Sania Saeed (born 28 August 1972) is a Pakistani actress and television host who works mainly in television and theatre. Saeed is the recipient of numerous accolades including one PTV Awards, four Hum Awards and four Lux Style Awards.
She first appeared on television in a street theatre play, televised for 8 March, for the program Aadhi Duniya in 1989. The play was Aurat. She was the first announcer for Network Television Marketing, Karachi center.[2] She then appeared in Haseena Moin's serial Aahat, directed by Sahira Kazmi, followed by Anwar Maqsood's Sitara Aur Mehrunissa directed by Zark in 1991 & 1992 respectively, which shot Sania to her stardom in the Pakistani television Industry.[3] Sania has been working in theatre and television for over two decades.
Early life and education
Saeed was born on 28 August 1972 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.[4] Her father Mansoor Saeed was a playwriter and a theater practitioner being an active member of the theater group Dastak which was formed in 1982.[5] She got her early education from St Joseph's Convent School, Karachi.
Saeed started her career at a young age by performing in street theatre and as a voice over artist for other productions.[6] She could understand and speak Punjabi as well.[6]
Saeed first rose to prominence in 1991 with Haseena Moin's written and Sahira Kazmi's directed Aahat. The series revolves around the theme of family planning and she played the role of mother of sevens when she herself was just seventeen.[8]
Established Actress
In 1992, her role of a housewife coping with the marital problems in Anwar Maqsood's written Sitara Aur Mehrunissa further cemented her position as a leading star of the television.[9] She termed the role as one of her favourites in her career.[10]
In 2000, she paired opposite Humayun Saeed in Mehreen Jabbar's directed Aur Zindagi Badalti Hai as a girl who looks for her lost sister in Spain.[11] In 2003, she received praise for her performance of a headstrong and honest lawyer in Haseena Moin's written Shayad Ke Bahar Aaye. In 2005, she lost Lux Style Award for Best TV Actress for her performance in Noorul Huda Shah's written Thori Si Mohabbat just because of network's unavailability on which the series was broadcast. The incident led the Lux Style Awards to create another category for the satellite network.[12] In 2009, she won Lux Style Award for Best TV Actress - Satellite for her performance of an eponymous dancer in Babar Javed's Jhumka Jaan.[13] The same year, she played the role of a housewife whose life changes altogether due to her daughter's accident in Baber Javed's another directed Khamoshiyan opposite Nauman Ijaz and Faisal Rehman.[14] In 2010, she received another Lux Style Award in the same category for her performance of a Hindu girl from 1940s who goes to Scotland in search of her fiance in thriller-drama The Ghost.[15] The same year, she appeared as a seductress widow in Sarmad Khoosat's directed Kalmoohi, an adaptation of Rabidranath Tagore's Chokher Bali.[14] In 2011, she played a woman coping with her marital life problems in family drama Hawa, Rait aur Aangan opposite Adnan Siddiqui, winning her, her fourth Lux Style Award.[16] The same year, she played up to sixteen characters alongside Nauman Ijaz in Kanwal Khoosat's directed Aao Kahani Buntay Hain.[14] Her next role in that year was of a straightforward girl whose strength lies in her silence opposite Humayun Saeed in Shahid Shafaat's directed Lamha Lamha Zindagi. In 2012, she played a reckless stepmother in Aabis Raza's directed Zard Mausam.[17] In 2013, she paired with Adnan Siddiqui in her second collaboration in romance Darmiyaan as a woman caught in a horrible conflict.[18] The same year she appeared opposite Fawad Khan in Aehsun Talish's directed Numm as a quiet and hopeless girl satisfied with her disturbed life.[19]
Critical acclaim and further career
In 2015, she made her cinematic debut with biographical drama Manto, based on the life of Pakistani writer Saadat Hassan Manto. Saeed played the role of his wife Safia Manto.[20] In 2016, she played an oracle alongside an ensemble cast in fantasy-drama Mor Mahal. She termed the role as the weirdest thing of her career she has ever done.[21] Her next role in that year was of an oppressed housewife from the tribal areas of Pakistan in Hum TV's Sang-e-Mar Mar. The series earned her critical praise.[22] Her first performance of 2017 in Johns Hopkins's co-production Sammi earned her Hum Award for Most Impactful Character at the 6th Hum Awards.[23] She then portrayed Shakra alongside Atiqa Odho in psychological-drama Piyari Bittu.[24] Her next role in that year was of Safia Manto in biographical-drama based on her eponymous film Manto.[25] In 2018, she played the mother of a young girl who gets abused sexually and later murdered in Meri Guriya.[26] Later that year, she played the supportive aunt of the motherless protagonist in Kanwal Khossat's directed Chakkar. In 2020, she played a loving wife who is a supportive mother as well in romance Mehar Posh starring Ayeza Khan and Danish Taimoor.[27] Her next appearance in that year was a brief role in Asim Abbasi's web-series Churails, as a wife who makes Nihari of her husband's meat when the latter gets caught red-handed.[28] In 2021, she played a wife who welcomes the ex-beloved one of her husband Kashif Nisar's directed Raqeeb Se.[26] She next appeared as a controlling and cunning matriarch in Saji Gul's written Dour.[29] In 2022, she played a strong willed tribal woman in Mustafa Afridi's written Sang-e-Mah.[27] Later that year, Saeed played a woman next door with desires in Saim Sadiq directorial debut Joyland which debuted at the 75th Cannes Film Festival and won festival's Jury Prize as well as the Queer Palm prize for best LGBTQ-themed film.[30] She next appeared in her third feature Kamli as a blind pious lady who doesn't let her sister-in-law remarry after her brother's disappearance for the past eight years.[31] She is currently playing the head of a family who faces some paranormal experiences after changing house in the horror-drama Bandish. Her other performance is of an adoptive mother of the protagonist in Yasra Rizvi's directed Shanaas.[14]
^Shadab, Biya (7 June 2009). "Sania Katha stage a comeback". Pakistan Press Foundation. Karachi Pakistan. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
