Atiqa Odho is considered to be one of the most beautiful veteran actresses in the industry. She has given several hits in her profession traversing more than twenty years. Humsafar, Dasht, Sitara or Mehrunnisa, Nijaat, and now Pardes, Pyar kay Sadqay, etc. are her top best dramas that truly elevated her career.
Lately, Odho has been getting a lot of negative roles that surely suit her rather than the positive ones. Besides, people love her as a villain more.
In her recent interview, the Pardes star shared the experiences that she had in the early years of her career.
“I started my career as a stylist, so I worked mostly behind the scenes at first doing makeovers for actors. I studied for it in the UK.”
She further added that her skills behind the curtain as a beautician prompted a few proposals to deal with the front side of the camera.
“When I’d go to ad shoots to prepare models behind the scenes, I would get a lot of offers with people asking me if I would like to be in front of the camera. So, after a while, I thought, “Why not?” I always loved film, fashion and the arts, so I made the decision to take the plunge.”
Despite her family’s reluctance towards showbiz, they did not stop her from starting her career. They knew about Anwar Maqsood, who wrote Sitara Aur Mehrunissa, made it a generally smooth change.
“Anwar sahab and my father used to play bridge together, so there was history there. I didn’t know him as a little girl, because the bridge sessions would happen at clubs and other venues, but he knew the family and the family knew him. So, for my parents and family, it was acceptable because they knew him. We weren’t a television family, so there was some resistance given the unfamiliar territory”
While talking about her experiences she also advised young girls to always follow their gut.
“To the young women, according to my experience, so many people have told me no and that such and such cannot be done. You hear such things a lot when you’re a young woman. Always follow your instinct, because your instinct will always make the right choice. That’s what I always did.”
“I felt like that was the case, I would fight like a lion. Because when you’re a young woman, there are a lot of challenges and a lot of people who want to be a part of your life, so you have to protect yourself. That doesn’t mean you retreat into a bubble and refuse to face the world.”
Extending advice to women in abusive relationships, Odho stressed the importance of valuing nothing else over the safety and wellbeing of yourself and your children.
“If you are in an abusive relationship, you shouldn’t be in it regardless of the situation. If God has given you functioning limbs and intelligence, and if you can earn by sweeping floors even, which is an equally dignified form of labour, it’s better than being in an abusive relationship. No home with abuse is a stable home. Find a way to get out”
she concluded by saying
“I married young and had children young, I went to school after kids. I did a lot of catching up in my life. I realised that I did all of these things because of childhood trauma or emotional needs, I understood it, so I needed to fix it. You can fix anything at any time. This timeframe is your own construct. No one is putting a timeline on your life.”
