A humble journey from factory worker to superstar: Humayun Saeed
In an emotional tell-all interview with Frieha Altaf, the stereotypical Pakistani hero—the man who has dominated our screens with his hyper-masculine roles—took off his tough-guy persona. Humayun Saeed, the superstar, and filmmaker was the first guest on the PR tycoon’s new podcast series FWhy. He discussed his journey from a factory worker to starring in Netflix’s hit series The Crown and everything in between.
The 51-year-old, who was born into a Punjabi family, recalls his upbringing in a loud, angry, and emotional home. The majority of people are unaware of Humayun’s past as a serious nerd. “Because my father was so assertive, I felt compelled to win his approval in whatever way I could. My grades up till matriculation were usually excellent. I was never able to place higher than second or third. The Bin Roye actor revealed that he had inherited some of his father’s fury, saying that even his extended cousins were terrified of his father’s maar (beatings). “I don’t get furious much, but when they do, I chuck anything that comes to hand. But I’ve learned to regulate it better,” he remarked.
A humble journey from factory worker to superstar: Humayun Saeed
Humayun recalled a time when his life consisted primarily of trips to the hospital because of his brother’s paralysis. “I was 18 or 19 years old, and I had a lot of obligations. He said, “I started working alongside college and paid tuition, but that wasn’t enough given the medical bills. So, my father took me to meet Altaf’s father, an aviation engineer. “I recall entering Shahrah-e-office Faisal’s and informing him of my desire to serve as a steward.”
Moving on to his first drama, the Punjab Nahi Jaungi actor revealed that, on the day of his pay hike, he had just thrown a party in his manufacturing facility, where he had his team perform skits, songs, and dances. “Nadeem [Baig] was nearby and suggested that I try out for this two-episode event for PTV since I looked like a hero, but I declined. I claimed I had to go to work, but that thought persisted. I was selected as the hero after another friend of mine from my factory entered with an actor and offered me another tryout. We all know what happened next; the rest is history. Saeed dominated the entertainment sector and has continued to amaze it.
The actor discussed meeting Samina Saeed, his true love, as yet another incident that changed his life. “Until I met Samina, I had never considered getting married. I started crying when we reached the point when I had to make difficult choices because I worried about what would happen if she ended up getting married to someone else. My parents were against it as well since they believed I should not be doing it at that age, but we kept our position. And it turned out to be the best choice. He shouted with a blushing smile on his face, “She guided me through life and work.”
Humayun also mentioned how his wife initially felt uncomfortable seeing him make out with other ladies on screen but eventually warmed up to them all. “At first, she appeared a little timid and fearful. She is still friends with Sania (Saeed), Marina (Khan), Mehreen (Syed), and others, nevertheless. They were all good individuals, she realized. Her concerns vanished all at once. She would talk to everyone and bring food to the sets,” he continued.
The host asked Saeed if there was any truth to an old rumor that said he was cheating on his wife with another lady when she set him a deadline to “get his acts right.” “There wasn’t another girl in a way that I didn’t officially go on dates with her or something. We spoke on calls after we occasionally met in person, perhaps at a wedding. I intended to meet with her and tell her all about Samina, but when she found out, Samina offered me an ultimatum. It ended there.”
He also mentioned how his family disapproved of his decision to quit the joint family structure after getting married. I was making less money and I realized that if we have to take care of everyone in the family, we won’t be able to manage things and live our lives. To keep our lives intact, we had to part ways. It was vital for us to move into an apartment, he added, adding that while it’s now commonplace, back then, parents didn’t like their sons leaving the house after getting married.
The actor was coy about Saeed’s Hollywood debut, despite the former supermodel’s best efforts to learn about it. “I haven’t discussed it with anyone. Nothing is known, and all the rumors are untrue. He noted that the show launches on November 26 and gushed about how “extremely fantastic” it was to work on the royal drama.”
