Sania Saeed

Early work and breakthrough

Saeed had her first role in 1989 in the political-drama Tapish, written by Noorul Huda Shah. She first rose to prominence in 1991 with her debut lead role in Haseena Moin's written Aahat, based on the theme of family planning. Saeed portrayed the mother of sevens in it when she herself was of seventeen years.

Established actress

In 1992, her role of a housewife coping with the marital problems in Anwar Maqsood's written family-drama Sitara Aur Mehrunissa further cemented her position as a leading star of the television. She termed the role as one of her favourites in her career.

In 2000, she paired opposite Humayun Saeed in drama Aur Zindagi Badalti Hai as a Pakistani expat who looks for her lost sister in Spain. In 2003, she portrayed Sarah, a headstrong lawyer in Haseena Moin's written social-drama Shayad Ke Bahar Aaye. Her performance in the series was praised by critics. In 2005, Saeed played Sabah in romance Thodi Si Mohabbat. For her performance in the series, she received a nomination of Best TV Actress - Satellite at the 3rd Lux Style Awards; but couldn't win due to the network unavailability in rural areas, leading the awards management to come up with separate categories for Satellite and Terrestrial networks in the following year. In 2009, she depicted an eponymous young to older dancer in the romance-drama Jhumka Jaan. Although personally dissatisfied with her performance due to her inexpertise to dance, Saeed won Best Television Actress trophy for the performance at the 8th Lux Style Awards. The same year, she appeared in the romance-drama Khamoshiyaan opposite Nauman Ijaz and Faisal Rehman. Saeed portrayed a doting housewife whose life changes altogether when her daughter meets with a road accident.

Saeed began the year 2010 with her portrayal of a dutiful investigation officer in the murder-mystery Qatil, an adaptation of Agatha Christie's bestseller And Then There Were None. Her next appearance in that year was in the thriller-drama The Ghost, where she portrayed Maya Kapoor, a headstrong Indian from 1940s who travels to Scotland in search of her fiance. The series was an adaptation of Danielle Steel's novel of the same name, and Saeed portrayed the split version of the original character as in the novel. She then appeared as a seductress widow in the drama Kalmoohi, an adaptation of Rabidranath Tagore's Chokher Bali. In 2011, she played a newlywed bride coping with her marital life problems in the family-drama Hawa, Rait aur Aangan opposite Adnan Siddiqui, winning her, her fourth Best Actress tophy at the 10th Lux Style Awards. The same year, she played up to sixteen characters alongside Nauman Ijaz in theatrical-drama Aao Kahani Buntay Hain. Saeed then played the calm and resilient Sabeen opposite Humayun Saeed in family-drama Lamha Lamha Zindagi. She reworked her character in the series, turning the potentially weak character due the script's limitations into a powerful one. In 2012, she played a reckless stepmother in drama Zard Mausam, based on Rahat Jabeen's novel of the same title. In 2013, she paired with Adnan Siddiqui in her second collaboration in the romance Darmiyaan as a doting housewife caught in a horrible conflict. It was followed by a role opposite Fawad Khan in social-issue drama Numm, where she portrayed a quiet and hopeless victim of the feudalism. In 2014, Saeed played an impulsive housewife coping with the turbulent marital life in the drama Oos.

Critical acclaim and further career

Saeed made her cinematic debut with the biographical-drama Manto, based on the Indian-Subcontinent's eminent writer Saadat Hassan Manto. Saeed played Manto's wife Safiya Manto in the film, and found the role challenging due to the limited information available about her. In a review of the film, Khusro Mumtaz of The News International found her "unassumingly effective as the writer’s long-suffering wife". For her performance, Saeed received a nomination of Best Film Actress at the 15th Lux Style Awards.

In 2016, she played an oracle alongside an ensemble cast in Sarmad Khoosat's directed fantasy-drama Mor Mahal. She termed the role as the weirdest thing of her career she has ever done. The same year, she portrayed an oppressed Pashtun housewife from the tribal areas in the revenge-drama Sang-e-Mar Mar. The series earned her critical praise.

Her first performance of 2017 was in the Johns Hopkins's co-produced social-issue drama Sammi. Saeed's performance of a stern beautician earned her Hum Award for Most Impactful Character at the 6th Hum Awards. She then portrayed a doting aunt to her niece, a patient of Alzheimer's disease in the psychological-drama Piyari Bittu. The series was her reunion with Atiqa Odho since Sitara Aur Mehrunnisa. Saeed then respired her role of Safiya Manto in Manto, the television remake of her eponymous film.

In 2018, she starred as a caring mother seeking justice for her sexually abused and murdered daughter in the crime-drama Meri Guriya. Due to the emotional troll of the role in the series, Saeed had to take a break from acting of one and half year. Her next role was a guest appearance of a supportive aunt of the orphan protagonist in Chakkar, directed by Kanwal Khoosat.

In 2020, she appeared in a supporting role in the romance Mehar Posh, depicting Nusrat, the loving and resilient mother of the protagonist. Saeed worked with the director Mazhar Moin to infuse the character with elements of fun and familial love, adding nuance to the role that was initially conceived differently. Her next appearance in that year was a brief role in Asim Abbasi's-helmed web-series Churails, as a wife who makes Nihari of her infidel husband.

In 2022, saeed played a strong-willed, tolerant wife welcoming her husband's ex-beloved in the romance Raqeeb Se. The series was written by Bee Gul, and Saeed was paired opposite Nauman Ijaz. She next appeared as a controlling and cunning matriarch in Saji Gul's written mystery-thriller Dour.

In 2022, she appeared in the revenge-drama Sang-e-Mah, second series of the trilogy preceded by Sang-e-Mar Mar. Saeed depicted a strong willed Pashtun widow in the series. While reviewing the series, Maham Sajid of The Friday Times found her "in a truly remarkable avatar". Saeed then appeared in her second film, Joyland as Fayyaz, a tradition elderly Lahori woman caught between traditions and her personal desires. 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.

Saeed begun 2023 with the portrayal of patriarch of a family who faces some paranormal experiences in the horror-drama Bandish. She then appeared in the Yasra Rizvi-directed mystery-drama Shanaas, as the loving adoptive mother of the protagonist.

Films

Television

Telefilms

Theater

Web series