New Delhi: Pakistani actor Zeba Bakhtiar, known for her film 'Henna' with Rishi Kapoor', opened up about her failed marriage with Adnan Sami. In a recent interaction, Zeba shared how the custody battle for her son, Azaan Sami, took a toll on her mental health. In an interaction with Aamna Haider Isani, Zeba revealed that she quit acting after getting married to Adnan, she wanted to write. Later, after the birth of their son, she devoted herself entirely to her family.
Singer Adnan Sami and actor Zeba Bakhtiar were married in 1993 and separated soon in 1997. During the custody battle, Zeba had alleged that the officials of Pakistan and UAE were not cooperating with her. She even appealed to a Canadian court for her child's custody and later immigration officials stormed Sami's house to hand over their son to Zeba. Later, Adnan Sami filed a defamation suit against Zeba.
“Then I married Adnan and Azaan was born, I was totally invested in that. But when the marriage didn’t work out, I started doing productions and other projects. I lost my mind. I was functioning because that coping mechanism comes from somewhere, but I was not all there. I have got big patches which I don’t remember. It was very difficult.” She told Aamna.
Zeba got custody of her son after a 18-month long custody battle. She also went back to acting to save her sanity as many of her friends suggested.
In the same interview, Zeba said. "No woman ever breaks a marriage because she wants to break it. She does it when she reaches that point...you know, a point where you cannot take beyond that. When you absolutely have to. It is never like 'I am going to be a cool and empowered woman and I will leave home'. No! It is because I have tried, and tried everything in my capacity, everything I knew, and tested all my patience and endurance. I did everything I could possibly do to save the relationship, but I am not reaching the point where this is going in any positive direction for either one of us."
Besides 'Henna', Zeba Bakhtiar also worked in movies including 'Mohabbat Ki Arzoo', ‘Stuntman', 'Jai Vikraanta' and 'Muqadama' but soon returned to Pakistan.