From building 5 businesses at 24 to being told to retire despite a net worth of approximately Rs 250 crore- Jannat Zubair gets candid

Jannat Zubair, who’s currently winning hearts with her time on Laughter Chefs 3, enjoys a lavish lifestyle. The child actress has been a part of the television industry for over 18 years and has become a household name. She recently appeared on Rubina Dilaik’s podcast, where she discussed her personal as well as professional life. Take a look:-

Jannat revealed how people often ask her parents about the qualities they’ve instilled in her. She shared, “People often ask my parents what is that one thing they feel they have taught their daughter, something I have truly stood by. They always say that since childhood, they have taught Jannat to always stay humble and grounded. There’s a saying that as a tree grows taller, it bends downward, and I truly second that because I think it’s very important. In my journey, I’ve come to this realization now that as I grow, as the years and months pass by, I can see a difference in myself. I’ve become more empathetic. I feel so much more now. I’ve become a calmer person and have started to understand emotions better.”

Jannat recalled how she used to feel a lot of pressure when she initially started managing both TV and social media. She said, “It came with a lot of pressure. You know, because of social media, the following, and everything. We started from TV. We used to just get the script, perform, pack up, and go back home. But all of this was so new. Be it Instagram, other platforms I was a part of, or YouTube, you show the raw you, the real you, completely unfiltered. There’s no script, nothing at all. People like you for who you are. They’re open to commenting, sharing their thoughts, and expressing everything. So I’ve had my phases with this too. Initially, it was like, ‘Oh my God, so many likes, so many views, so many comments—what’s happening?’ That phase came. And then the hate phase came in. So I understood that if this exists, the other side will exist too.”

Jannat opened up about her love for acting and how her social media journey started. She mentioned, “It’s always a balance between my brain and my heart, because acting is love. That’s where it all started for me, that journey. When you do campaigns or shoot for reels and other content, it’s very different. We may call it a shoot, but the kind of shoots we do as actors are completely different. We live those characters. We become them. There’s so much to express, so much depth in it. After playing so many characters and experiencing so many stories, it actually feels really nice to just be yourself. For me, I truly love social media. I’m grateful for the love I receive there because that kind of direct love is something I didn’t experience as much on television. And I will always be thankful for that. But my heart will always lean more towards acting.”

The actress said, “I’ve met people who say, ‘You have 50 million followers, you’re doing well, you’ve made your name, you should retire now.’ And I’m like, ‘Are you mad? This is just the beginning.’ I can’t even imagine not working. One, I simply wouldn’t be able to do it. I can’t live without work. And two, that’s not the mindset I believe in. For me, this is just the start. I have so much more to do, so much more to achieve.”

“When I got into this career, it wasn’t entirely my decision at first. It was my parents, especially my dad, who introduced me to it. But over time, I fell in love with it. Still, there was always this thought in the background. People would say, ‘What if this wasn’t there? What would you have done then?’ That question really stayed with me. It made me think if this wasn’t there, then what would I do? Did I have another option? And I did. I wanted to be a businesswoman.”

Jannat shared, “My dad always encouraged that side of me too. He used to say, ‘One day, we’ll launch your own brands.’ As a child, I was obsessed with Hannah Montana, I used to carry a Hannah Montana water bottle and school bag everywhere. That’s when my dad planted this idea in my mind. He said, ‘Just like you love carrying her things, one day people will carry products with your name on them. We’ll build your brand.’ And I think that’s where it all started, that habit of dreaming big, of manifesting things for yourself.”

Jannat revealed how she tries not to be a part of comparisons and how she deals with it. She said, “Honestly, Ruby, during that time on that show where we met, I met so many people who had already seen the previous seasons and episodes. They knew everything about it. And then there was me, the youngest on set. Someone who had never really been into workouts or anything like that. I was the last contestant to join the show. In fact, I found out at the very last minute that I was even doing it. I had done a few other reality shows before, and almost every contestant I met would say, ‘We’ve watched the show to understand what it’s like, how it works.’ But whenever I take up something, Ruby, I never watch or try to study how it was done before. I don’t get into comparisons. I don’t overthink it. I just go and do it my way.”