‘Hira Advised Me to Stop:’ Mani Reveals How He Copes With Hate and Criticism

Salman Saqib Sheikh, better known as Mani, is a well-known Pakistani host, actor, and comedian. With a strong media background—his father, Saqib Sheikh, was a veteran PTV artist—Mani made his mark through hit comedy shows alongside Azfar Ali and is widely recognized as a pioneer of road shows in Pakistan. Interestingly, his wife Hira Mani was once a fan of his during his time as a VJ.

Recently, Mani appeared on Ahmed Ali Butt’s podcast Excuse Me, where he opened up about his personal life, career choices, and how he handles public criticism. Speaking about his marriage, he shared, “I got married in 2008. I got married because my younger brother was getting married and due to a societal pressure… I had to. Also, I was never serious about getting married. I just had an affair for around 6 months then I ran away from her but soon realized that Hira is the person I want to spend life with.”

He recalled how Hira’s family disapproved of him initially, but he proposed to her anyway. “Faisal Qureshi’s wife persuaded us to marry sooner… and we got married within two months of our decision.”

Mani also spoke about criticism over his unwavering support for Hira’s career. “People call me someone who is blind in his wife’s love because of my unprecedented support. Let them be… Success is in our house; it has shifted from me to Hira.”

He added that online trolling no longer affects him after Hira advised him to stop reading negative comments.

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