I had the right to divorce but it took me 36 years to use it: Bushra Ansari

Veteran star recently sat down on a talk show to recall her wide-ranging career, marriage and women's rights

Bushra Ansari’s name is no secret when it comes to the Pakistan's entertainment circuit. Known for her many talents such as acting, singing, play-writing and even comedy, the renowned personality is one of Pakistan’s most revered entertainers.

With no less than an impressive career already under her belt, Ansari’s latest role as Maa Begum in popular television serial Tere Bin recently made a fine addition to the television star’s acting resume. Lauded for the persona of her character and her no less than talented abilities, Ansari quickly shone in the limelight again after taking a small break from acting.

The Zebaish actor took the time to appear in an episode of The Talk Talk Show with host Hassan Choudry on Express TV. Henceforth, playing to her singing talents, the actor chose to welcome the audience with a soulful rendition of Asha Bhosle’s fan-favourite, Aesa To Socha Na Tha. Eventually joined by Choudry as well, the two kicked off the show on a musical note.

As Ansari sat down to speak to the host, Chaudry confirmed the length of the star’s historic career, revealing that she had first began as a child actor in 1967. She revealed. “I was a leading kid the first two years I was acting. Then, after two years my dadi, dada told me ‘Enough! Stay at home,’ after which my father advised me to sing on the radio instead of appearing on television. So, although those five years [after initially starting acting] I did not appear on screens, I was [still] doing something.”

The actor added that her entire family often dabbled in the arts and hence, eventually, so did she. Her more recent one-woman comedy venture, Malika-e-Tabassum, was a project the actor was hesitant in first taking, revealed Ansari. However, what convinced her was when director Dawar Mehmood told her, “If you take this opportunity then you will open the path to stand-up comedy for four other women.”

When asked about whether the actor is still surprised by the feedback some of her performances or serials get, Ansari spoke of her latest accolade Tere Bin. Expressing her gratefulness for the success of the serial, the actor stated, “[Tere Bin] was a fantasy. There was a beautiful house and I also looked like some very artificial, beautiful mother … [the success is] not shocking, it’s not surprising; I could just tell this is commercial work.”

Ansari also expressed her desire to support fresh talent, claiming that while she had major figures in the industry like veteran actors Qazi Wajid and Latif Kapadia to watch over her and welcome her at the time, she, too, felt the need to support new actors in the industry.

However, the Tere Bina Main Nahi actor did not just speak to the effect of her public and professional life but rather took the time to even encourage young women who themselves were housewives or recently married to take their personal and professional lives forward simultaneously, encouraging women to multitask and continuously learn new skills.

While talking to the effect of uplifting young women, the star also spoke of her decision to divorce her ex-husband in a time when women were not granted that autonomy. Upon the host’s request, Asnari stated, “Islam has granted us so many rights that perhaps we do not wish to listen to. My daughter said, ‘God has made us to be princesses and fairies. We have so many rights,’ to which I responded, ‘beta, you know you have all these rights but the person who has to give it to you should be made aware as well.” She continued, “I had this right [to divorce] but it took me thirty-six years to use it. I had to use the right wisely otherwise I could have just have divorced during my first year of marriage!”

She continued to speak for empowering women, specifically outlining three pieces of advice in a segment of the talk show. Ansari noted, “Do not let anyone insult you, even if it is your brother or your teacher. Teachers should not insult the student…Number two; stay productive. To cook a handi and roti and watch TV is not enough. [Number three,] you need to keep the house in order."

The veteran has acquired a successful career that spans almost fifty years, having dabbled in multiple avenues of entertainment. The local entertainment circuit has been familiar with her work for ages, and the witty comedian herself also spoke of her love for the sector; “I find more pros [than cons] …If you have the opportunity to showcase the creative drive of your soul, then what can be better than that? Secondly, if your hobby turns into your profession, and you are getting paid for it, what else can you want? Thirdly, seeing the admiration people have for you – when you have to take two-hundred-and-fifty pictures after stepping out of the airport, from security to the pilot - that is only people’s love, isn’t it?”

However, the playwright also shared some reservations she had about the sector in its current day, first recalling an instance where there was little personal space and privacy attributed to popular faces. She also spoke of the power social media currently holds; “Anyone can say anything. If it’s a drama or an artist… I feel there should be a sensibility towards critiquing this work … it takes work to make a good drama and it takes work to make a bad drama … it’s a whole process.”