Sanam Saeed pays tribute to Pakistani cinema icon Shamim Ara during Cannes debut | The Express Tribune

Actor Sanam Saeed made her debut at the Cannes Film Festival this year, honouring Pakistani cinema icon Shamim Ara and paying homage to women in the entertainment industry. 

Captioning an Instagram post “On my trip to Cannes, I carry her legacy and your prayers. Wish me luck,” Sanam paid tribute to Ara, sharing a video talking about the “icon that paved the way for many of us.”  

“There’s a lineage of women in Pakistani cinema, and it starts with her: Begum Shamim Ara,” Sanam said, adding, “An actor, a producer, and director. Her life doesn’t follow the usual arc of rise, fall, and fade. It is something rarer.”

The actor also reflected on the broader contribution of women in Pakistani entertainment and the lasting impact of Ara’s work on future generations of female artists.

“In the 1960s, Begum Shamim Ara starred in hit films like Saheli and Naila. She quietly broke the biggest boundaries, opening doors for women behind the camera. Her influence wasn’t loud, it was foundational,” Sanam said.

She added, “This Cannes, I’ll walk thinking of her. Of her audacity.”

“She proved a woman can stand in front of a camera, sit in a producer’s seat, and call action from a directors chair. She never got an invitation to Cannes, but her work made mine possible,” Sanam said.

The actor also dedicated her Cannes appearance to the generations of women who shaped the industry and those who continue to carry it forward. “This is for every woman who came before us. This is for every woman who will come after,” she stated.

In another clip, Sanam emphasised the role of women in the entertainment industry, saying, “The costumes you admire, handmade by them. The flawless makeup, their artistry. The words we speak, mostly written by women for women.”

She added, “On screen, women become the voice of a nation. They lead the stories. They speak for our mothers and daughters. They speak for the dreamers. They become our collective grief, our hope. Off screen, it’s the women who watch, who discuss, who connect.”

The actor concluded by saying, “In Pakistan, women make the show phenomenon. They are the custodians of Pakistani entertainment.”

Marking the occasion of her Cannes debut, Sanam wore a custom blue ensemble by Pakistani designer Hussain Rehar, who was also in attendance at the film festival this year.