Juggun Kazim, a well-known actor and TV host, recently opened up about her struggles with Urdu due to her English-medium upbringing. Speaking on the Ahmed Fozan Podcast, she revealed how growing up in an English-speaking environment affected her ability to read and understand her national language.
Kazim explained that her childhood was surrounded by English, from her home to her school life. “Everyone in my house spoke English, even my nanny was Sri Lankan,” she shared. She studied at Lahore Grammar School, where speaking Urdu was only allowed during Urdu class, which made her connection with the language even weaker.
Reflecting on this, she questioned her mother’s decisions and the mindset behind them. “What gora complex did you have?” she asked, criticizing the idea that speaking English is a sign of status. She admitted feeling ashamed that she lives in Pakistan but cannot fluently read her mother tongue.
Kazim credited her work at Pakistan Television (PTV) for helping her improve her Urdu. After returning from Canada, she struggled to host national shows that required fluent Urdu. However, her boss at PTV encouraged her to take the language seriously, reminding her that Urdu would eventually shape her career.
Today, Kazim still reads scripts in Roman Urdu and regrets not learning the actual script. She added that this gap in her learning has also affected her children. “I try to fix it now by reading Urdu storybooks to my kids every night,” she shared, urging other parents to do the same.
She ended her message with a strong appeal to parents. “Please don’t send your children to schools that ignore Urdu,” she said. “Make sure they learn both English and Urdu, because losing your language is losing a part of yourself.”