I need a man who'll support me mentally, emotionally: Mehwish Hayat

Actor and singer Mehwish Hayat has been setting social media alight ever since bagging a starring role in Eid film Daghabaaz Dil and joining forces with renowned Bollywood rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh. As well as enjoying a rich and varied career, the Ms Marvel actor has also remained steadfastly single. In an interview with Suhail Warraich, Mehwish spilled the beans on why.

“I’ll be very honest,” she began. “People are scared of me! Maybe my personality makes the people around me flustered or insecure. I don’t try to scare anyone away, but it’s true that people think before they speak to me, which is a good thing, I suppose.”

Having thus constructed a wall around her to keep time-wasters at bay, Mehwish went on to explain that looks would be the furthest thing from her mind should she ever wish to pursue a serious romantic relationship with any man. “Good looks don’t matter,” she maintained. “Personality matters. He should be kind and cultured and also have a sense of humour. I’m serious in nature, so I need someone to balance that out.”

In a culture that values a lighter skin tone above all else when it comes to anything physical, Mehwish reiterated, “Skin colour and looks do not matter. Your heart and soul should be beautiful.”

Mehwish, career-oriented as she is, went on to muse that a partner with a sense of romance would not go amiss. “I am very practical and realistic,” she confessed. “So my other half should balance that out and be a little romantic to fill that gap!”

Although a busy woman such as Mehwish has not yet had the time to meet the perfect man who is kind, cultured, funny, and romantic, she playfully admitted that her biggest crush had always been Hollywood superstar Leonardo di Caprio. “Leonardo di Caprio - if you are watching and ready to make an offer, I’m listening!” joked the actor.

Joking aside, however, Mehwish outlined that to a perfectionist such as herself, a lifetime commitment like marriage would never be something she would enter lightly. “For me, marriage is a very big responsibility,” she maintained. Keeping in line with the view of wedded bliss prevalent in Pakistani society, Mehwish went on to elaborate, “Marriage is not just between two people; it is between two families.”

To the successful actor who has no intention at present to pause her career for anyone, Mehwish added, “[If I got married], if I have something in mind for my career and ambitions, I would have to think about too many people. Mentally, I am not in the zone where I can give marriage the time it needs.”

Labelling herself a “perfectionist” and simultaneously voicing her need to be with a man who can be her equal mentally, financially, and emotionally, Mehwish noted, “If I find someone who I think will add value to my life and support my career and dreams, someone who encourages me to pursue my goals and understands the value of my work - which is difficult in Pakistan - then I can think about it.”

As a successful actor with a thriving career, Mehwish drove home the fact that at present, she had no practical need for a man. “I am very independent,” she concluded to anyone who had any doubts. “And if I get married, something would have to suffer - either my marriage or my career.”

With no future partner yet on the horizon, the actor can continue to pour her heart and soul into the profession, which doesn’t seem to be suffering anytime soon.

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