Hrithik Roshan's girlfriend Saba Azad says her parents have never pressured her for marriage: 'We don't have any expectations...'

Saba Azad, who is often in the spotlight for her relationship with Hrithik Roshan, recently opened up about her family’s refreshing outlook on marriage, her love for complex roles, and the challenges of breaking stereotypes in Bollywood.

No pressure from family to marry

In conversation with Hindustan Times, she said, “At the age of six, my parents say me down and said, ‘Beta you never need to get married if you don’t want to. We don’t have any expectations from you.’ So, no I have never felt any pressure from my family about how to live my life."





She also further spoke about how she has no intentions of ticking Bollywood’s conventional boxes. “I’m greedy as an actor. I like parts where I have to apply myself. Playing someone who lives in a city like me isn’t that far from who I am. But being a part of someone’s journey, stepping into their world—that’s what excites me. That’s the kind of role I can really sink my teeth into," she added.

Love for strong women characters

Saba further stated that she has always loved playing complex characters than chasing formulaic success. She shared, “I love women who own their territory, who are fearless about claiming their space. There’s something powerful about that kind of energy, and it’s something I enjoy channeling on screen.”

Talking about being typecasted, she said, “I often get boxed into urban characters. People ask me, ‘Can you even speak Hindi?’ And I’m like, ‘Of course I can!’ It’s always a challenge to break out of stereotypes. So when a director imagines you differently, it’s a gift."

An actor’s journey depends on imagination

Elaborating further, she added, “An actor’s life is really at the mercy of someone else’s imagination. You’re dependent on someone to think of you in a certain role, and sometimes the work you want isn’t what comes your way.”

“I was born into theatre, and theatre doesn’t pay. There’s no money in it, so you really have to love the craft to keep going. It’s never been about success for me. If a story moves me, I’ll do it. For me, it’s about passion and the possibility of reaching people with something meaningful. Stories matter because they remind us of our shared humanity," she concluded.

Saba on relationship with Hrithik Roshan

Earlier in a chat with The Hollywood Reporter India, Saba confessed that there's a lot of normalcy in her relationship. She shared, "I have a lot of sense of normalcy around me, even within my relationship. It’s an assumption that we make that people who are in the public eye don’t lead normal lives. Everyone is just going about their life, trying to get through from one day to another."

When further she was asked, 'scrutiny is something that Hrithik had normalised more than you', Saba responded, "Ya, he's been in the public eye longer than I and for a good reason.

Saba Azad's recent work

Most recently, Saba was seen in 'Songs of Paradise.' This period drama, streaming on Prime Videos, has helped her gain a lot of appreciation.