Veteran on-screen couple Atiqa Odho and Naumaan Ijaz recently sat down for an interview with Fuschia, reflecting on their strong friendship and familial bond. The duo, who have been working together since the late 90’s, have starred in several superhit serials, including Dasht, Nijaat and Khan. Speaking about their friendship, the two lamented the lack of camaraderie amongst younger members of the industry, and highlighted the importance of comfort with your co-star when it comes to perfecting the craft of acting.
On how, despite their popularity and enduring appeal, the duo does not appear on screen together too frequently, Atiqa shared, “The funny thing is, we have a great friendship, but we haven’t worked together a lot. At first we did dramas like Dasht and Nijaat, and then there was a very long break. After that we did Khan together and now we’re doing Ishq Junoon, and considering how popular we are on screen, I don’t know why we haven’t been cast together more. It’s strange.”
Naumaan added his thoughts on the matter, chalking the lack of offerings to people being afraid of the duo’s outspoken nature. He explained, “Sometimes I feel like it’s because we have different principles and ways of working. Maybe that’s why. People get intimidated by the thought of taking on people that would always have something to say and correct them. You don’t like the person who corrects you, because you feel you are perfect. That may be a reason why people don’t cast us together, or maybe we are too expensive.”
Adding on to the same, Atiqa shared how sporadically working together may actually have ended up working in their favour. “Sometimes, it’s a good thing to not do a lot of work [together]. All of the work we’ve done together, people have watched it because they have waited for it. So, we haven’t become common as a couple,” shared the actor.
Reflecting on their friendship, Naumaan explained the importance of building lasting relationships with the people you work with. He explained, “The work we do is very dry. If we do it that way as well, then the result would be what you see happening in dramas these days, because a lot of these kids don’t mingle and get along with each other.”
Atiqa added, “In our line of work, if you can manage to build life-long friendships, it’s such a blessing. Some of the younger lot have managed to have some great friendships. I’ve seen them dancing together at weddings and stuff. Lovely. We spend so much time together on set and in our lives, that if you don’t become friends or an extended family to each other, then you won’t have fun.”
Elaborating further, the actor continued, “My children have grown up in front of Naumaan. When I met him, his kids hadn’t even been born yet. He hadn’t even thought about it since he wasn’t even married. I’d already divorced and had children and on the set of Nijaat, I have pictures of Naumaan walking around with my kids on his shoulders. They’d call him Naumaan chacha. We have such a long history. We’re family, really.”
After the host questioned how Naumaan’s wife, Rabia, felt about the friendship at the height of the couple’s popularity, he shared, “There’s this impression people have of those who work in the media. On top of that, you’re doing these seriously romantic plays in which you are playing husband and wife. People don’t know how much respect and love you have for the other person. People are so negative that they end up thinking a certain way. We were also famous back in the day, so I told Rabia that there is nothing to worry about and that Atiqa is a great friend that I can rely on. She’s very comfortable with Atiqa.”
Speaking about how the level of comfort between the two actors affects their work in a positive way, Atiqa explained, “We have an advantage. We’ve known each other for so long. In tried and tested friendships, you manage to set a comfort zone. So, it’s not like this person is going to exploit me or take things in the wrong sense.”
She elaborated further, “We flirt, we laugh, joke around, but never, as a woman, do I think Naumaan would take the wrong meaning out of it. What is usually the problem that women have? It’s that men may misunderstand and think that you are leading them on. But, we’ve had such a long friendship, you can take a few liberties. You become free of the worries. Then you start having fun with your craft and your work. Naumaan and I can do a lot of things on screen together that we may not naturally do with other people because we don’t know how they'll feel or behave.”
On how he felt meeting Atiqa knowing that she was a single mother and newly divorced, Naumaan shared, “I know a lot of people who knew Atiqa, and I knew the reasons behind why things had turned out the way that they had. It was already in my knowledge. I was feeling bad, since she’s such a lovely human being. She’s also a very strong human being. As actors, if we need a leader, it’s her. The right person. They need to have the ability to stand up anywhere and speak for our rights. She’s the only one who can do that.”
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