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Salman Saqib, who goes by the name Mani, and his wife Hira Mani, are known for their on-screen performances and their off-screen displays of affection. The two have often talked about their marriage during interviews and how they first fell in love. Mani recently opened up with his side of the story of how they first met.

Hira even landed in hot water in 2018 for admitting to stealing Mani’s number from her friend’s phone while being engaged to her then fiancé. The Meray Paas Tum Ho actor was engaged to a banker and was set to marry him in six months when she first met Mani.

Mani has now shared his side of the story in a conversation with Imran Ashraf on Mazaq Raat. The discussion kicked off with Ashraf praising Mani for being an unabashed lover. “I have not seen a bigger lover than you,” Ashraf remarked, adding, “Did you fall in love with Hira at first sight?” Mani, with a smile, began to recount the story of their first encounter.

“Hira was my fan, and she found me,” Mani revealed. “I always wanted someone as straightforward as I am. So, one fine winter morning in Karachi, I got a call. There was a girl on the other end and she introduced herself as Mariam Khan. She had a nice voice, but voices can be deceiving. Women who sound nice are usually mediocre-looking,” he said.

The two continued talking over the phone for six months. Mani was then invited to host a concert, and it was during this event that Hira, still in the guise of Mariam Khan, decided to make her first in-person appearance.

“She called, telling me that she would come to that concert. I got excited. By then, I knew that she could sing well. She had sung for me a thousand times over the phone. So I wanted to give her a chance to do it in public,” Mani said.

“Despite the presence of popular bands like Noori, Aaroh, and Strings, it was ‘Mariam’ who stole the show with her performance, leaving an audience of 5,000 people in awe. That’s how it started,” Mani concluded.

The conversation then shifted to the dynamics of their relationship as two artists. When asked about how easy or difficult it is for two creative minds with different styles to work together, Mani responded, “It’s easy because this, being an artist, is what we do. We all work in this field; my father, even my sister has worked in theatre.”

But when Ashraf rephrased his question to delve deeper into how they navigate their differences, Mani candidly admitted, “In our marriage, we have a big fight every two weeks. I think it’s a very normal thing, and if you survive those fights, that’s when your marriage works.”

In 2018, when Hira initially shared how she sought out Mani on Speak Your Heart With Samina Peerzada, the story stirred quite a controversy.

She confessed to stealing Mani’s number from her friend’s phone. She called Mani, pretending to be Mariam Khan, and eventually managed to meet him with the help of that very friend. Though their initial meeting was awkward, with Hira afraid Mani would recognise her voice, the truth came out later, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Mani and Hira tied the knot on April 18, 2008 and have since been a power couple in the industry, showcasing both their talents and love for each other.