Latest news with #SaniaSaeed
Express Tribune
06-06-2025
- Express Tribune
Sania Saeed talks hierarchy of abuse
Veteran television and theatre actor Sania Saeed recently appeared on The Rafay Mahmood Podcast and spoke about a myriad of topics including the cold-blooded murder of the 17-year-old influencer Sana Yousaf. 'Everyday, I wake up with the news of women dying,' said a visibly emotional Saeed. 'There's fatigue even in our compassion. How much more can we take?' 'This was just one girl, and even one is too much. How can we, as a society, permit that even one child is subjected to such assault and violence?' she added. Rationalising injustice The host Mahmood pinpointed Saeed's statement about fatigue and the society mislabelling it as resilience. Asked if she sees any such resilience in the society, Saeed noted how it's our way of rationalising and moving on with our lives. 'The logical part of your brain keeps saying that you have no other choice.' Saeed seemed to be holding back tears at this point, clearly affected by the tragedy. 'You carry a heavy heart, but to move on, to keep working, you rationalise it. You try to understand why and how it happened, where this all came from.' Saeed spoke about how the influencer was not involved in any controversies either; she 'was an innocent kid posting cute videos about restaurants and all.' She was 'following traditions, refusing unwanted advances exactly like we want our children to do. Isn't that what we teach our girls?' The Joyland actor said this is the point she wants to present to those who criticise and oppose women's rights, Aurat March and slogans like 'Mera Jism, Meri Marzi'. 'When people respond aggressively, accuse and abuse without thinking, just to defend their privilege, this is what we are talking about.' At this point, the host mentioned the state of our society is such that when journalist Fasi Zaka wrote a prayer for the deceased, users abused him in the comments and said that she deserved it. He brought up tackling such extreme mentality prevalent in the society where you can't even say a prayer for a murder victim. Saeed questioned this instinctive hatred for women that causes such extreme reactions. 'This girl could have been a religious person posting religious videos and it wouldn't have been any different. If there's any small thing, anything that you don't like about a woman, you get this incredibly extreme response. Where does this stem from?' Cry for help The artist shared her theory about this deep aggression. 'I feel like this relates to the way we have raised our men. We have raised weak men who are not equipped to understand anything and are not emotionally intelligent. This may seem like an anti-women attitude, but it's a cry for help for our boys too. How can a person be so enraged in an instant?' She continued, 'We teach our daughters to rely on their brothers, fathers, husbands. They will protect you. But if they are so volatile, how can you rely on them? If they can't make right decisions in their lives and lose control so fast, how can I put my life in their hands?' Mahmood then quotes Ali Gul Pir saying that it's a constant struggle for everyone, especially men, to not become a product of their circumstance. Saeed agreed and emphasised that it was a joint struggle. 'This cannot be separate. If we don't play up our strengths, there will be issues like we are seeing today. We have undermined women so much. Everyday, we hear such news. Every woman you meet has a story. And class is not even a factor in it. But at the end of the day, it's a joint struggle. If we don't fight it together, it won't work.' Emotional repression The host expanded upon the idea and cited Swiss psychologist Carl Jung's work saying that most of the violence that exists in the world is because man is unable to tell his own story. Jung's theory about unresolved inner conflicts leading to external issues pointed the conversation towards the mental and emotional repression that leads to this violence. Even Saeed added to the point about how this repression leads you to oppress others. 'How can you think if I give them some space, they will take over mine as well? How incapable do you think yourself to be?' Later in the conversation, she spoke about the hierarchy of oppression and abuse, citing an example of kids committing cruel acts against animals. 'You have to imagine what must have happened with those kids if they are so comfortable abusing animals? It's a hierarchy. Class abuses gender. Gender abuses the supposedly weaker gender. Then they continue it based on age and so on. At this point, it doesn't matter if someone is weak or not. What is this psyche of abusing instead of helping the one who you perceive as weak?' She pointed out how they take pleasure in abusing someone or even witnessing it. 'I want to know what they went through to become such psychopaths? We have created them too. Go look at the abused children in the hospitals, look at how teachers strike kids in classrooms, you will see the ground realities [of this inherent violence].' Throughout the podcast, the conversation steered toward multiple topics including women's rights, justice and Saeed's acclaimed work in film and the drama and the lessons she's learned in her life and career. Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.
Express Tribune
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
The quiet rebellion of Sania
We all know the seasoned actor Sania Saeed for her screen presence and the lasting impression she leaves on her fans with every role. A symbol of humility and quiet star power, Sania has expressed multiple times that she's not too fond of the limelight despite the influence she inadvertently commands. But before she was Sania Saeed, one of Pakistan's most beloved actors, she was just Sania - a girl raised in a home of love and taught a strong sense of responsibility that shaped the rest of her life. In an interview on Frieha Altaf's podcast, the Sange Mar Mar actor shared that she first touched base with social justice when she was barely a teenager. The actor recalled the widespread protests that were afoot during Zia's regime, calling for justice for sexual assault victims. "There was a girl who was legally punished. She was raped, she was pregnant, and she was blind. But she was also convicted," Sania said. "I took a signature campaign to school and told the other girls that this was wrong. I must've been 14 or 15. But I was very clear even then, mostly because of my parents, on what is right and what should not be tolerated." Sania added that the situation in the country at the time sparked dissent and conversations that were deemed controversial, which was why she was reprimanded for her actions. "I was almost kicked out because they said, 'Politics isn't allowed in school.' I argued that this wasn't politics, this was about human rights." Persisting issues Although her days of decrying injustice were from an era long gone, the Ae Dil actor believes that there's much work yet to be done. "We haven't gotten out of that time period. Now, thanks to social media, we see these things more frequently. People might not be stoned physically, but they do suffer socially." Still, Sania doesn't believe that all hope is lost. "It's changing. But all changes are slow. One just hopes that they are not necessarily bloody. But with a social structure like this, even change can be strict. It is a helpless compulsion." The Raqeeb Se actor added, "It upsets me that a country that's made up of such good people is in such dire straits." But Sania believes there's a catch to virtue as well. "We are good with our traditions but not in our practices. We might even have good intentions, but since we're ignorant, we haven't earned sufficient education, and we can't keep pace with the world, then even good intentions can't save us from bad behaviour and regressive attitudes." She observed that people tend to view an imperfect society from the surface level and conclude that progress is thriving, especially when it comes to gender equality. "People look at less than one per cent of the population and say, 'A lot of women work now.' Yes, they've always been working. But the point is to acknowledge the pay gap, property issues, rights given by the law, and if they even feel safe here." She stated that multiple factors compel women to work, including their own ambitions, but they can't even do that safely. "Your gaze, your words, your behaviour instill fright in a woman. Shouldn't you be ashamed of yourself for that?" she posed. "But anyway, I don't think there's a way out of this aside from pushing back." Lending a hand While Sania has played her part by attending protests and marches in the past, she doesn't want to hog space, knowing she might take attention away from what's important. "What happens is that the celebrity becomes the focus at such events. Not that they shouldn't participate, but people tend to get distracted by pointless things," she said. "The agenda of Aurat March is never misplaced, but it can be overshadowed by this ruckus. So, that's why I used to think that my attendance was not that helpful." Despite the setbacks, Sania's support for the movement remains loud and clear: "I'm always there in spirit."
