Sadia Imam recalls navigating a male-dominated industry early in her career

Actor Sadia Imam has opened up about her early years in the entertainment industry, recalling how some male colleagues made assumptions about her personality and expected her to join their social circles.

Speaking in a recent interview, Imam said there were few female celebrities in her age group when she entered showbiz in 1996, leaving her surrounded largely by male colleagues.

“There were many times I overheard my male colleagues’ discussions about me. When I’d be entering the room, they’d be like, ‘Leave her’ and ‘She doesn’t enjoy going to parties,’” she said.

Imam recalled that Pakistani dramas were frequently filmed abroad at the time, with productions such as Dusri Duniya shooting in London and the United States. She said some colleagues initially assumed she would be interested in joining them at clubs and parties during overseas shoots.

“At that time, many of our dramas were shot abroad, whereas now only our award shows take place outside of Pakistan. When filming for dramas like Dusri Duniya, the shoots would take place in London and America. Before that, they expected me to be a party girl who would join them at clubs,” she explained.

“When I went into the industry in 1996, there were very few women. Besides me, there were seniors like Sania Saeed, Huma Hamid and Maria Wasti from Lahore. I basically just had men around me,” she said.

Looking back, Imam said she felt betrayed by some male colleagues, particularly because she chose to maintain personal boundaries rather than become overly familiar with people at work. “So, I can say that I was stabbed in the back by male colleagues in the industry, especially if I did not open up,” she said.

Imam also credited her father with helping her maintain a clear separation between her professional and personal lives. She said he advised her not to bring work relationships into her home or social life.

“I never had friend groups. If you went to my house, for the past few years you would see that my father had cleared that line for me. He told me that work colleagues do not need to come to the house and you do not need to go out with them,” she explained. “So I didn’t have friends,” she added.

The actor further reflected on how social dynamics within the industry could influence professional opportunities, suggesting that people who did not fit into established groups could sometimes find themselves sidelined.

“When they would take you out of the group, they would make you go in the second lane. I always wondered if they cast a new weak character, how that would go,” she said.

Imam concluded by saying she has always preferred maintaining a small social circle and does not believe close workplace friendships are necessary. “I always believed that you should not get close to people in this life because people will take advantage of you,” she said.

On the professional front, Imam is currently co-hosting television review show Kya Drama Hai alongside Nadia Khan and Ateeqa Odho. She also runs a YouTube channel where she shares commentary and insights on current television dramas.