Father’s Day 2024 Special: I am who I am today because of my father, says Sumbul Touqeer

Sumbul Touqeer had a regular life. She had help with her schoolwork, her clothes were always washed and neatly ironed and her favourite food was served; everything was taken care of without any glitches. However, if you looked inside the Touqeer household, you would probably not have guessed that a single father was running it so efficiently.
‘My father opened up new horizons for me’
Sumbul’s parents separated when she was six.Since then, her father, Touqeer Khan, a mechanical engineer and a theatre artiste, has been both, a father and mother to Sumbul and her younger sister, actress Saniya. Sumbul shares, “When I was young, I didn’t grasp what my father was doing for us. As kids, we often take our family for granted, and I was no different. When we moved to Mumbai in 2014, I didn’t even want to act, as I was more passionate about dancing, which I had grown up seeing my father teach. However, in 2016, I did a show called Waaris, in which I played Saniya’s older sister. While working on that show, I unexpectedly fell in love with acting. That is when I realised how my father had opened up new horizons for me! It was one of the best decisions he made for me. I am who I am today because of my father.”
She further adds, “He fought against those who advised him not to let his daughters enter the entertainment industry; he had faith in us. We faced many challenges initially, but he never stopped encouraging us. Times might get tough, but if you persevere, this too shall pass is what he taught us.”

‘My father watches every episode of my show’
When the trio gets together to pose for us, the girls’ attempt to fake a smile for the camera doesn’t escape the theatre artiste’s notice. “Nakli mat haso”, comes Touqeer’s immediate reaction. Sumbul laughs and says, “My father has always been straightforward and clear in his opinions. He is extremely difficult to please. He watches every episode of my show Kavya, but he doesn’t say a word if he likes my acting. However, if he finds something off or forced, he’s the first to tell me. Since he rarely praises, it’s special when he does.”

‘He is our father, mother, and guru, all rolled into one’
Talking about how he has balanced playing different roles in life, she says, “He is our father, mother and guru, all rolled into one. As a kid, when our tuition teacher sometimes scolded us, he would leave the room because he couldn’t bear to watch. However, dance classes were a different story. If we started crying while attempting difficult moves such as splits, he would simply turn up the music so no one could hear us scream. In his eyes, there was no shortcut to practice! And don’t even get us started on ‘Papa ke haath ka khaana’, which has absolutely no competition.”