We sat down with the Tamasha fan favourite and runner-up, Esra Ayesha, to talk about her journey from cricket to modelling, the challenges of leaving home to pursue her dreams, and the friendships she formed during her time on the show. She also opened up about her bond with Zayb, a relationship that became particularly meaningful to her because of the respect and affection she felt from him.
This article is an excerpt from FUCHSIA Magazine’s YouTube interview.
Esra Ayesha Put Her Education on Hold for Her Mother Before Pursuing Cricket
Before modelling and television became part of her life, Esra had her sights set on cricket. Originally from the Kohat and Peshawar region, she studied science in matric before moving on to FA in sports. However, her education took an unexpected turn when her mother became seriously ill with COVID-19 while also being pregnant. With doctors asking her to choose between college and caring for her mother, Esra decided to put her studies on hold. For her, the decision was straightforward. She believed she could return to her education later, but her parents would not always be there. Although she has siblings, Esra shared that she was particularly close to her mother and took responsibility for communicating with doctors and looking after her during that difficult period.
Her journey into cricket came with its own set of challenges. There was no proper cricket academy for girls in Kohat, so she was advised to move to Peshawar for trials. Competing against around 450 girls, she managed to get selected for T20 cricket. She later moved to Mardan to train at an academy and spent years working on her game, learning the discipline and stamina the sport demanded.
But talent and hard work did not always feel like enough. Esra spoke about the frustration of seeing girls train throughout the year, practicing in extreme heat and cold, only for selection opportunities to appear unfairly tilted towards players from bigger cities such as Karachi and Lahore. For someone who had invested so much time in cricket, the experience was discouraging.
Esra was a batter, comfortable hitting boundaries and sixes, and she also received coaching offers and opportunities that could have taken her further in the sport. However, the demands of professional cricket and her disappointment with the selection process eventually pushed her towards modelling. An unexpected Instagram message from photographer and stylist Khawar Riaz, who had noticed her cricket pictures, opened the door to a completely different career.
Esra Ayesha Left for Lahore to Pursue Modelling Without Telling Her Family
Making the move from cricket to modelling was not as simple as packing her bags and starting over. Esra revealed that she initially left for Lahore without telling her family the real reason she was going. Her mother would call her several times a day, and she had to find ways to keep her new career under wraps while figuring out how to make it work. At one point, her father called to tell her that her mother needed to be taken to the hospital in Peshawar. Esra bought a bus ticket, returned home around midnight and hid the belongings she had packed for modelling beneath her clothes. She took care of her mother before heading back to Lahore, continuing to navigate two very different parts of her life.
Eventually, her family began to discover what she was doing. After a designer contacted her about a potential opportunity and asked her to share pictures with a coordinator, Esra was struggling with poor internet at a shop when her mother came across the photographs. Rather than reacting negatively, her mother complimented her appearance and questioned why she had deleted the pictures. It became one of the moments that helped Esra open up about her ambitions.
Khawar Riaz also encouraged her to tell her family herself rather than risk them finding out from someone else. He mentored her for five to six months, helping her understand the professional side of the industry, from arriving on time to handling clothes and carrying the right footwear for shoots. The transition was a learning experience, especially as Esra came from a more sheltered background and was not used to the social environment surrounding fashion events.
She had to deal with rejection from designers, too, but she continued pursuing the work she loved. Esra spoke about her excitement for dressing up, wearing new clothes and getting photographed, and how those interests gradually became a serious career. After doing a fashion show the previous year, she went on to walk for a major designer. For Esra, the journey was about more than being seen on a runway. It was about finding her own path, even when she had to figure out how to explain that path to the people closest to her.
Esra Ayesha on Joining Tamasha and the Unexpected Friendships She Made
Esra’s entry into Tamasha came after she was first approached for another show. She auditioned, and the producers recognised that she had both the passion and the confidence to express herself. That eventually led to an offer for Tamasha Ghar, which she decided to accept despite having faced rejection in other opportunities before. Living with strangers was not something she found particularly intimidating. Cricket had already introduced her to girls from different backgrounds, and she was familiar with the experience of sharing space with people she was also competing against. Once inside the house, however, the contestants gradually became more than just people playing a game together. They developed friendships, looked after one another and built connections that Esra had not necessarily expected.
One of the biggest surprises for her was Zayb. Esra admitted that she had not imagined the two of them becoming as close as they did. She also developed a bond with Fasi, Hassan and Babrik, although each friendship grew in its own way.
When Fasi first entered the house, Esra noticed that he seemed nervous and unsure of himself. She felt protective of him, almost as if he were her younger brother. He was worried about how his mother and sister might react to seeing him on television, and she encouraged him to relax and not overthink what people might say.
Her friendship with Hassan also grew during difficult moments in the house. Esra said she had always spoken positively about him and felt that they shared certain similarities. When he became upset during a task, she comforted him, and the experience brought them closer.
The time inside Tamasha was not without tension, but Esra’s account suggests that the relationships she formed were not all about strategy or screen time. Some developed through small gestures, others through difficult conversations, and a few surprised even the people involved. For her, the house became a place where competition and genuine affection often existed side by side.
Esra Ayesha Says Zayb’s Respect Reminded Her of Her Father’s Love
Of all the connections Esra made during Tamasha, her bond with Zayb appears to have held a particularly personal meaning. When discussing him, she spoke less about grand gestures and more about the way he treated her. His kindness and respect reminded her of the love she had received from her father, who had always stood up for her and made it clear that she was his daughter and he would protect her.
Esra said Zayb gave her a kind of affection and respect she had not felt in a long time. That connection also came under scrutiny inside the house, with other contestants offering advice and suggesting that she should be careful about trusting him. Some questioned whether the relationship was genuine or whether it was simply part of the game.
Despite hearing those opinions, Esra eventually chose to trust her own judgement. She believed Zayb was sincere and was not simply trying to build a favourable image for himself on television. Their relationship was not always smooth; they had disagreements, and there were times when she would walk away or turn to someone else. But she would often find herself returning to him, recognising the connection they shared.
For Esra, the defining part of their bond was not material comfort or what either of them could gain from being associated with the other. It was the feeling of being valued. She believes respect is something women should never have to compromise on, whether in a friendship, at work or in a romantic relationship.
As she put it, money, a car or a big house mean very little if there is no peace or genuine respect in a person’s life. It is a perspective that helps explain why Zayb’s treatment of her mattered so much. His behaviour brought back memories of the security she associated with her father, making their connection feel more personal than the usual friendships viewers watch unfold on reality television.
Esra’s journey on Tamasha may be remembered for her warmth, her friendships and her place among the season’s fan favourites, but her story extends well beyond the house. From making difficult decisions for her family to finding her footing in cricket and modelling, she has repeatedly had to choose what mattered most to her. And when it comes to Zayb, it seems that the thing she valued most was not the attention their bond attracted, but the respect she felt within it.