, Owais Khan after being high school sweethearts. The Romeo weds Heer starlet had an amusing story for how their stars aligned, making it a case of destiny and fate.

Mariam was so engrossed in showbiz and advertising projects during high school that she barely got time to focus on her studies. With her O level grades filled with Us and Es, no college was ready to accept her. She found her way on probation through her friend’s connection.

They met on the first day of college when her now-husband Owais bullied her as one of the ragging seniors. Embarrassed, the Bunty I Love You starlet decided to take revenge. The host, Ahsan Khan jokingly said, “You got so serious about revenge, you ended up marrying him. It’s a life-long revenge cycle now.'

Now that the couple looks back at it, it’s nothing but a funny anecdote at how bad grades and a ragging attempt got the two together.

Ali confessed that he is yet to grow accustomed to Saboor’s unconditional kindness. “I am not used to it, but she is so caring. She would go out of her way to make people happy and that is the most beautiful thing about her,” he said.

Taking a light jibe at what Ali said, Ahsan turned towards Mariam and teased her about how only Saboor has been the kind one yet. To which Mariam labelled their sibling-bond as a “savage” one rather than a caring one.

Ali further added that they’ve been role models for each other since the beginning. “I got into acting because of Mariam and she did hosting and radio shows because of me. We’ve inspired each other like that.” Being grateful for having a brother like Ali, Mariam shared, “We’re siblings but we’re also each other’s biggest critics while still staying best friends.”

Interestingly, it was Mariam’s obsession with Hrithik Roshan that led her to choose acting as a profession. “I used to tie a dupatta near my bed and act like it's Hrithik Roshan and dance along with it. One day, my brother caught me and told my parents to do something about it. They were very supportive of it, and became my chauffeurs for every audition,” shared Mariam.

Since they’ve both been a part of this industry for a while, they spoke about how acting can be a well-paid job but it cannot be your bread and butter. “It’s project-based, almost freelance like, so it gets difficult if one reaches a halting stage with no projects for a long time,” retorted Ali.

For young aspiring artists with no or limited financial backing, Ali advised, “Don’t put your eggs in one basket. There should always be multiple streams of income.”

As for favourite projects, Mariam picked Nadeem Baig’s Dil Lagi with Humayun Saeed and Mehwish Hayat. “Every actor needs a finesse, some polishing to their craft and while I got scolded a lot on set, I learned a lot too. They were all super accommodating and helpful, and that made me think I made the right decision.”

On the other hand, Ali’s favourite project was Khaani where he only appeared in one episode.“I got so many messages despite disappearing after the  first episode and this only made me understand the true worth of my work.”