Pakistan Magazine

Samina Peerzada is a
Pakistani teveision and film actress and director who was born to Moinuddin
Butt and Almas Butt in Lahore. Her father is a mechanical engineer. She did
her graduation in Commerce. During her academic years she took an active
part in extracurricular activities. When she showed an inclination toward
acting, both her parents supported her in adopting it as a profession.

In 1975 she married Usman Peerzada, who was also an actor encouraged her
career. In 1976 she starred his film Nazdikiyan. This was followed by many
films, including “Bazar-e-Husn” and “Khawahish”. She has a long list of TV
plays to her credit, among them the popular “Raat” and “Hisar”. She has also
performed on stage for such successful productions as “Raaz-o-Niaz” and
“Gurya Ghar”.

She has travelled widely, performed in Oslo in an Ibsen festival, and won
many awards, including two presidential awards for her films and two
Graduate Awards for her work on stage. She has two daughters anum and amal
peerzada.

Now, she has become one of the more promising directors hailing from
Pakistan’s film industry based in Lahore. She initially directed a string of
successful television productions, such as Sophia and Karb for Pakistan
Tele-PTV, but later chose to move to the celluluoid world with her rather
controversial directorial debut Inteha, a film in which she also had a short
role. Inteha was well received in the major urban centers of Pakistan, and
paved way for Peerzada to direct Shararat, a film which lacked the slick
urban look which people related Peerzada’s films with. She has in recent
years put cinema on the backburner and has instead chosen to act in a number
of television serials for the plethora of new Pakistani cable / satellite
channels. However, Peerzada returns to cinema with Saqib Malik’s directorial
debut Ajnabee Shehr Mein where she stars alongside Shaan and Ali Zafar. The
film is expected to release sometimes this year.
Currently Samina Peerzada has returned to acting in Pakistani television
plays such as Sheeshay Ka Mahal, Kaanch, and Ghar Gharonda.

Recently, Samina Peerzada was invited by Amnesty International India in
New Delhi for International Week of Justice Festival, December 5-10, 2008,
commemorating the 60th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Samina participated in three public forums for the festival at Jamia Millia
Islamia and Alliance Francaise on the issues of women empowerment, democracy
and torture.