Sania Saeed
ثانیہ سعید
Born	(1972-08-28)28 August 1972 (age 52)[1] Karachi,Sindh,Pakistan
Nationality	Pakistani
Education	BA Hons inPsychology
Alma mater	University of Karachi
Occupations	Actress Anchor
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Shahid Shafaat ​ (m. 1998)​

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 onePTV Awards, fourHum Awards and fourLux 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 wasAurat. She was the first announcer forNetwork Television Marketing, Karachi center.^[2] She then appeared inHaseena Moin's serialAahat, directed by Sahira Kazmi, followed byAnwar Maqsood'sSitara Aur Mehrunissa directed by Zark in 1991 & 1992 respectively, which shot Sania to her stardom in thePakistani television Industry.^[3] Sania has been working in theatre and television for over two decades.

Saeed was born on 28 August 1972 inKarachi,Sindh, Pakistan.^[4] Her father Mansoor Saeed was a playwriter and a theater practitioner being an active member of the theater groupDastak which was formed in 1982.^[5] She got her early education fromSt 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 speakPunjabi as well.^[6]

Saeed works for social causes with various nonprofit organisations includingKashf Foundation,The Citizens Foundation,Indus Hospital andSindh Institute of Urology & Transplantation.^[7]

Saeed first rose to prominence in 1991 withHaseena Moin's written andSahira Kazmi's directedAahat. 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]

In 1992, her role of a housewife coping with the marital problems inAnwar Maqsood's writtenSitara 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 oppositeHumayun Saeed inMehreen Jabbar's directedAur 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 writtenShayad Ke Bahar Aaye. In 2005, she lostLux Style Award for Best TV Actress for her performance inNoorul Huda Shah's writtenThori Si Mohabbat just because of network's unavailability on which the series was broadcast. The incident led theLux 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 inBabar Javed'sJhumka 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 directedKhamoshiyan oppositeNauman Ijaz andFaisal Rehman.^[14] In 2010, she received anotherLux Style Award in the same category for her performance of a Hindu girl from 1940s who goes toScotland in search of her fiance in thriller-dramaThe Ghost.^[15] The same year, she appeared as a seductress widow inSarmad Khoosat's directedKalmoohi, an adaptation ofRabidranath Tagore'sChokher Bali.^[14] In 2011, she played a woman coping with her marital life problems in family dramaHawa, Rait aur Aangan oppositeAdnan 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 directedAao Kahani Buntay Hain.^[14] Her next role in that year was of a straightforward girl whose strength lies in her silence opposite Humayun Saeed inShahid Shafaat's directedLamha Lamha Zindagi. In 2012, she played a reckless stepmother inAabis Raza's directedZard Mausam.^[17] In 2013, she paired with Adnan Siddiqui in her second collaboration in romanceDarmiyaan as a woman caught in a horrible conflict.^[18] The same year she appeared oppositeFawad Khan inAehsun Talish's directedNumm as a quiet and hopeless girl satisfied with her disturbed life.^[19]

In 2015, she made her cinematic debut with biographical dramaManto, based on the life of Pakistani writerSaadat Hassan Manto. Saeed played the role of his wife Safia Manto.^[20] In 2016, she played an oracle alongside an ensemble cast in fantasy-dramaMor 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'sSang-e-Mar Mar. The series earned her critical praise.^[22] Her first performance of 2017 inJohns Hopkins's co-productionSammi earned herHum Award for Most Impactful Character at the6th Hum Awards.^[23] She then portrayed Shakra alongsideAtiqa Odho in psychological-dramaPiyari Bittu.^[24] Her next role in that year was of Safia Manto in biographical-drama based on her eponymous filmManto.^[25] In 2018, she played the mother of a young girl who gets abused sexually and later murdered inMeri Guriya.^[26] Later that year, she played the supportive aunt of the motherless protagonist in Kanwal Khossat's directedChakkar. In 2020, she played a loving wife who is a supportive mother as well in romanceMehar Posh starringAyeza Khan andDanish Taimoor.^[27] Her next appearance in that year was a brief role inAsim Abbasi's web-seriesChurails, as a wife who makesNihari 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 husbandKashif Nisar's directedRaqeeb Se.^[26] She next appeared as a controlling and cunning matriarch inSaji Gul's writtenDour.^[29] In 2022, she played a strong willedtribal woman inMustafa Afridi's writtenSang-e-Mah.^[27] Later that year, Saeed played a woman next door with desires inSaim Sadiq directorial debutJoyland which debuted at the75th Cannes Film Festival and won festival'sJury Prize as well as theQueer Palm prize for bestLGBTQ-themed film.^[30] She next appeared in her third featureKamli 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-dramaBandish. Her other performance is of an adoptive mother of the protagonist inYasra Rizvi's directedShanaas.^[14]

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• Pakistani television actresses
• Actresses from Karachi
• Pakistani television hosts
• University of Karachi alumni
• Pakistani stage actresses
• Actresses in Urdu cinema
• Actresses in Urdu television
• PTV Award winners
• Living people
• 1972 births
• 20th-century Pakistani actresses
• 21st-century Pakistani actresses
• Pakistani women television presenters

• CS1 Urdu-language sources (ur)
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