'Our bond broke at the time'
Reflecting on his difficult childhood years, Ali revealed, "When he(my father) got married again, our bond broke. I was around eleven or twelve at the time, and I was very upset."
"Being the eldest, I had to look after two sisters and a brother. I realised that I had to become a parent to my siblings, as my father would no longer be investing time in us, and my mother was going through depression," he added.
Ali's father married fellow actor Saba Hamid in 1993. At the time, Saba was already divorced and had two kids, Meesha and Faris Shafi. The actor was worried at the time that this marriage would make him preoccupied with his new family.
Despite the anger he felt, Ali realised that he needed to be mature about the situation. "I am the one who always chooses to be part of the solution, not the problem." he said. "I knew I had to take care of my siblings. I also developed a rift with my father. However, I eventually realised that the biggest victim in this situation was my father, who was also suffering because of this separation."
He shared some thoughts about how parents usually deal with problems. "I've come to see that the men at that time did not share their problems. They were really strong that way. Because they didn't really open up, it was difficult for us to understand what they were going through."
Ali further said, "My father had already married and it was done now. Meanwhile, he is the one who is caught up between all of it. He is the one who is not at peace. As a son, I realised, it is my duty to listen to him, that is the least I can do."
All was not doomed. Ali shared how he began working to repair their relationship, "I read somewhere that if someone is going through something, just let them talk about their problems. You can't fix them. But they will feel that half their worries are gone only by listening to them.I then began talking to him, and he started sharing his problems with me."
Things are better for the two of them now. Ali said, "Since then, I've developed a bond with him."
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