Sitara Parveen, a young Muslim girl hailing from a small town in Bihar, who recently floored the judges of the singing reality show Indian Idol by her electrifying voice, has opened up about the challenges she faced and the societal pressure she had to confront to pursue her passion.
During the recent episode of the singing reality show, Sitara Parveen revealed how the Muslim conservative society she belongs to, ridiculed and discouraged her for following her dreams. She said that she has been learning singing since the age of five but her journey has been very difficult.
Women in our society are looked down upon if they try to excel in any field: Indian Idol contestant Sitara Parveen
Being born into a family with a humble background, she did not have the financial means to follow her passion and to add salt to her injuries, her society did not approve of her learning to sing. Sitara said that women in her society are looked down upon if they try to excel in any field. She was ridiculed by her society for singing. Her parents and brother even faced opposition from their own family members for encouraging Sitara to take up singing, revealed the Indian Idol contestant.
Sitara said that they even kept her visit to Indian Idol 12 audition rounds a secret as everyone in her society would have opposed it. She furthered that to avoid bringing shame to her family, she also keeps her singing lessons a secret and learns for a limited time period.
Muslim actresses who quit the entertainment industry for ‘Islam’
We have reported earlier how Muslim actresses like Sana Khan and ‘Dangal’ fame actress Zaira Wasim have quit Bollywood for Islam. In an Instagram post last month, Sana Khan had revealed that she had decided to quit the entertainment industry as her Faith and her profession were at loggerheads with each other.
However, Sana Khan is not the only Muslim actress to have left the film fraternity to serve ‘Islam’ and abide by the rules of Allah. Last year, ‘Dangal’ and ‘Secret Superstar’ actress Zaira Wasim too had announced her retirement from movies in a letter posted on Instagram. In the six-page letter, she said, “Bollywood took me away from Islam” and cites the interference on her religious practices as the reason for this decision. Ironically, Zaira Wasim’s role in the movie Secret Superstar was of that of a talented teenage singer who faces oppression from her conservative father.