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.
