Hira was my fan: Mani

Actor spills the tea on how he first met his wife

Celebrity couple Mani and Hira's whirlwind romance has always been one of the more unconventional tales—complete with stolen phone numbers, secret identities, and undeniable chemistry. The couple, known for their on-screen chemistry and off-screen displays of affection, often shares snippets of their journey. Recently, Mani decided to spill more details about how it all began, this time offering his side of the story on the popular show Mazaq Raat with Imran Ashraf.

Imran kicked off the conversation with a cheeky compliment: "I have not seen a bigger lover than you. Did you fall in love with Hira at first sight?" Mani, ever the entertainer, flashed a knowing smile before diving into the story of their first encounter.

"Hira was my fan, and she found me," Mani shared, adding a bit of flair to the already storied narrative. "I always wanted someone as straightforward as I am. So, one fine winter morning in Karachi, I got a call. There was a girl on the other end, and she introduced herself as Mariam Khan. She had a nice voice, but voices can be deceiving," he quipped with his characteristic candor.

Their phone chats spanned six months before the two would meet face-to-face. Hira, still posing as Mariam Khan, decided to attend a concert that Mani was hosting. "She called, telling me that she would come to that concert. I got excited. By then, I knew she could sing well. She had sung for me a thousand times over the phone. So I wanted to give her a chance to do it in public," Mani reminisced.

In a twist straight out of a rom-com, the concert that featured big names like Noori, Aaroh, and Strings became Hira's stage. "Despite the presence of popular bands, it was 'Mariam' who stole the show with her performance, leaving an audience of 5,000 people in awe. That's how it started," Mani concluded, a nostalgic smile crossing his face.

The plot thickens when you consider Hira's confession from 2018 on Speak Your Heart With Samina Peerzada. She admitted to stealing Mani's number from a friend's phone while being engaged to another man—a banker, no less.

"I called Mani, pretending to be Mariam Khan," she had said, triggering a wave of controversy back then. The couple, who tied the knot on April 18, 2008, have since navigated the turbulent waters of public scrutiny and personal growth, emerging as one of the industry's favourite power couples.