Zeba Bakhtiar on her bitter separation with Adnan Sami: ‘I lost my mind’

Renowned Bollywood singer Adnan Sami has earned immense fame for his melodious tunes. Now happily married to Roya Sami Khan and a father to daughter Medina Sami Khan, Adnan's personal life was previously intertwined with Pakistani actress Zeba Bakhtiar. Zeba, who recently opened up about her past in an interview, revealed the mental anguish she endured during her separation from Sami and the subsequent custody battle over their son, Azaan Sami.

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During a recent interview by Aamna Haider Isani, the actress was asked about her experience during the custody battle of her son, Azaan Sami with former husband Adnan Sami. Zeba revealed that she was wrapping up her films when she got married to Adnan and had no intentions in pursuing acting after marriage. She said, “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 also expressed that she is thankful for getting custody of her son after a long 18-month battle with Sami. Zeba eventually came back to acting after her friends advised her to do so to save her sanity.

Adna and Zeba got married in 1993 but separated after four years of courtship in 1997. The duo was then involved in a custody battle for their son Azaan. After alleging that she did not receive any cooperation from Dubai and UAE officials, Zeba appealed to the Canadian court after which the officials stormed Adnan’s house and handed Azaan back to her. Adnan later filed a defamation case against her.

Reflecting back on her broken marriage, 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."

Zeba gained notoriety after appearing Pakistani television show Anarkali in late 1980s. She then made her Bollywood debut, opposite Rishi Kapoor in the 1991 film Henna. Zeba was also seen in films such as Mohabbat Ki Arzoo, Jai Vikraanta, Stuntman and Muqadama.