Sanam Saeed | |
---|---|
Born | London, England, UK [1] | 2 February 1985
Nationality | Pakistani |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2007–present |
Spouse |
Sanam Saeed (born 2 February 1985) [2] is a Pakistani actress and former model. She is best known for playing Kashaf Murtaza in the Hum TV romance Zindagi Gulzar Hai (2013), a role which garnered her major recognition in South Asia, and for playing Ruhina Behroze Khan in the dysfunctional family drama Diyar-e-Dil (2015), and Zara in the comedy-drama film Cake (2018), all of which earned her several accolades, including a Lux Style Award for Best Actress.
A graduate of film and theatre studies, Saeed made her acting debut with a supporting role in the 2010 romance Daam and went on to play the female lead in several acclaimed television series, including Mera Naseeb (2011), Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu (2013), Talkhiyaan (2013), Firaaq (2014), and Aakhri Station (2018). She expanded to films with the biography Mah e Mir (2016), the thriller Rhm (2017) and the melodrama Azad (2018), and had her biggest commercial success in the 2016 romantic comedy Bachaana and the drama Dobara Phir Se . The last of these earned her a Lux Style Award for Best Supporting Actress. Saeed gained further success in 2024 with the fantasy television series Barzakh . In 2019, Saeed was named "Pride of Pakistan" by Daily Times .
Sanam Saeed was born on 2 February 1985 in London, England. Her father is a retired interior designer, while her mother was an art teacher, who passed away in 2017. She has one brother, Adnan Saeed, and one sister, Amira Saeed. [3] The multi-ethnic family (her father is a Punjabi while her mother is a Memon) moved back to Karachi in 1990. [4] She did her O-levels at Bay View High School Karachi and her A-levels at L'Ecole College. Saeed started modeling at the age of 16. [5] In Paper Magazine , she confessed that she quit modeling as she was becoming increasingly conscious about her looks for the first time in her life. [6]
Saeed's acting debut was marked by 2010 serial Daam , directed by Mehreen Jabbar. Co-starred Aamina Sheikh and Sanam Baloch, Saeed played the role of Fiza, an arrogant and a rude medical college student in the series. [7]
The following year, she appeared in Adnan Ahmed's directed Mera Naseeb , along with Syra Yousuf and Imran Abbas Naqvi as a lead. She portrayed Shazia, an outspoken and rebellious girl. [8]
In 2012, Saeed played Yamina, a British Pakistani who is married to a materialistic snob and abuser, [9] played by Junaid Khan in her second collaboration with Jabbar, [10] Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu , an adaptation of Farhat Ishtiaq's novel novel of the same name. While reviewing her performance in the series, Bilal Mughal of The Express Tribune found that her character lacks vibrancy and she "seems to be reading from a script". [11] She got wider recognition with the romantic drama Zindagi Gulzar Hai , an adaption of Umera Ahmad's novel of the same name. Co-starring Fawad Khan, she portrayed Kashaf Murtaza, a bitter yet mature girl, coming from a middle-class family background. It marked her departure from the glamorous characters that she had a reputation for portraying. [1] Her pairing with Khan resulted in the hype over the series and it proved a major commercial success. [12] The Express Tribune and the ABP News listed the part among her best performances, [13] [14] while a reviewer from the DAWN Images attributes the success of Pakistani television serials of that time to compelling storytelling and characters like Kashaf. [15] For her portrayal, she received accolades such as Best TV Actress - Satellite at the 13th Lux Style Awards and Best Actress - Popular at the 2nd Hum Awards. [16] [17] The same year, Saeed played Bibi, a frustrated single mother in Talkhiyaan , based on Arundhati Roy's 1997 novel The God of Small Things and written by Bee Gul. [18] The series, directed by Khalid Ahmed, set in Murree, received positive reviews from the critics and Saeed's portrayal was also praised. Saeed hailed the character as "dream role" for her. [19]
Her first role of 2013 was of jealous and villainous Minah who took revenge from her stepmother and stepsister in mystery drama Kadoorat . It marked Saeed's first role as an anti-heroine and according to her, she choosed it to challenge herself as an actor. [19] The antagonistic role earning her positive critical reception for her performance. [20] She next appeared as a confident and progressive Paras burdened by the societal pressure in Geo TV serial Ek Kasak Reh Gaye opposite Mikaal Zulfiqar. [21] Her last appearance in that year was in Yasir Nawaz's directed drama Shukk opposite Adeel Hussain and Ayesha Khan, where portrayed Sania who renters in the life of his ex-fiance after their marriage.
Saeed next appeared opposite Ahsan Khan and Sarwat Gilani in the romantic telefilm Dil Mera Dhadkan Teri , her third collaboration with Mehreen Jabbar. The telefilm was the remake of 1968 film of the same name starring Waheed Murad. She featured in the role of a rich and spoiled brat. [19] Saeed also starred in two other Eid special telefilms Kahin Chand Na Sharma Jaye opposite Goher Mumtaz and Tamana ki Tamana opposite Bilal Khan and Mathira.
