Pakistani actor and writer Mira Sethi has candidly opened up about her divorce, shedding light on the emotional and societal impact it had on her and particularly as a woman in the public eye.
During a recent podcast appearance, Sethi revealed that she quietly went through a divorce in March 2023, during the filming of her critically acclaimed drama Kuch Ankahi.
“Just a few months after we started working on Kuch Ankahi, I got divorced,” she shared. “It was March 2023, about two and a half years ago and I was in the midst of it while shooting. It was a very tender, delicate, and powerful time in my life. In that sense, I was lucky to have something I could channel my energy into.”
When asked if portraying her character helped her process the experience, she responded: “It gave me something to do. I would wake up, go to set, and of course Sajal [Aly], [Muhammad] Ahmad sahab, and director Nadeem Baig knew what I was going through. They were all so gentle and supportive.”
Sethi also reflected on how divorce is perceived in our society, particularly for women. She recalled a line from an older drama she acted in, which struck a chord with her: “There was a line… I can’t even remember the name of the drama but it went, ‘Ek talaaq yafta aurat maashray ke liye kanta ban ke reh jati hai’ (A divorced woman becomes a thorn for the society). I remember sitting on a bed, delivering that dialogue, and it has stayed with me.”
While she acknowledged that societal attitudes are gradually shifting, the stigma still lingers.
“Things are definitely changing… slowly, yes, but they are. Anecdotally, many actresses I work with have also gone through this. I could say their names but we know who they are. And conversations like these are important. But yes, along with the pain and grief, there’s also something deeper.”
“Divorce is not just painful; it’s a collapse of narrative,” she continued. “You ask yourself, who am I now? How do I relate to the world or even to myself? Being married is not just cozy and comforting, it gives you a framework, a story to belong to. And when that ends, the story ends too.”
Mira Sethi married her longtime love interest Bilal Siddiqui in an intimate ceremony in California in November 2019. Despite her parents Najam Sethi and Jugnu Mohsin both being well-known journalists and her brother Ali Sethi being a celebrated singer, Mira has carved out her own distinct identity in Pakistan’s entertainment industry.
She is best known for her performances in Paristaan, Kuch Ankahi, and the film Cake, earning praise for both her acting talent and her thoughtful, socially relevant storytelling.