Samina Ahmad is a Pakistani film and television actress, stage performer, producer and director. She is a veteran television actress with over 50 years of work experience in the Urdu entertainment industry. Ahmad performed for many of PTV's major successful series, including '' Waris'' (1979), ''

Aahat ''Aahat'' (English: ''An approaching sound'') is an Indian thriller/ horror television anthology series created by B. P. Singh for Sony Entertainment Television. The series premiered on 5 October 1995. The episodes of first, second and fift ...

'' (1991) and ''

Family Front ''Family Front'' ( ur, فیملی فرنٹ) was a 1997 Pakistani comedy drama sitcom. 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 But ...

'' (1997). One of her most recent roles includes the

Geo TV Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October 2 ...

's widely-popular four-part comedy series ''

Kis Ki Aayegi Baraat ''Kis Ki Aayegi Baraat'' or ''Baraat Series'' is a Pakistani comedy television series developed by Marina Khan and Nadeem Baig for Geo Entertainment. It is loosely based on the marriage ceremonies that take place in Punjabi families in Pun ...

'' (2009–2012), and the

Hum TV Hum TV 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 Pakistan Stock Exchange as (HUMNL). Hum Network Limi ...

's acclaimed comedy drama series '' Suno Chanda'' (2018) and its sequel '' Suno Chanda 2'' (2019). For her contributions towards the television industry, she was honoured by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...

with the

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

in 2011.

Early life and career

Ahmad was born in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

, Pakistan (then

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

) on 20 March 1946. Her father was 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 elder among her five siblings. She has a Masters in

Home Economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...

. Ahmad had started her career with serious plays on

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical co ...

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

Alif Noon ''Alif Noon'' (Urdu: الف نون) 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 '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 the 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 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 Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

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

Personal life

Ahmad was married to a Pakistani filmmaker Fariduddin Ahmed, the son of veteran filmmaker

W.Z. Ahmed Wahiduddin Ziauddin Ahmed (1916 – 15 April 2007) was a Pakistani filmmaker, known primarily for his work in the 1940s. After the partition of India, Ahmed continued to make movies in Pakistan but was able to make only two films. Career in ...

, who made a popular Pakistani film ''Waada'' (1957). The couple has a son, and a daughter together. Fariduddin divorced her, a few years before his death in 1993, the reason being his love for the actress

Shamim Ara Shamim Ara (22 March 1938 – 5 August 2016) was a Pakistani film actress, director and producer. She was known as ''The Tragic Beauty'' because of the tragic heroine roles she often portrayed in films. She was one of the most popular actresse ...

, who he later married. Ahmad married 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 ...

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 Women television directors