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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Sanam Saeed
Sanam Saeed (born 2 February 1985) 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.

Early life

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. The multi-ethnic family (her father is a Punjabi while her mother is a Memon) moved back to Karachi in 1990. 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. 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.

Acting career

Early career

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.

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.

Rise to prominence

In 2012, Saeed played Yamina, a British Pakistani who is married to a materialistic snob and abuser, played by Junaid Khan in her second collaboration with Jabbar, 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". She earned 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 from a middle-class family. It marked her departure from the glamorous characters that she had a reputation for portraying. Her pairing with Khan resulted in the hype over the series and it proved a major commercial success. The Express Tribune and the ABP News listed the part among her best performances, while a reviewer from the DAWN Images attributes the success of Pakistani television serials of that time to compelling storytelling and characters like Kashaf. 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. 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. 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.

Experimental roles

Saeed's first role in 2013 was that of Minah, a jealous and villainous character, in the mystery drama Kadoorat. In this series, Minah seeks revenge against her stepmother and stepsister. This marked Saeed's debut as an anti-heroine, a role she chose to challenge herself as an actress. Her performance in the antagonistic role earned her critical acclaim. Saeed's next role was in the drama Ek Kasak Reh Gaye, where she played the confident and progressive Paras struggling under societal pressure, opposite Mikaal Zulfiqar. Her final appearance that year was in Yasir Nawaz-directed drama Shukk, alongside Adeel Hussain and Ayesha Khan. In the series, Saeed portrayed Sania, who reenters the life of her ex-fiancé after they each marry someone else.

Saeed made her television film debut with the romance Dil Mera Dhadkan Teri, where she played the role of a rich and spoiled brat alongside Ahsan Khan and Sarwat Gilani. This marked her third collaboration with director Mehreen Jabbar. The telefilm was a remake of the 1968 classic of the same name, starring Waheed Murad. The same year, Saeed also appeared in two other Eid special television films: Kahin Chand Na Sharma Jaye, opposite Goher Mumtaz, and Tamana ki Tamana, alongside Bilal Khan and Mathira.

Saeed during the promotion of Diyar-e-Dil

Saeed's only appearance of 2014 was the family drama Firaaq, opposite Mohib Mirza. Set in Florida, Saeed portrayed Paiman in the series who struggles to live at her own will despite strict boundaries set by her mother. The series marked her first onscreen appearance with Mirza. Anum Rehman Chagani of the Dawn found that she "portrayed the reserved Paiman masterfully".

In 2015, Saeed starred in the family drama Diyar-e-Dil, playing the young to old role of Ruhina Behroze Khan, a lower-middle-class girl whose marriage to her wealthy classmate Behroze Khan sparks a bitter rivalry between their families. Based on Farhat Ishtiaq's novel of the same name, Saeed's performance earned her critical acclaim.

Film debut and success

In 2016, she was seen in four Pakistani films, debuting with Nasir Khan's romantic thriller Bachaana with Mohib Mirza. 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. 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. 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".

Theatre and music

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. 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).

Personal life

Saeed married her childhood friend, Farhan Hassan, a banker from Karachi, on 2 January 2015, and shifted to Dubai. In 2018, Saeed stated that she and her husband are divorced.

In 2021, Saeed married actor, Mohib Mirza, in a private ceremony. They announced their wedding in 2023.

Filmography

Films

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2013 Dil Mera Dharkan Teri Beenish Television film
Kahin Chand Na Sharma Jaye Mishal/Sameer
Tamanna ki Tamanna Zainab
2016 Bachaana Aalia
Mah-e-Meer Naina Kanwal
Dobara Phir Se Samar
Rahm Samina
2017 Azad Sabreen Hisbani
2018 Cake Zara
2022 Ishrat Made in China Akhtar
2024 Umro Ayyar - A New Beginning Meena
2025 Aan † Zarina Filming

Television

Year Title Role Network Notes Ref.
2010 Daam Fizza ARY Digital
2011 Mera Naseeb Shazia Hum TV
2012 Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu Yamina
2012–2013 Talkhiyan Bibi Express Entertainment
Zindagi Gulzar Hai Kashaf Murtaza Hum TV
2013 Kadoorat Minah
Ek Kasak Reh Gayi Paras Geo TV
Shukk Sania ARY Digital
2014 Firaaq Paimaan Hum TV
2015 Mr. Shamim Maya Special appearance
2015–2016 Diyar-e-Dil Ruhina Behroze Khan
2016–2017 Dil Banjaara Nida Nafees
2018 Aakhri Station Tehmina Ary Digital
2018–2019 Deedan Resham A-Plus TV

Web series

Year Title Role Platform Ref.
2021 Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam Zuvi Zee5
2024 Barzakh Scheherezade

Discography

Year Song Notes
2010 "Alif Allah (Jugni)" on Coke Studio Pakistan (Season 3) as a backing vocalist
"Aisha"
"Chori Chori"

Awards and nominations

Year Work Award Result Ref
Hum Awards
2013 Zindagi Gulzar Hai Best Actor Female (Jury) Nominated
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
Lux Style Awards
2013 Zindagi Gulzar Hai Best Television Actress - Satellite Won
2017 Dobara Phir Se Best Supporting Actress in a Film Won
Bachaana Best Lead Actress in a Film Nominated
2019 Cake Best Film Actress Nominated
Hum Style Awards
2016 Dobara Phir Se Most Stylish Actress - Film Nominated
2017 Cake Most Stylish Actress - Film Won

Other recognitions

  • 2012: Loreal Paris Award (Model of the year)
  • 2013: Tarang House Full Awards (Best Female In Supporting Role for Dil Mera Dharkan Teri)
  • 2017: Eastern Eye Awards 2016 (Best Film Actress award for Rahm)
  • 2019: "Pride of Pakistan" by Daily Times

References

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