Recently veteran actress Shagufta Ejaz sat with us for some Gup Shup, and she had an array of thought-provoking things to say about her life as a single mother and an actor. Scroll down for details.
Survival As A Single Mother
When asked about her journey as a single mother living alone, Shagufta Ejaz said,
“I knew that I have to be very strong, people will approach me but my priority was my daughters. I still remember the words of my friend Seema; she said that now you have to become a bionic woman. If you make this a tragedy, you will be buried beneath it. And yes, I learned at that time that whenever you are saddest in life, that is the moment to stand when you want to fall. Loneliness did disturb me. Such cases occurred, but I kept myself strong because I didn’t want to give anyone access to my children who could be a good husband but not a good father.”
Shagufta Ejaz
Wait For The Right Time
According to Shagufta Ejaz, women should wait for the right time. She said, “they should wait for the signal or the bell that comes from within or from Allah that yes, he is the one for me.”
She then shared her opinion that all women should be independent.
“For me, my utmost goal is to make my daughters independent. To this date, it is our society’s mindset to put down women and control them. If women are independent, then this attitude of in-laws will change, and the man will know that she’s already on her feet, so he’ll treat her equally.”
Shagufta Ejaz
According to Shagufta, one should stay alone instead of being in a bad marriage.
Interaction With Kazim Pasha
Shagufta narrated her incident with Kazim pasha:
“I said sir, where is Kazim pasha sir’s office? I saw that he became speechless and said it was his office; I’m Kazim Pasha. He then gave his assistant keys and told him to open a room and sit us down. He came, and I explained that this person really likes working in dramas so, someone told me that you are looking for someone to cast. He said to leave him and tell me about you and that rebirthed the actor inside me with a great force, and I felt bad that I brought him here, and then I said I don’t know. I just knew that the hero and heroine are the most important. He then stated that it is the role of a heroine for which we have rejected so many girls because it has an image and picture that fits that character, and it’s you. And then I became persistent that I will do this because if life gave me another chance, it is for a reason.”
Marriage
When talking about her marriage, Shagufta Ejaz told FUCHSIA that, at first, she was hesitant because of the age gap between her and her husband. She shared that she was concerned that he was much older than her, which is why there were lots of what-ifs in her mind. She wanted to be reassured about herself, but then everything started to fall into place, and her marriage was the best decision of her life.
A Transition From Lead To Supporting Roles
“There is no boundary for an actor. An actor cannot say that he can’t do an old age role because he is 20, 22, or 25, but yes, he can reject it based on the character, script, or if the subject is controversial, and I had done this too when I was in my thirties. I was like, how can I be his mother, but then soon I realized I was wrong and couldn’t do this. After that, the thing died in me, and I accepted it. I look a bit old and bulky on tv, but when people see me outside, they are like, you are so thin, you are so young, I become happy in this,” she expressed.
Blunder With A Tanning Lotion
Shagufta shared a story with FUCHSIA from when she was in KSA. She said that she always wondered what the lotion that foreigners apply when they are by the pool was. Out of curiosity, she went and bought it. Later she used it and sat by the pool for an hour, but when her friend came and saw her, the real drama began.
