Hadiqa Kiani gets candid about her career and ageism in a recent interview

In a recent interview, singer and actor Hadiqa Kiani discussed her relationship with music, her challenges with ageism in the industry, and the joy of adoption.

“I am at a turning point in my life,” Kiani said, reflecting on where she is in her work. “This is my experience, and I am not apologetic about it,” she continued.

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“Whatever decisions I made in life, whether linked to music or not, helped to define who I am.  What I learned from my mistakes, failures, and successes, as well as the anguish I experienced. My mother’s paralysis diagnosis, heartbreaks, divorces, adoption of my child, life-threatening scenarios. All of this has happened to me before, but now, at this critical juncture in my life.”

“Sources very close to me told me a decade ago that my contemporaries in music had already been sent to their graves,” Kiani said when asked if she has struggled because of the industry’s endemic ageism.

Read more: Hadiqa Kiani Gives Tribute to the Late Asma Nabeel by Starring in her Last Play ‘Pinjra.’

“They informed me that I had accomplished everything I could and that I should be satisfied with it. I was in my thirties at the time. But, even in my twenties, I appeared to be older due to my mature character and intelligence. Even back then, people called me ‘aapi,’ ‘didi,’ and ‘baji.’ I feel young now that I am approaching old age. It’s all a figment of your imagination. You’re as good as anyone if you tell yourself you’ve seen and done everything.” She concluded.