Actor Sanam Saeed is a known name not only in Pakistan but also all across the subcontinent today. Having carved a niche for herself in theatre, films and television, she marked her web debut with a crime drama anthology titled Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam, which began streaming on ZEE5 and airing on Zindagi in 2021. It traces the story of seven women, who, enraged by men’s deception, opportunism and brutality, take matters into their own hands. And last month, Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam – directed by Meenu Gaur and produced by Shailja Kejriwal – won big as it bagged the Best Anthology Award at the Asian Academy Creative Awards held in Singapore.
In an exclusive and insightful chat with News18, Sanam says that the win is of paramount importance as it recognised the power of storytelling by and for women of two different countries – India and Pakistan. “This only means that we’re very resilient, very passionate and very brave, particularly our producer at ZEE, Shailja. She had taken charge of the reins and really deep-dived into this space allowing the two countries to collaborate, come together and create content for the world because the Urdu and Hindi speaking population is almost half the world,” she remarks.
The 37-year-old actor feels thankful for being a part of the winning anthology as it proved that the convergence of pure talent will never go unnoticed. “If she and her vision wasn’t there, then this wouldn’t be happening. A hundred per cent kudos to Shailja, and the fact that she’s a woman makes this extra special! That moment when both the countries won was really cool because it proved that when like minds and artistes come together, magic can happen and it will be welcomed with open arms. And to have women from two countries come together and succeed is amazing,” she says.
Apart from Sanam, Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam is also headlined by actors like Sarwat Gillani, Samiya Mumtaz, Meher Bano, Faiza Gillani and Beo Raana Zafar. Quiz Sanam about being on a robust set with so many women and she says, “It was really cool. It’s always exciting when you see so many women being able to come together without the support of any male counterparts. The fact that the producer was also a female along with the director and the writer was amazing. The cast was also [primarily] women – there were seven of us. It was fun!”
In the anthology, she plays the part of a high-society wife and artist named Zuvi, who commits a cold-blooded crime. The Zindagi Gulzar Hai (2012) and Cake (2018) actor went on to win heaps of praises for her portrayal of a femme fatal in an aesthetic and bold fashion.
Recalling her preparation for the part, which surprised her fans, she says, “We’ve seen enough television and films, particularly, and read enough characters to have some kind of an understanding of how femme fatales play out. They aren’t very common but they’re also not someone who we’ve never seen. I went back to those films and characters, who I subconsciously remembered, revisited and read up on them with Meenu, our director. We discussed what Zuvi would be like. It was a lot of fun to play her.”
The actor, who will soon be seen in a ZEE5 series titled Barzakh alongside actor Fawad Khan, asserts that what brought her the most joy was the sense of liberation Zuvi offered her. “I’ve never been able to play a character so freely. She’s a little manipulative but she’s also smiling. It required me to not be so serious. Maine daba ke acting ki hai iss mein (laughs). In the anthology, Zuvi is acting to be the perfect wife and socialite. She’s a little psychotic. So, it was fun to act instead of really trying to make it real and tap into real emotions to become that character. That’s why it was liberating to play her,” Sanam expresses.
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