Mumbai: Actress Sanjeeda Shaikh celebrated her 40th birthday on Friday, expressing her desire for love and prayers.
She shared a series of photos on Instagram featuring herself with a homemade sponge cake, captioning it: “Ok Start wishing #happybirthday… Bahut saari #duas aur #pyaar chahiye (I need a lot of prayers and love).”
Sanjeeda made her acting debut in 2005 with the TV series Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa. She later portrayed a villain in the 2007 series Kayamath and participated in the dance competition Nach Baliye 3 with her ex-husband Aamir Ali, winning the trophy.
In 2008, she starred opposite Aamir Ali in Kya Dill Main Hai. Her career breakthrough came in 2014 with the role of Durga Thakur in Ek Hasina Thi, where she played a determined young woman seeking justice for her sister. She also appeared in Ishq Ka Rang Safed, marking her first role as an onscreen mother. Sanjeeda continued to feature in shows like Gehraiyaan and Love Ka Hai Intezaar.
Her film debut came in 2020 with Taish, where she played Jahaan alongside Harshvardhan Rane. She was later seen in the horror film Kaali Khuhi opposite Shabana Azmi and in the Hrithik Roshan-starrer Fighter. Recently, she received acclaim for her role as Waheeda, a courtesan, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.
Heeramandi explores the lives of tawaifs in Lahore’s Heera Mandi during the Indian independence movement against British rule. The series features a talented cast, including Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Segal Mehta, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman, and Adhyayan Suman.