Henna actor Zeba Bakhtiar opens up on bitter divorce, custody battle with Adnan Sami: ‘I lost my mind’

Pakistani actor Zeba Bakhtiar and singer Adnan Sami were married for three years. They are parents to son Azaan Sami Khan.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | July 24, 2023 08:27 PM IST

3 min read

Adnan Sami and Zeba Bakhtiar were married for three years. (Pic: Adnan/Instagram)

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Pakistani actor Zeba Bakhtiar, who found popularity in the Hindi film industry after appearing with Rishi Kapoor in Henna, opened up on her tumultuous marriage with singer and music composer Adnan Sami in a recent interview. During the conversation, she also shared the emotional toll that the custody battle for their son, Azaan Sami, took on her.

In a recent interview with Aamna Haider Isani, Zeba revealed that after her marriage to Adnan, she left her acting career and devoted herself entirely to her family. She said, “When I got married to Adnan, I was wrapping up a few films. At that time, I wasn’t interested in continuing to act. I wanted to write, maybe produce. I wasn’t that involved in acting. 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.”

Also read | Adnan Sami says he saved clothes from his ‘thin days’: ‘I said, one day I am going to fit into them’

Reflecting on the arduous 18-month custody battle, Zeba described the toll it took on her mental well-being. She said, “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. But I am thankful I got back with Azaan. It was 18 months of this custody battle. I wasn’t working during that time, but a few friends of mine told me to work for my own sanity. There was a friend who was doing a serial in England and I joined the same show. I went to London for a few months to shoot that.”

Having made a name for herself in the Pakistani TV show Anarkali (1988), Zeba Bakhtiar ventured to India to make her Hindi film debut with the 1991 film Henna, directed by Randhir Kapoor. Despite starring in a few Hindi films like Mohabbat Ki Arzoo (1994), Stuntman (1994), Jai Vikraanta (1995), and Muqadama (1996), her Bollywood career didn’t take off, leading her to return to Pakistan. She married singer and music composer Adnan Sami in 1993, and they welcomed their son Azaan in the same year. However, their marriage faced challenges, and they decided to part ways in 1997.

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