Sanam Saeed was not a fan of her name, says it was ‘in every Indian song, even behind rickshaws’

After keeping their romance under wraps for a long time, Pakistani actors Mohib Mirza and Sanam Saeed announced their marriage in 2023 to joyous reactions and well wishes from fans and showbiz stars. Marking a heartfelt moment, the couple united on screen recently when Sanam appeared as a guest on Mohib’s chat show where she talked about her love for theatre, homemaking and her close bond with her husband.

Kicking off the conversation on a light note, Mohib quizzed the Cake actor on her tumultuous relationship with her name. A beloved actor for many, Sanam disclosed that she did not always like her name. “Every Indian song has my name. Everyone would sing taking my name,” she began. 

“I disliked that a lot. My name was even written behind rickshaws. Hum dil de chuke sanam. Sanam teri qasam. I used to feel irritated by this but now I like it,” the actor admitted how her sentiments had changed over time.

Passion for theatre

Trained in theatre, Sanam identified three critical aspects that make or break a project for her. “When I am considering my next project, I look at the script, director and the cast,” she said, stressing the first two elements. Particularly with the script, she shared that theatre artists like herself cannot simply ‘scan’ a script. “I analyse it from the first page to the last,” she said.

When asked why she wanted to do theatre in the first place, Sanam offered, “I wanted a live audience for my acting. It was my passion to dress up, to make people laugh and cry. With only two Urdu plays on her portfolio, the actor got candid about her weak grasp of the language.

“English plays, I’ve done 8 or 10…We don’t speak Urdu a lot at my home, we speak in English usually. I went to an English-medium school, I think in English,” she explained her linguistic preferences while selecting her theatre projects. “When I came to acting in Urdu with TV, I worked on my grasp of language.

New directions with Netflix

The conversation turned gears to Pakistan’s first Netflix original series Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samait Lo in which Sanam will reunite with actor and heartthrob Fawad Khan after sharing the screen in 2012 with Zindagi Gulzar Hai. Talking about the milestone of landing this project, she laughingly commented, “This wasn’t a plan or a dream. Broadway and acting on the western stage has been a dream. This just happened and I am very lucky.” 

She furthered on, “Momina is helming this and she has given us many hit dramas. Perhaps, because I was from her hit drama so she assembled us all into a very fine cast.” The series, which is based on Farhat Ishtiaq’s novel of the same name, will also feature Mahira Khan and Ahad Raza Mir.

As per Sanam, the primary reason behind her switch from theatre to the small screen was a search for financial stability. “Every stage actor, across the world, juggles two jobs. Luckily for me, my second job was also acting. This is also why I was in modelling…then I came to TV. You can’t put bread on the table with theatre.”

Often referred to as an actor and model, the celebrity contended that people could even omit model from her bio since she was never keen on the profession itself. She said, “I don’t like being dolled up in makeup and dressing up formally for no reason just to walk a ramp…I didn’t like doing this, I know other girls have a passion for this and they should pursue it.”

Married life with Mohib

Taking a jocular turn in the interview, Mohib presented Sanam with a question from the audience regarding her conduct as a wife. “I take care of the house a lot. I like to keep everything clean like all women do, like why is there spilled water here or clothes strewn on the floor? Even though Mohib doesn’t do that often…I don’t cook, however. Sorry, Mohib,” she quipped. 

In the scenario of their house help taking an unannounced absence, Sanam asserted that there are days when actors also don’t show up to work. She maintained, “I don’t scold anyone. I don’t deduct anyone’s salary, I don’t interrogate. Everyone has problems.”

The face of many campaigns and advertisements, Sanam expressed why family photos are harder for her to pull off than professional modelling shoots. “I know how to pose but in family photos, you can’t give that fierce model look. You have to give a nice smile. You give it once, but someone else won’t be ready so you do it again. It gets tiring,” she reasoned.

The actor’s reply prompted Mohib to prod further who teased her on looking ‘silly’ in most family pictures. According to Sanam, the perfect family picture has someone making faces that allow people to revisit albums with fondness and nostalgia. Reciprocating the banter, she argued that only her bad pictures are posted by Mohib. 

Divulging a personal interaction, the celebrity couple recalled the first gifts they exchanged after marriage. Sanam revealed that she received a beautiful emerald ring that she showed to the audience by raising her hand while Mohib was gifted the cologne Oud Wood by Tom Ford.

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