"It was definitely a challenging role."
Sajal Aly made her debut in Geo TV’s comedy drama Nadaaniyaan in 2009.
Whilst her first screen appearance was a minor role, it introduced her to her loyal fanbase and kickstarted her thriving career.
She received praise for her breakout role in the 2011 ARY Digital family drama Mehmoodabad Ki Malkain.
Subsequently, she rose to prominence for portraying leading roles in several successful television series.
Since then, the starlet has experimented with roles and has shown off her immense acting abilities and natural talent.
Despite it being early in her career, Sajal has managed to carve herself a niche amongst her contemporaries.
She is firmly cementing herself as one of the finest young actresses of the modern generation.
Sajal has received box office success along with critical acclaim for her diverse and emotionally challenging roles. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in Pakistan.
Behadd (2013)
Sajal Aly garnered critical acclaim for portraying a troubled child in the telefilm Behadd.
Released in 2013, Behadd reflects upon the relationship dynamics of a parent and child and shows how their love for one another becomes the cause of their heartache.
Alongside Sajal, the telefilm starred Fawad Khan, Nadia Jamil, Nadia Afgan, Adnan Siddiqui, Adnan Jaffar and Shamoon Abbasi in pivotal roles.
The story revolves around Masooma a.k.a. Mo (Nadia Jamil), a working woman and single mother who lives with her fifteen-year-old daughter Maha (Sajal).
After losing her husband in a road accident, Maha becomes Masooma’s sole reason for existence.
Maha grows to be an introvert and extremely possessive of her mother.
Yakeen Ka Safar (2017)
Sajal Aly shared the screen with her ex-husband Ahad Raza Mir in the television drama series Yakeen Ka Safar.
It aired from April 19, 2017, to November 1, 2017, with a total of 29 episodes.
It premiered in Pakistan, the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and UAE on the same date and timings.
Sajal Aly made her television comeback two years after her 2015 Hum TV series Gul-e-Rana.
After completing her Bollywood debut Mom, the actress returned to portray the role of Dr Zubiya Khalil and also signed O Rangreza for the same channel.
In 2017, Yakeen Ka Safar was one of the highest-rated programs in Pakistan.
Mom (2017)
Sajal Aly made her Bollywood film debut starring opposite Sridevi in the 2017 Hindi film Mom.
Sridevi plays a vigilante who sets out to avenge her stepdaughter Aarya Sabarwal (Sajal Aly) after she is sexually assaulted at a party.
The film also stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Akshaye Khanna and Adnan Siddiqui.
Mom was released on July 7, 2017, in four languages, and emerged as a blockbuster at the global box office, grossing $23 million worldwide.
The film earned positive reviews from critics, who particularly lauded the performance of Sajal Aly.
Speaking about her role as Arya in the film, Sajal said: “It was definitely a challenging role.
“I mean any character you play, you have to really commit to it and kind of naturally become like that, at least that’s how I function.
“I think the most challenging part was performing with Sridevi ma’am. Like my very first scene in the movie is me sitting at a dining table across from her and misbehaving with her. It was terrifying!”
Dhoop Ki Deewar (2021)
Dhoop Ki Deewar was announced by Haseeb Hassan in mid-2019 with a leading cast of Sajal Aly, Ahad Raza Mir, Samiya Mumtaz and Manzar Sehbai.
Dhoop Ki Deewar tells the emotional story of two military families: the Ali family residing in Lahore, Pakistan, and the Malhotra’s living in Amritsar, India.
Both the families lost their respective and only sons in Kashmir.
Following a series of heated debates, troubles from the media and demands of selfish relatives, Sara Sher Ali (Sajal) and Vishal Malhotra (Ahad) became friends who bonded over mutual grief and the void that war leaves behind for the martyrs’ families.
In conversation with The News, Haseeb revealed: “Dhoop Ki Deewar is not a love story. It is a love-hate relationship between people of India and Pakistan.”
Khel Khel Mein (2021)
On February 26, 2021, Sajal Aly shared on her social media handles that she was a leading actor in Khel Khel Mein.
The cast also included Bilal Abbas Khan, Samina Ahmed and Javed Sheikh.
The story of the film is related to the Liberation War of Bangladesh, the country which was formerly known as East Pakistan.
Khel Khel Mein revolves around a drama club in a university taking its production based on Bangladesh Liberation War to a drama festival in Dhaka.
The teaser of the film received mixed reviews due to the resemblance of the storyline with Bollywood’s 206 coming-of-age drama Rang De Basanti.
However, Sajal Aly’s performance in the film received positive reviews from both her fans and film critics.
Sajal Aly recently lent her voice to the animated superhero series Team Muhafiz.
The new children’s show aims to tackle social issues by featuring teenage superheroes battling social evils.
Sajal is part of a star-studded cast that includes the likes of Ahsan Khan, Wahaj Ali, Dananeer Mobeen, Syed Shafaat Ali, and Nayyar Ejaz among others.
The show was released on June 27, 2022, on Geo and has 10 episodes.
On the film front, the Pakistani actress will next be seen in the upcoming cross-cultural British romantic comedy What’s Love Got To Do With It?
The What’s Love Got To Do With It? cast also includes Shabana Azmi, Asim Chaudhry, Mim Shaikh, Iman Boujelouah, Mariam Haque, Sindhu Vee, Emma Thompson and Jeff Mirza.
The rom-com film follows documentary filmmaker Zoe, played by Lily James, for whom swiping right to find Mr Right has only delivered bad dates and funny anecdotes, much to her opinionated mother Cath’s dismay.
British-Pakistani chart-topping music producer Shahid Khan, known by his stage name Naughty Boy, will bring his production and writing skills to the film.
The worldwide star and legendary Qawwali singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has also recorded two songs, one of which is titled ‘Mahi Sohna’, for the rom-com’s soundtrack.