The daughter of Zaynab Sadriyeva, the daughter-in-law of Farmonbibi — Dilbar Ismoilova is 88 years old: about the actress's family, regrets, and life today
Zaynab Sadriyeva's daughter, Farmonbibi's daughter-in-law — Dilbar Ismoilova is 88 years old: about the actress's family, regrets, and life today
People's Artist of Uzbekistan Dilbar Ismoilova spoke about her parents — the late artists Obid Hasanov and Zaynab Sadriyeva, her spouse, and her creative path on the "Izlarim" ("My Footsteps") show on the "Mening yurtim" TV channel. As a reminder, the actress appeared on the same stage with her mother Zaynab Sadriyeva in the famous play "Kelinlar qo‘zg‘oloni" ("The Rebellion of the Brides"), portraying the character of Lutfi, her mother's daughter-in-law.
### The actress on her father Obid Hasanov
— My late father, Obid Hasanov, was a very good actor. He was a People's Artist and played the roles of old men very beautifully. He played his role particularly beautifully in the play "Boy va xizmatchi" ("The Bey and the Servant"). Also, his voice was very great. Everyone envied my father's voice. Many people compare me to my mother, but I resemble my father. My father's beautiful voice was passed down to me. My mother used to say this too, says Dilbar Ismoilova.
### "My mother did not want me to become an actress"
— I was very deeply offended by my mother because she did not want me to become an artist. My mother told me, "You graduated from school with a gold medal. Enter the Institute of Foreign Languages or the journalism department of TashGU (now the National University of Uzbekistan). What are you going to do in the field of art?". Back then, I asked my mother, "You are an artist yourself, are you dissatisfied with your profession?". She said, "No, it's not like that, my daughter, you might struggle." Then I told my mother, "You didn't struggle, and I won't struggle either. If they take back the gold medal, let them take it, I will take the exams and enter the university."
My mother was a woman of her word. Still, she would say, "No, you will not go into the field of art, you will not. You will study in any other field you want and become the owner of an office desk. The bread of art is hard. If you are defeated by a single difficulty, you won't be able to endure the rest." Telling my mother that I would decide this myself, I took my diploma and went to the "theatrical" institute, says the actress, recalling her youth.
### "After getting married, I was forced to change my last name"
— I dated my husband Arsen Fayzullayevich for six years and then started a family. Back then, my mother told my husband from the very beginning that I should work in my own field, saying, "Let her know the bitter and sweet of life; tomorrow, if she has children, she will get caught up with the house and kids. Therefore, I still need to see whether she can work or not."
Until I got married, I went by Dilbar Hasanova in the theater for 10 years. After I got married, some people said, "You are still going by Hasanova. The fine for this must be big, change your last name to your husband's last name." And I, in my own mind, kept thinking that I would stay with my own last name anyway.
In the Hamza Theater, everyone knew me as Hasanova. Then suddenly, I started appearing in major stage productions under the last name Ismoilova. One day, people came to the theater saying, "We lost Dilbar Hasanova. Did this actress leave the theater?". When they said this in front of me, I explained to them that my last name had changed because I got married, she says.
### "My mother used to say, 'You are the daughter of Zaynab Sadriyeva. Take an example from me'"
— Even though my mother walked on stage as if nothing was wrong, sometimes she would cry after coming home. The reason was that she had pain in her heart. She heard rumors behind her back saying, "While we Uzbeks are not playing these roles, she is performing them despite being a Tatar." These words, of course, hurt my mother's pride.
Therefore, she also told me, "Dilbar, you are a talented actress, you are performing major roles to perfection. The audience recognizes you. Your name appears in newspapers and magazines. As you get closer to the people, jealousy arises on this side. Your own colleagues might stab you in the back. They stabbed me in the back many times. Never show anyone that you are upset. Even if you have only one sum in your bag, say that you have 100 sums. Say that everything is fine. Never lower yourself before anyone. Always be proud." "You are the daughter of Zaynab Sadriyeva," the actress recalls her mother's words.
### About her mother's death
— It has been 35 years since we saw my mother off on her last journey. It is as if everything happened yesterday, I can never forget it. As we were heading to the cemetery through the streets of Tashkent, it seemed to me as if the whole city was on its feet. As we were passing, passersby seemed to say goodbye to my mother as if they felt it. I did not stop crying all the way. I thought I wouldn't be able to bear losing my mother. Humans are adaptable, and I adapted. But until this time, I have not forgotten them even for a minute.
In the last days of her life, my mother said, "Dilbar, I wished to play a role in 'Kelinlar qo‘zg‘oloni' one more time. It was not possible, now I hand this over to my students." One can endure everything, but there is nothing harder than losing a mother. Even though my mother has passed away, her memory is alive, she is still among her fans. Whenever her fans see me, they say, "Zaynab opa's daughter."
### "In recent years, I cannot play roles in major plays"
— Lately, I have grown quite old, and I cannot play in major plays often. There are roles suitable for me. It seems to me that I might not be able to perform roles like before, she says.
### "The stage is my life"
— 70 years of my life were spent on stage. I do not regret this. I love my profession; the theater, the stage is my life. No matter how many roles I played, these are my life; I gave them my soul, my life, my health. There were times when my health worsened and I collapsed on stage, and they had to drag me off. I worked conscientiously and I do not regret it at all. I consider my work to be just a drop in the ocean. But unfortunately, my age has caught up with me. If it were up to me, I would want to play roles on stage even at the age of one hundred. But life still shows its own, says theater and dubbing actress Dilbar Ismoilova.