LAHORE (Dunya News) – Senior Pakistani actress Sania Saeed has said veteran actress Samina Ahmad was not only her mentor but also provided her with immense love, encouragement and support during the early years of her acting career.
Speaking on a private television programme, Sania Saeed reflected on her long-standing relationship with Samina Ahmad and shared her experience of working with her in the drama serial Aahat.
She said that while travelling to Lahore by train to participate in theatre festivals, she often had no accommodation or sufficient financial resources. During those days, her father would reassure her by saying there was nothing to worry about because Samina Ahmad would be there.
Sania Saeed recalled that she was initially surprised her father had assumed she could stay at Samina Ahmad's home without asking her first. However, he assured her that he would speak to the veteran actress himself. She later stayed at Samina Ahmad's residence throughout the theatre festival and was able to take part in all the activities.
The actress said she received immense affection, kindness and protection from her senior colleagues, adding that she hoped to pass on the same tradition of support to the younger generation, as her seniors were not only mentors but institutions in themselves.
Speaking about Samina Ahmad's personality, Sania Saeed described her as a courageous and resilient woman who raised her children on her own, helped them become independent and later chose to begin a new chapter in her life, reflecting her strength and self-confidence.
Sania Saeed further said that although her television career began with Aahat alongside Samina Ahmad, she had known the veteran actress long before that through Rafi Peer, where Samina Ahmad worked as an art director and from whom she learned a great deal about art and theatre.