She was born in Abu Dhabi on 24th May, 1990. She was very young when her family moved to New York for work. Saeeda Imtiaz is truly a global citizen with her work and experience spanning across continents.
But she was never sure of becoming an actor. As much as she loved acting and dancing, she also yearned to do something for the poor. With Mother Teresa as her role model, she planned to open an NGO for the poor.
Even though her siblings have married into families with legal and medical professions, and though her mother dreamt of making her a doctor, she studied psychology at Stony Brook University in New York. She says, “I liked psychology as my major as I had a dream to help the poor people around the world.”
Though a budding actor now, she has not given up on her dream for an NGO.
But it is not surprising that she found her way to the silver screen. She watched films since a very young age, and was enamoured by the stars. Bollywood films like Taal inspired her.
In 2012, it was like magic when she got her first break. Through a friendly connection, she shot her first portfolio. She was very nervous, and was not aware that her first modelling shoot would lead her to a break in the film industry. It turned out that this friend worked for an agency, and her pictures landed on the desk of a director.
This was for the film ‘Kaptaan’, a biopic on cricketer Imran Khan. The director Faisal Aman Khan chose her for the role of his ex-wife, Jemima Khan. And it was like a whirlwind from there onwards. In the next six months, she was groomed for the role. She attended workshops to research about the role. And then the shoot began. Suddenly she was in front of the camera, and a dream had come true.
Saaeda has also acted an Indian production film ‘Redrum’ (2015). It is a tale of murder based on Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story The Tell Tale Heart. The film also stars Vibhav Roy and veteran actor Tom Alter in pivotal roles and is directed by the duo Dhruv-Sourabh. She loved playing a quintessential Delhi girl-next door. She enjoyed shooting in the historical city.
Being based in Lahore presently, she asserts that the present scenario is hospitable for female artists. She has received a lot of love and support. Her biggest support, though, has been her family. They encourage and support her dream. Even when others tried to pull her down, and spread malice, her mother stood by her.
She says, “Art has no boundaries”. She loved working with the Indian crew on the film ‘Redrum’. She believes that good neighbourly relations are very important. She has family here, back in India. She wants to work for the industry here again in the future. And she believes in the power of art to mend fences.
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