Actor Sanam Saeed has opened up about her initial hesitation before taking on the role of a mother of four in ARY Digital’s hit drama Kafeel, and how writer Umera Ahmed was the one to change her mind.
Speaking in an interview with Something Haute, Sanam admitted she had serious doubts about whether the role was the right career move, particularly after returning to a leading role after a long gap.
“I was asking myself if it was a good career move for me because I’m doing the main role now after so long,” she said.
During the interview, Sanam was candid about the realities of the industry. “I’m not asking to play a 25-year-old anymore. And I do want to play characters that are for women of our age. But this is how the industry is.”
She recalled eventually calling writer Umera Ahmed to understand the character better, asking detailed questions about Zeba’s age, personality and background. Umera, she said, reassured her by explaining that Zeba marries young, making it believable for her to be a mother of grown children after a time jump in the story.
“You know, if the whole drama was about a young girl, then maybe not. People wouldn’t accept it and I myself wouldn’t do it. But because it was just a 10-episode premise, the rest of the story was different. So, I said, okay.”
She further recalled the exact moment from her conversation with Umera that sealed her decision. “She asked if I want to leave a legacy behind or if I just want to look pretty on screen.”
That question, Sanam said, changed her perspective entirely, pushing her to trust the vision behind the script and say yes to Kafeel.
