THE CROWN OF COOL

Humayun Saeed on landing a Netflix hit, his measured approach to acting, and the kiss that could have been controversial

- PUJA AWASTHI

August, 2021.

It was the worst of times for Humayun Saeed, actor, producer and entrepreneur. He had fever, burning eyes and crushing fatigue-he was just recovering from a nasty case of Covid.

Yet, it was the best of times. Saeed was up for a final meeting with the makers of The Crown, the hit Netflix series that premiered in 2016. The fifth season of the show was starting production, and he was being considered for the role of Dr Hasnat Khan, a British-Pakistani surgeon who dated Princess Diana shortly before her death. The meeting happened in the basement of his Karachi home, with him crouched over a screen as the unstable internet connection played havoc with the audio and video. He relaxed only after the producers said, "Fantastic." "I was hopeful that the role would be mine," says Saeed, who had earlier passed two rounds of auditions. The first was a solo bit, where Khan explains heart surgery. The second was Khan chatting with Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki, near a vending machine.

After the audition, Saeed told his agent to call him only if the part was his. Two weeks went without any call. "Yet, I still imagined him calling me and saying 'Congratulations' as his first word. That is exactly what happened," he chuckles.

Saeed, 51, is one of the biggest names in Pakistan's entertainment industry. In his last television drama, Mere Paas Tum Ho, he played a cuckold. Such was its popularity that the final episode was screened in cinemas. Thanks to TV dramas such as Ishq Junoon Deewangi (2009) and films like Bin Roye (2015), he has a large fan base in India as well.

Known to be shy, Saeed was initially out of sorts on the sets of The Crown. Debicki reassured him that Peter Morgan, the creator, loved him. "One day, while giving her cues, I missed one line and was profusely apologetic. She said it was the best that could have happened, for I was so focused on not forgetting my dialogues. That put me at ease," he says.