An epitome of a modern-day successful working woman, Iqra Aziz left us impressed after shedding light on the real-life struggles of a new mother. In her recent interview with BBC Urdu, the actress had a candid conversation about societal expectations surrounding motherhood and how she manages to strive for the right balance between work and her personal life, after the birth of her son Kabir.
Iqra Aziz, who is currently being seen in GEO TV’s drama Mannat Murad, is one of the most celebrated actresses of Pakistan. However, this time the actress garnered praise for sharing her take on motherhood and debunking the age-old stereotypes that surround new mothers.
The actress emphasized that she is a family-oriented person and wanted to have children. She discussed that despite the discouraging comments she heard around her, she decided to have an optimistic outlook on becoming a mother.
“Maybe the older people have traumatized us that if you give birth, then you cannot do anything else.”
She added, “When I was expecting no one told me a good thing. People would say that you can’t do this or that. You can’t eat warm food, sleep or even go out. Hearing this I would think about what is happening. Nobody ever said that if you cannot sleep, it will be worth it.”
Iqra Aziz tied the knot with the actor Yasir Hussain in 2019. The couple was blessed with a son, Kabir in 2021. While the actress was judged for her choice of starting a family at the peak of her career, Iqra said she stands by her decision and doesn’t want to be too ambitious about her career.
Iqra’s statements and experiences are assuredly relatable to most new mothers who are trying to juggle everything together. Iqra opened up about having mom guilt and shared an experience of that:
“The first time I travelled after leaving Kabir was really hard. He was 3-4 months old at that time. I prepared everything beforehand, yet when I was about to check out, I had a breakdown and was completely taken over with mom guilt.”
Iqra further added that she believes that marriage doesn’t end things and wants people to see that. She talked about how she was criticized for not working after giving birth, even though it was her decision not to do television and focus on social media campaigns at that time. She narrated that she took things one step at a time and started to work on her husband’s directorial project Aik Thi Laila, following her break after giving birth.
“Before I met Yasir, I used to work every Sunday. I started doing work from a very early age. But this was my choice, and now I want to relax and enjoy myself for some time. This is my first child, and I want to make this time memorable.”
Iqra also talked about her drama Mannat Murad and how she relates to the ambitious and happy soul part of Mannat and the fun she had on the set with her co-star Talha Chahour. Lastly, she emphasized that the drama depicts finding the balance between personal and professional life.
It’s truly inspiring to witness an actress embodying the spirit of our nation’s women with such grace, setting an ideal example of maintaining a balance between her professional and personal life.