Saeed's only serial of 2014 was the family drama Firaaq, opposite Mohib Mirza, Noor Hassan Rizvi and Junaid Khan. She portrayed the role of Paiman who struggles to live at her own will despite strict boundaries set by her mother. [22] In 2015, Saeed starred in the family drama Diyar-e-Dil , portraying the young to old role of Ruhina Behroze Khan, a lower-middle girl who marriage to her rich class fellow Behroze Khan led to a rivalry between the families of the both. The series was based on Farhat Ishtiaq's novel of the same name, earning her generally positive critical response for her performance. [23] [24]
In 2016, she was seen in four Pakistani films, debuting with Nasir Khan's romantic thriller Bachaana [25] with Mohib Mirza. [26] [27] [25] She next appeared in Anjum Shahzad and Sarmad Sehbai's Mah-e-Meer , along with Fahad Mustafa and Iman Ali, describing it as the first "glamorous" role of her career. [28] [29] She was also seen in Ahmed Jamal's Rahm . She then appeared in Mehreen Jabbar's Dobara Phir Se , alongside Adeel Hussain, Hareem Farooq, Ali Kazmi and Tooba Siddiqui, which earned her an award of Best supporting actress - Film at the 16th Lux Style Awards. In 2018, she appeared as the younger sister Zara, in the family drama Cake. [30] Reviewing the her performance, Rahul Aijaz of The Express Tribune opined that she "portrays Zara with suppressed emotions, running away from her past" and further found that Saeed's "naturally calm exterior and controlled style of speaking aid her project Zara's insecurities". [31]
Saeed briefly appeared in the third season of Coke Studio Pakistan, where she sang background vocals on "Alif Allah (Jugni)" by Arif Lohar and Meesha Shafi, "Aisha" by Amanat Ali and "Chori Chori" by Meesha Shafi as a backing vocalist. [32] She has worked for Made for Stage Productions in the following stage plays: Chicago (2007), Mamma Mia! (2009), Carnage (2009), Dhaani (2013) and Grease (2013). [33] [34] [35]
Saeed married her childhood friend, Farhan Hassan, a banker from Karachi, on 2 January 2015, and shifted to Dubai. [36] [37] In 2018, Saeed stated that she and her husband are divorced. [38]
In 2021, Saeed married actor, Mohib Mirza, in a private ceremony. They announced their wedding in 2023. [39]
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | Dil Mera Dharkan Teri | Beenish | Television film | [19] |
Kahin Chand Na Sharma Jaye | Mishal/Sameer | [22] | ||
Tamanna ki Tamanna | Zainab | [40] | ||
2016 | Bachaana | Aalia | [28] [41] | |
Mah-e-Meer | Naina Kanwal | [28] | ||
Dobara Phir Se | Samar | [28] [42] | ||
Rahm | Samina | [28] | ||
2017 | Azad | Sabreen Hisbani | [43] [28] | |
2018 | Cake | Zara | [44] [45] | |
2022 | Ishrat Made in China | Akhtar | [46] | |
2024 | Umro Ayyar - A New Beginning | Meena | [47] [48] | |
2025 | Aan† | Zarina | Filming | [49] |
Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Daam | Fizza | ARY Digital | [22] | |
2011 | Mera Naseeb | Shazia | Hum TV | [22] | |
2012 | Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu | Yamina | [9] | ||
2012–2013 | Talkhiyan | Bibi | Express Entertainment | [18] | |
Zindagi Gulzar Hai | Kashaf Murtaza | Hum TV | [22] | ||
2013 | Kadoorat | Minah | [22] | ||
Ek Kasak Reh Gayi | Paras | Geo TV | [22] | ||
Shukk | Sania | ARY Digital | [22] | ||
2014 | Firaaq | Paimaan | Hum TV | [22] | |
2015 | Mr. Shamim | Maya | Special appearance | [22] | |
2015–2016 | Diyar-e-Dil | Ruhina Behroze Khan | [50] | ||
2016–2017 | Dil Banjaara | Nida Nafees | [51] | ||
2018 | Aakhri Station | Tehmina | Ary Digital | [52] | |
2018–2019 | Deedan | Resham | A-Plus TV | [53] |
Year | Title | Role | Platform | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam | Zuvi | Zee5 | [54] |
2024 | Barzakh | Scheherezade | [55] |
Year | Song | Notes |
---|---|---|
2010 | "Alif Allah (Jugni)" | on Coke Studio Pakistan (Season 3) as a backing vocalist [32] |
"Aisha" | ||
"Chori Chori" |
Year | Work | Award | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hum Awards | ||||
2013 | Zindagi Gulzar Hai | Best Actor Female (Jury) | Nominated | [56] |
Best Actor Female (Popular) | Won | |||
Best On-screen Couple (Jury) | Won | |||
Best On-screen Couple (Popular) | Won | |||
2015 | Diyar-e-Dil | Best Actor in a negative role | Nominated | [57] |
Lux Style Awards | ||||
2013 | Zindagi Gulzar Hai | Best Television Actress - Satellite | Won | [58] |
2017 | Dobara Phir Se | Best Supporting Actress in a Film | Won | [59] |
Bachaana | Best Lead Actress in a Film | Nominated | ||
2019 | Cake | Best Film Actress | Nominated | [60] [61] |
Hum Style Awards | ||||
2016 | Dobara Phir Se | Most Stylish Actress - Film | Nominated | [62] |
2017 | Cake | Most Stylish Actress - Film | Won | [63] |
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