Actor Aymen Saleem recently appeared on the FWhy Podcast with Frieha Altaf, where she spoke about her upbringing, the support of her parents, and her transition into acting. The Chupke Chupke star reflected on her family environment, saying she never experienced patriarchy at home.

“You don’t just get confidence from education or an Ivy League degree alone. It can’t give you that confidence. Parents have a big role to play,” said Aymen, who graduated from the Wharton School of Business. “I have always been disciplined, very studious, a bit of a nerd, and into sports.”

She stated that her confidence largely came from how she was raised: “Confidence comes from your parents and how you are treated at home. Something I got from my dad early on was agency. I did not even know what the word meant when I was receiving it at home because my voice was always heard.”

She added, “My opinions were always taken seriously. They were never dismissed because of my age or gender. I always felt what I had to say was important. I am worth it. My voice is important enough.”

Aymen also recalled how her father involved her in conversations while she was growing up: “I’d always listen and think I had something I wanted to add when my father was speaking with adults at home.” “He would say, ‘Everyone be quiet, let my daughter talk.’ He would literally treat me like an adult, not a little kid,” she stated.

The actor shared that while she was at the top of her class and preparing to start a job at McKinsey, she was visiting Pakistan when she met filmmaker Sultana Siddiqui, a family friend.

“Sultana aapa was there at my cousin’s wedding. She hadn’t seen me in a long time because I was abroad. She said I had grown older and prettier and encouraged me to try acting.” “She really wanted me to act and I was like I’d love to and have always loved the camera,” she said.

She added that she initially saw acting as a “one-time fun gig” and did not expect it to become a career. However, her breakthrough in Chupke Chupke changed her perspective.

“It changed things for me in terms of my thinking. It was like, ‘This is fun, I want to do more of it.’ I transitioned from the Aymen who had everything planned out to someone who started doing what felt right. I became more fearless in my decisions.”

She added that her success was not individual but collective: “I don’t think any part of my success is just mine, it takes an ecosystem. Even my mother contributes so much into everything I achieve and my dad.”

Aymen also spoke about encouraging her mother to pursue entrepreneurship: “Culturally, if one person has to stay back home, women think it’s their role to give things up. I pushed my mom when I was going to university to do something.”

She shared that her mother eventually started her own fashion brand, which she described as therapeutic rather than profit-driven. “She started designing and doesn’t take pressure. She has her selected people and doesn’t want to expand too much. It is literally therapy for her.”

The actor also highlighted her strong connection to Pakistan, saying it continues to influence her life, despite studying abroad and living in London after her marriage.