Savera Nadeem
Pakistani actress, producer and director (born 1974)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Savera Nadeem (Punjabi: سویرا ندیم) is a Pakistani actress, producer, and director. Primarily known for her work on television; she also acted in theatre and films. Nadeem received a Lux Style Award for Best Television Actress and five nominations.
Savera Arham Nadeem | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1974 (age 51–52) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
| Children | 2[1] |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Faryal Gohar (aunt) |
Early life
Savera Nadeem was born in 1974 to a Kashmiri family in Lahore. Her father, Shahid Nadeem, is a prominent journalist. She has a Masters in English Literature from Kinnaird College, Lahore, and studied directing at the National School of Drama, Delhi. Nadeem also has a background in classical music.[2][3]
Career
Acting
Nadeem started acting when she was fifteen, with her first appearance in the drama Kiran, being broadcast in 1989. She subsequently had the lead role in Ayub Khawar's directed social-issue drama Inkaar.[3] For her performance in the series, Nadeem won the PTV Award for Best Actress.[4] In 1995, she played a gynecologist appointed in a small neighborhood in the dark comedy Janjal Pura.[5]
In 2010, Nadeem appeared in the drama Diya Jalay as a wife caught in an abusive marriage.[6] A reviewer from Dawn opined that she "not only emotes well but looks smashing".[7] Later that year, she portrayed a self-sacrificing housewife struggling emotionally in the drama Qaid-e-Tanhai. Nadeem won Lux Style Award for Best TV Actress for her performance at the 11th Lux Style Awards.[8]
In 2012, Nadeem played the titular role of the rigid and dictatorial Zubeida in the drama Bari Aapa. She was drawn to the project due to the character and the gripping dialogues.[1] She then appeared in the drama Mera Yaqeen, portraying a bedridden, paralysed housewife grappling with her husband's romantic affair with her best friend. While reviewing the series for The Express Tribune, reviewer Altaf Hussain found that she "steals the scenes whenever she appears on screen".[9]
In 2015, Nadeem played a cameo role in her second film, the biographical-drama Manto.[1] Based on the life of eminent Urdu writer Saadat Hassan Manto, Nadeem portrayed a tanga puller, a character wrote by the writer himself in one of his short stories.[10]
In 2022, Nadeem played the manipulative and sly matriarch in the mystery-thriller Wehem.[11] Nadeem was agreed to the project due to the unique character traits.[12] In 2023, she played a malevolent stepmother of the male protagonist in the romance Jaan-e-Jahan.[13] The performance received positive reviews from critics.[14]
Producer and director
Nadeem's first job as director was on Kal, a telefilm starring Saba Qamar and Fawad Khan that aired on PTV and Geo TV in 2006. Subsequently, she directed thirteen episodes of Qurbaton Ke Silsilay, a drama broadcast on PTV.[2]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Good Morning Karachi | PJ | cameo[1] |
| 2015 | Manto | Taangay Wali | [1] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Kiran | Kiran | [3] |
| Inkaar | Taniya | [5] | |
| 1996 | Janjal Pura | Dr. Mahjabeen | [5] |
| 2001 | Sawan | Naureen | [5][15] |
| 2006 | Gharoor | Bawi | [5] |
| 2007 | Aurat Aur Char Devari | Shehnaz / Zuneida | Episode "Aik Aurat Do Nikkah" |
| 2008 | Kaisa Yeh Junoon | Rukhsana | [5] |
| Pulsaraat | Telefilm | ||
| Baji | Telefilm[5] | ||
| Arzoo | Telefilm | ||
| 2004 | Mahnoor | Kajal Bai | Telefilm |
| 2006 | Manzil | Somia | |
| 2010 | Diya Jalay | Nadia | [5] |
| 2010–11 | Qaid-e-Tanhai | Aisha | [5] |
| Mera Saaein | Naima Malik | [5] | |
| Woh Chaar | [5] | ||
| 2012 | Mera Yaqeen | Maha | [9] |
| 2012–13 | Badi Aapa | Zubeida “Bari Aapa” | [1] |
| 2013 | Teri Berukhi | Aleena | |
| 2017 | Manto | Taangay Wali | |
| Kitni Girhain Baaki Hain (season 2) | Meena | Anthony series; Episode 33 | |
| Laut Ke Chalay Aana | Zainab | [16] | |
| 2017–18 | Meraas | Jahan Aara | [5] |
| 2018 | Nibah | Saiqa | |
| 2018–19 | Baba Jani | Sadia | [17] |
| Haiwan | Azra | [18] | |
| 2019–20 | Meray Paas Tum Ho | Maham Sayyed | Guest appearance[19] |
| Tera Yahan Koi Nahin | Hawa | ||
| 2020 | Tum Ho Wajah | Sehba | |
| Dikhawa | Anthology series; Episode 2 | ||
| 2022–2023 | Wehem | Rukhsana Saleem | |
| 2023 | Mein Kahani Hun | ||
| 2023 | Kitni Girhain Baaki Hain | Zahida Ali | Episode "Husn-e-Ittefaq" |
| 2023–24 | Jaan-e-Jahan | Kishwar Shah | [13] |
| 2024 | Bismil | Reham | |
| Parwarish | Mahnoor Jahangir | [20] | |
| 2025 | Kuch Na Kehna | Noora | [19] |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Dhoop Ki Deewar | Amna Sher Ali | ZEE5 | |
| 2024 | Abdullahpur Ka Devdas | Jahan Aara Begum | ZEE5 |
Talk Shows
Nadeem was the presenter of AAJ TV's morning show AAJ SUBH from 27 September 2010 to 16 September 2011.[2]
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | PTV Awards | Best Drama Actress | Inkaar | Won | [2] |
Lux Style Awards
| Ceremony | Category | Project | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Lux Style Awards[21] | Best Television Actress | Ibn Aadam | Nominated |
| 7th Lux Style Awards | Best Television Actress (Satellite) | Shikwah | |
| 8th Lux Style Awards[22] | Milay Kuch Yun | ||
| 10th Lux Style Awards[23] | Diya Jalay | ||
| 11th Lux Style Awards[24] | Qaid-e-Tanhai | Won |