Sonya Hussyn celebrates 'Deemak' win with tribute to its 'pillars'

Actor Sonya Hussyn has been honoured with the International Best Actor Achievement Award for her performance in Deemak, an accolade she said felt particularly meaningful because it was presented on home soil at the Sunday Icon Awards.

Sharing a carousel of pictures from the ceremony on Instagram, Hussyn wrote, “Winning Best Actor internationally for Deemak was an extraordinary honour, but receiving this recognition at home feels especially close to my heart.”

She dedicated the honour to the team behind the film, naming director Rafay Rashdi, producer Murad and writer Abu Jinns, along with co-stars Samina Peerzada, Faysal Quraishi, Bushra Ansari and cinematographer Rana Kamran. “This film would be nothing without you all,” she added.

She thanked the Sunday Times and Sunday Icon Awards, urging the organisers to “keep celebrating art”. She also credited her styling team Ozi and designer Fahad Hussayn for making the evening “even more special” and “extraordinary”.

For her red-carpet look, Hussyn separately thanked designer Karishma Kewalramani, noting that “it takes a lot of effort to create something” with such intricate detail. She also thanked Saad Hassan for “managing everything so perfectly at the last minute”.

Hussyn’s caption also turned towards the people closest to her. She thanked her parents and siblings Moni, Salman and Saima, writing that “every achievement of mine begins with your love, prayers and support”.

She gave a special mention to her sister, actor Sana Hussyn, joking that Sana had “turned into a zombie towards the end of the night” after completing back-to-back shoots to attend the ceremony. She also thanked Rasikh Ismail Khan, whom she described as her “forever friend” and “father figure”, adding that she had “missed him so much at the ceremony”.

Hussyn also expressed gratitude to her partner Mansoor, whom she referred to by the nickname “Dazara Qarara”, for “always being by my side”. “This award is not the end of the journey; it is a reminder to keep telling stories that matter,” she wrote.

She concluded with a prayer: “May Allah protect our artists, our children, our talent and this beautiful country.”

The latest honour adds to a growing list of international recognition for Deemak. Hussyn previously won Best Supporting Actress at the inaugural Diamond Butterfly Award in Moscow in November.

The film, which also stars Quraishi, Peerzada, Ansari and Javed Sheikh, represented Pakistan among 34 entries from 17 countries at the event.

Deemak had also reportedly crossed Rs175 million at the domestic box office by that time.