Samina Ahmad (born 20 March 1950) is a Pakistani film and television actress, stage performer, producer, and director. She is one of the most popular actresses of her time and was one of the most successful actresses of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. A veteran television actress with over 55 years of work experience in the Urdu entertainment industry, she was honoured with the

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

in 2011. Started her on-screen career in mid 1960s, Ahmad performed for many of PTV's most successful series, including '' Waris'' (1979), ''

Aahat Aahat may refer to: * ''Aahat'' (Pakistani film), 1982 Pakistani film * ''Aahat'' (Pakistani TV series), 1991 Pakistani TV series * ''Aahat'' (Indian TV series), 1995 Indian TV series *'' Aahat – Ek Ajib Kahani'', 2010 Indian film See also

...

'' (1991), and ''

Family Front ''Family Front'' () is a 1997 Pakistani comedy drama sitcom television series. It was broadcast by the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV World, now PTV News). This sitcom was directed by Waseem Abbas and written by Muhammad Younis Butt.

'' (1997) for which she won PTV Award for Best Actress also. One of her most recent roles includes

Geo TV Jang Media Group (), also known as Geo Group, is a Pakistani media conglomerate and a subsidiary of Dubai-based company Independent Media Corporation. It has headquarters in Printing House, Karachi. It is the publisher of the Urdu language new ...

's widely-popular four-part comedy series '' Kis Ki Aayegi Baraat'' (2009–2012) and

Hum TV Hum TV HD is a 24-hour Urdu general entertainment TV channel based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi. It is owned by Hum Network Limited and traded on the Pakistan Stock Exchange as (HUMNL). Hum Net ...

's acclaimed comedy drama series ''

Suno Chanda ''Suno Chanda'' () is a 2018 Pakistani Ramadan romantic comedy series developed by Shahzad Javed, directed by Ahson Talish, and written by Saima Akram Chaudhry. The series celebrates Pakistani wedding traditions and narrates the story of a co ...

'' (2018) and its sequel '' Suno Chanda 2'' (2019). Ahmad further appeared in

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

's '' Ms. Marvel'' (2022), marking her international debut. She married for the second time with actor

Manzar Sehbai Manzar Sehbai (born 19 March 1950) is a Pakistani actor who appears in Lollywood films and serials. He has worked in different drama serials and made his film debut in 2011 with Shoaib Mansoor's '' Bol'' for which he won Lux Style Awards and SA ...

in April 2020.

Early life

Ahmad was born in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, Pakistan, on 20 March 1950. Her father was the Director of Forests in the West of Pakistan, and her mother was a housewife. Her father died in 1965, and her mother in 2018. She is the eldest of her five siblings. She has a Masters in

Home Economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...

Career

Ahmad started her career with serious plays on

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I ...

(PTV); however, she is known for comedy plays like ''Akkar Bakkar'', ''Taal Matol'', ''

Alif Noon ''Alif Noon'' () is a 1965 comedy television series from Pakistan Television, written by Kamal Ahmed Rizvi. The cast consisted of Rafi Khawar, known as Nanha, and Kamal Ahmed Rizvi known as ''Allan''. Plot Each episode follows 'Allan' as a ...

'', and ''Such Gup''. She also acted in the famous comedy drama ''

'' (1997 Comedy Drama TV Series). She has recently acted in another TV comedy named ''Side Order''. Her switch to comic roles proved to be highly rewarding for her, and she quickly became a top media person in Pakistan. When asked in an interview about what she values most in life, her prompt reply was, "Humanity." Samina Ahmad was just an 18-year-old college student in

, Pakistan, when she first started working for Pakistan Television Corporation. During her long career, she had also worked at

Alhamra Arts Council Alhamra Arts Council (also known as the Alhamra Hall, Alhamra Cultural Complex, Alhamra Art Gallery and Lahore Arts Council) was designed by Nayyar Ali Dada and completed in 1992. The Alhamra Arts Council is located on a colonial-period road ...

, Lahore, as a Programme director for two decades. Despite her busy professional career, Samina Ahmed has also been an active member of the

Women's Action Forum Women's Action Forum (WAF) is a women's rights organization in Pakistan. History Women's Action Forum (WAF) was established in Karachi in September, 1981 Alhamra Arts Council Alhamra Arts Council (also known as the Alhamra Hall, Alhamra Cultural Complex, Alhamra Art Gallery and Lahore Arts Council) was designed by Nayyar Ali Dada and completed in 1992. The Alhamra Arts Council is located on a colonial-period road ...

while also performing on television. In 1997, she launched her own television company, Samina Ahmad Productions, which produced the widely-popular TV drama ''Family Front''.

Personal life

Ahmad was married to Pakistani filmmaker Fariduddin Ahmed, the son of veteran filmmaker W.Z. Ahmed, who made the popular Pakistani film Waada (1957 film). The couple has a son, and a daughter together. Fariduddin divorced her, a few years before his death in 1993. Ahmad married actor,

on 4 April 2020, in a private Nikah ceremony in

Filmography

Films

Television

Web series

Awards and recognition

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmad, Samina Pakistani television actresses Pakistani television directors Living people Pakistani stage actresses Recipients of the Pride of Performance Actresses from Karachi Actresses from Lahore 20th-century Pakistani actresses 21st-century Pakistani actresses PTV Award winners Nigar Award winners 1950 births Pakistani film actresses Pakistani women television directors Actresses in Urdu cinema