Saba Qamar turns 39: 4 powerful performances by actor that moved audiences emotionally

The actor, who made her debut with ‘Main Aurat Hoon’, is celebrating her birthday today

Saba Qamar, one of the most iconic actors in Pakistan, turns 39 today! From starting her career with the PTV classic Main Aurat Hoon to making her mark with acting prowess in Dastaan, the actor has come a long way. The actor, who was last seen in the acclaimed series Sar-e-Rah, has not only impressed fans in Pakistan but also internationally with her work in Bollywood and the Zee5 web series Mrs. & Mr. Shameem.

Qamar not only wins hearts with her remarkable performance but has time and again proved to defy social norms by taking on challenging characters and scripts that start conversations around taboo topics to redefine repressive social terms. Celebrating her glorious years in cinema and TV, here’s a list of some of her best performances to date – the reasons why she is a fan favourite through and through!

Baaghi (2017)

Qamar’s powerful performance in Baaghi humanised and immortalised Qandeel Baloch forever! The biographical drama, based on the life and death of the controversial social media celebrity, depicted how Baloch was murdered by her brother in the name of honour in July 2016.

Last year, the actor revealed how essaying Baloch was the most challenging thing she ever did. “I played Qandeel’s character with all my heart, I worked so hard for it that it consumed me completely. After it finished, I couldn't work for a whole year. I was depressed, literally,” she told BBC Urdu. Opening up about the many sleepless nights she endured while working on the series, she added, “I haven’t revealed this before publicly but trust me, I used to see Qandeel in my dreams. She would come and ask me to get her justice. She would say ‘Mujhe insaaf dilao, ab karrahi ho yeh role toh ab tum hee dilao insaaf’ (Get me justice, now that you’re essaying my life, you have to get me justice) and I would wake up.”

Hindi Medium (2017)

In 2017, Qamar got the opportunity to work in Bollywood with none other than the late actor Irrfan Khan. She essayed the role of Meeta Batra, a middle-class woman who dreams of giving her daughter the best education possible, in the highly acclaimed film Hindi Medium. Her portrayal of a mother who is willing to do whatever it takes to secure her child's future was authentic and heartwarming.

Cheekh (2019)

Cheekh is yet another drama that etches in your brains for a long time and makes you critical of people and society – and Qamar’s performance made it even more powerful! Cheekh saw Qamar play the role of Mannat Shayan, a lawyer who seeks justice for her friend who was raped and murdered. A changemaker in her own right, the actor convincingly portrayed the pain and anguish of a woman seeking justice in a society that is often insensitive to the plight of rape victims.

Kamli (2022)

Sarmad Khoosat’s leading lady Qamar as Hina absorbs you completely while travelling between magical realism and reality. Qamar assumes the role of a lifeless abandoned wife, rotting away with time while taking care of her visually impaired sister-in-law, Sakina (Sania Saeed). Her yearning for adventure, love and desire is almost palpable in the film.

If the praise isn’t enough, the actor also bagged the award for Best Actor for her performance in the film at the Indus Valley International Film Festival (IVIFF) in Chandigarh last year. The bittersweet poetic universe of Kamli, abundant with mysterious, haunting, dark corners, is a symbolic tale of longing and love amidst culturally-bounded relationships.

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