Merub Ali says she and Asim Azhar are definitely not cousins or step-siblings

People have been very curious about close friends Merub Ali and Asim Azhar — curious enough to concoct all sorts of theories. As a result, there have been rumours flying around that the two are related, among other things but Ali finally debunked the rumours.

In an interview with Something Haute, Ali talked about her life and her career. Of course the interview would’ve been incomplete without a question that addressed her "friendship" with Azhar.

“We’re not step-siblings, we’re not cousins. Pata nahi bus [I don't know, that's all] — we’re great family friends and have known each other since childhood. My brother is his best friend and our mothers are best friends.”

When the interviewer proceeded to question her further, Ali cut him off. “It was a lot of fun doing this interview, keep watching Something Haute, Allah Hafiz,” she addressed the camera with a smile.

Ali recently debuted as an actor in the new ARY Digital drama Sinf-e-Aahan. The drama gained hype for its majorly female cast that includes big names such as Sajal Aly, Syra Yousuf, Yumna Zaidi and Kubra Khan. The story revolves around the journey and struggle of female cadets at the Pakistan Military Academy.

Ali revealed her excitement upon meeting Zaidi, who’s playing her sister in the show. She said she felt her nervousness die out as they started conversing and that she calls her whenever she needs to talk about something. “We’re sisters on screen and in real life as well.”

She also discussed the reactions to the first episode, saying there were both love and hate comments — she avoids reading the latter. Ali took the criticism rather gracefully when the interviewer brought up her inconsistent Pashto accent on screen.

She said she is a very shy person, recounting the story of how she entered the media industry which was on the insistence of someone else. To highlight her shyness, she also revealed that she had asked her family not to watch the first episode in front of her.

“I want to get into acting,” Ali added, admitting she really enjoyed acting in Sinf-e-Aahan and would like to take up more projects in the future. “I will also continue modelling on the side,” she said.

Ali has modelled for multiple brands such as Sapphire, Stylo and Edenrobe. While she denied being an influencer, the interviewer brought up her half a million Instagram followers to claim otherwise, after which she conceded the point.