Aamina Sheikh

Aamina Sheikh is an American-Pakistani actress, songwriter and former fashion model. Sheikh has received critical appreciation for her acting prowess, and has won four Lux Style Awards from nine nominations.

Born in New York City and raised in Karachi and Riyadh, Sheikh studied video production at Hampshire College. After working as an assistant at Curious Pictures, she returned to Pakistan and started her career as a fashion model, during which she was a spokesperson for the French brand L'Oreal and received a Lux Style Award for Best Model nomination. She then featured as the female lead in the 2008 telefilm Baarish Mein Deewar and the Geo TV series Dil-e-Nadan. Sheikh had roles in television productions, including Daam (2010), Maat (2010), Uraan (2010), Mera Saaein (2010), Main Abdul Qadir Hoon (2010), Mera Saaein 2 (2012), Mirat Ul Uroos (2013) and Jackson Heights (2014).

Sheikh made her film debut with the 2012 acclaimed social drama Seedlings. Her performance in the film garnered critical appreciation and earned her many national and international awards, including the Lux Style Award for Best Film Actress, New York Film Festival Award and SAARC Film Festival Award. She achieved further success with her portrayal in the social drama Josh: Independence Through Unity (2014), a critical and commercial success. Sheikh was widely praised for her role and received nominations in the Best Actress category at the Lux Style Awards and the Silent River Film Festival. Her greatest commercial success came with the family drama Cake (2018). In 2015, she served as one of the committee members of the Pakistani Academy Selection Committee.

Personal life She is an ethnic Sindhi. Sheikh married actor Mohib Mirza in Karachi in 2005. Mirza and Sheikh met on the set of a show which Mirza was hosting and she was directing. In an interview to Jang, Mirza revealed he had a difficult time convincing Sheikh's father to accept his plans for marriage. and divorced in 2019. Sheikh remarried to a businessman, Omer Farooqi, in August 2020, and the couple have a son, named Issa, born in 2021. In 2007, Sheikh made her on-screen debut in Sharjil Baloch and Khalid Ahmed's telefilm, Gurmukh Singh ki Waseeyat. It was based on Saadat Hassan Manto's short story, The Will of Gurmukh Singh. Centered on the events after the partition of India, Sheikh played Sughra, the member of a traumatised family who have left alone in a predominantly Sikh neighborhood. She subsequently garnered international recognition as a spokesperson for the French beauty brand L'Oreal.

Sheikh performing the song "Ko Ko Korina" in 2013 (on the left most). In 2008, Sheikh appeared in three major telefilms: Aasmaan Chu Lay, Pachees Qadam Pe Maut and Baarish Mein Deewar. Sheikh played a rickshaw driver who's determined to become the sole breadwinner of the family, in Syed Ali Raza Usama's "Aasmaan Chu Lay". Sheikh had to learn and drive a rickshaw on Karachi's busiest M. A. Jinnah Road and Garden Area, with a massive camera attached to it and had to attract real passengers. In the same year, Sheikh made her runaway debut with Rehana Saigol's fashion show. She has done extensive print work for fashion designers, such as Deepak Perwani, Amir Adnan, Nomi Ansari, Niche Lifestyle, Khaadi, Teejays, The Men's Store, Fahad Hussayn, Hang Ten, Maheen Khan, Umbereen Sharmeen, Chinyere, Crossroads and Limited Edition. In the following year, she did her second photoshoot for Niche Lifestyle, with Atif Aslam. Her appeared in the romantic series Agar Tum Na Hote in 2009. In 2010, Sheikh returned to telefilms depicted the titular role of an enthusiastic athlete based on Naseem Hameed in the biographical-drama Bhaag Amina Bhaag. In 2013, she played the lead in the drama Kuch Is Tarah. The performance earned her a nomination of Best TV Actress - Terrestrial at the 13th Lux Style Awards. She achieved further critical and commercial success for her role of portrayal of Zarnab, in the romance Armaan (2013), which earned her a nomination for the Tarang Housefull Award for Best Actress.

In 2011, Sheikh played the role of a grieving mother in Summer Nicks-produced multi award-winning feature film Seedlings and went on to win New York Film Festival Award for Best Actress and SAARC Film Festival Award for Best Actress. She then went on to play the lead in Iram Parveen Bilal's feature art film Josh: Independence Through Unity, before taking on the role of Natasha in the high-octane action spy thriller, 021, produced by Zeba Bakhtiar and directed by Australian filmmaker, Summer Nicks. In 2013, Sheikh was awarded Miss Photogenic Award at the Veet Celebration of Beauty Awards.

In 2016, she played the titular submissive painter housewife in the drama Pakeezah. Due to the unoriginality of the role and the fear of typecasting, Sheikh was initially hesitant to take it and expressed feeling pressured to fulfill others' expectations rather than pursuing her own artistic aspirations.

In 2018, she starred in Asim Abbasi's drama film Cake, alongside Sanam Saeed, which was a major critical and commercial success. While praising her performance, along with Saeed's, The Guardian wrote that they, "rank first among equals in an assured ensemble.", while, The Daily Times-based reviewer found that she "amalgamated Zarine’s character really well and made it look believable on screen." The film earned her a Best Actress nomination at the Lux Style Awards.

In 2025, Khan returned to television with the portrayal of an upright and talented lawyer of a rape survivor in the crime-drama Case No. 9.

Filmography Films YearTitleRoleNotes 2011 Love Mein Ghum Herself Special appearance in song "Love Mein Ghum"2013 SeedlingsMaliha Josh: Independence Through Unity Fatima Armaan Zarnab 2014 O21 Natasha 2015 Good Morning Karachi Mehwish Cameo appearance 2018 Cake Zareen 2019 Heer Maan Ja Nida Cameo appearance

Television YearTitleRoleChannelNotes 2007 Partition Stories Sughra PTV Home Episode "Gurmukh Singh Ki Wasiyat"

Awards and nominations Year Title Award Category Result 2012 Seedlings New York Film Festival Awards Best Performance by an Actress SAARC Film Festival Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role 2013 Armaan Tarang Housefull Awards Best On Screen Couple with Fawad Khan Best Actress Veet Celebration of Beauty Awards Miss Photogenic Maat Hum Awards Best Actress Seedlings Pakistan Media Awards Best Film Actress Josh: Independence Through Unity Best Film Actress Josh: Independence Through Unity Silent River Film Festival Best Actress 2014 Seedlings ARY Film Awards BestActress Best Star Debut Female 2015 021 Tribune Cine Awards Best Supporting Actress 2017 Pakeezah Hum Awards Best Actress 2019 Cake Galaxy Lollywood Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Female

Lux Style Awards Ceremony Category Project Result 2009 Best Emerging Talent in Fashion 2010 Best Model of the Year (female) 2011 Best Dress Female Best Television Actress - Satellite Agar Tum Na Hotay 2012 Umm-e-Kulsoom 2014 Best Television Actress - TerrestrialKuch Is Tarah Best Dress Female Best Film ActressJosh: Independence Through Unity Seedlings 2019Cake