We're women, we have a tendency to get riled up easily: Nadia Khan, Shaista Lodhi unpack old feuds

Hosts sat down to talk about cutthroat competition back in the day

In a surprising turn of events, former morning show stalwarts Nadia Khan and Shaista Lodhi, who once epitomised the most brutal rivalry in their game divulged the close bond they developed after resolving their tensions. Shaista, who appeared as a guest at Nadia’s chat show with co-host Aijaz Aslam, dove into the intense competition and personal conflicts that characterised their past interactions.

Nadia recounted the origins of their feud, shedding light on how guests played a pivotal role in stoking tensions between them. “When people would come to my show, they would say ‘she was saying this and this about you,’” she revealed, underscoring how negative remarks made on one show would fuel animosity on the other.

Shaista corroborated Nadia’s account, saying, “Our industry friends, so many people…they would go to Nadia’s show and say something and come to mine and say something else entirely.” The two hosts also admitted how the competition over eyeballs made them easily envious of each other.

“I’m a human so of course I found that very infuriating. And frankly speaking, I would feel envious too because of the way we were told these things, I am not an angel. It was the same time slot and we were racing for ratings,” Shaista confessed.

Nodding in agreement, Nadia offered, “One thing, we are women so we have that tendency to get riled up easily and I’m impulsive. Plus, you’re competing with each other and there’s pressure from the channels. We were also very young back then and very immature.”

While the two are in a healthy, tight-knit friendship now, the rivalry made worse by others put the two in many regrettable positions. Shaista recalled, “I remember Nadia’s mother passed away but there was so much dirt between us that I didn’t know how to approach her to offer my condolences. It took a lot of courage from my end to call her.”

Delving deeper into their past, the duo discussed the pressures they faced as morning show hosts, from fierce competition in fashion and styling to the challenges posed by rotating seats. They admitted to covertly watching each other's shows during breaks, highlighting the constant scrutiny and comparison that underscored their professional relationship.

Aside from the cutthroat competition over the same time slot, the two also coincidentally share a lot of life’s critical moments that have helped them bond. “People get so surprised because when we meet, we have so much to talk about and we have fun doing that. Let me tell you the most fascinating bit, in time and space, the ups and downs in both our lives have come around at the same time. Be it our divorces, having children, them growing up, problems concerning our shows, our children, personal and professional problems,” Nadia expressed.

The celebrity went on to contend that hosts like themselves at live shows are scrutinised a lot more than other showbiz personalities. Remarking on how viewers feel like they have the licence to say just about anything, Nadia said, “It used to be different before. We would get letters, and emails so people would stay at a respectful distance but now they can leave comments [on social media]. It’s like bandar ke hath mein maachis.”

She furthered on, “When these people meet us face to face, they are so polite, but when they comment [on social media], some people get very cruel because they know, no one is watching them.”

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