Sanam Saeed, who began her acting career with theatre followed by an intriguing and diverse run in television and films, returns to her roots after two years with Zain Ahmed’s upcoming play, Heer Ranjha. The production stars Saeed as ‘Heer’ and aims to generate funds for education of the less privileged in collaboration with The Citizens Foundation.
Sanam Saeed, who began her acting career with theatre followed by an intriguing and diverse run in television and films, returns to her roots after two years with Zain Ahmed’s upcoming play, Heer Ranjha. The production stars Saeed as ‘Heer’ and aims to generate funds for education of the less privileged in collaboration with The Citizens Foundation.
Speaking to Instep on the sidelines of a recent event, Saeed spoke about her reunion with the world of theatre. She shared that she lost her mother three months ago and while she was ill, Saeed was busy shooting for her film so she took a two-month break post her mother’s death.
“I was sitting at home and wasn’t doing any work at all,” she shared. “I didn’t want to take up any TV project in such hot weather and wanted a change of pace so I opted for theatre. I had time so I accepted the offer.”
Aside from the Urdu musical Heer Ranjha, the actor is also gearing up for her upcoming mini TV series, Akhri Station directed by Sarmad Khoosat.
The series tells the stories of seven women and has been produced in collaboration with Kashf Foundation, the NGO behind social dramas like Rehaai and the critically and commercially successful Udaari.
“It is very important to bring important social issues to light and Akhri Station highlights problems that women in society face,” Saeed revealed. “This is one of the reasons why I agreed to do this project apart from the fact that it has been directed by Sarmad Khoosat and it was just six days of shooting. As an actor, it is my social responsibility to help create awareness and television is a powerful tool to achieve the purpose. Akhri Station is based on seven episodes and talks about issues such as depression, HIV, poverty, acid violence and rape.”
Saeed essays the role of a woman battling depression. The series also features Nimra Bucha and Mikaal Zulfiqar alongside Saeed and will air on TV later this year. Meanwhile, Saeed has shot for her next big screen project, Cake, that has been written and directed by debutant Asim Abbasi and stars Aamina Sheikh and Adnan Malik in pivotal roles.
Reflecting on the plot of the film, the actor said, “The story is mainly about family dynamics and family secrets. It’s quite relatable. It’s about aging parents and the problems that the family faces due to lack of communication and hiding the truth. It’s an emotional experience unlike the commercial films. It’s deep and meaningful. I had a wonderful experience with Cake.
Asim Abbasi is a newcomer but magic is created when the writer directs his own film. He knows the characters well so he can take it in different directions. Adnan Malik has a really interesting character in the film, something completely out of his comfort zone; very unique and different. I am really proud that he didn’t have any reservations for the role he was offered and did it really well.” We’re very intrigued.
The film will be ready by December this year but since a lot of other films including Rangreza and Chupan Chupai are also releasing around the same time, the release date for Cake is yet to be finalized. If not December, the film will hit cinemas in January next year.
We have to say we’re looking forward to seeing Sanam in action on the stage, on TV and then finally on cinema screens!
