Meet the Jodha Akbar siblings: Saniya ‘Anarkali’ Touqeer and Sumbul ‘Mehtab’ Touqeer

Siblings Saniya Touqeer and Sumbul Touqeer have always wanted to be actors. But they never imagined getting their first big break as actors in the very same show!!

Yes, the two kids who have recently entered Balaji Telefilms’ Jodha Akbar on Zee TV are happy to be working on the same set. While the younger sister Saniya, aged 7 years plays the role of Anarkali, the elder sibling Sumbul, aged 10 years plays the character of Mehtab, the niece of Akbar.

They are being solely brought up by their father, Mr. Touqeer after the demise of their mother three years back. Touqeer, a choreographer who works for dance reality shows, shifted base from Delhi to Mumbai three years back. And it is a proud moment indeed for the father to see his two daughters debuting as actors on television.

Says the father, “Saniya and Sumbul have always shown an interest for acting. Saniya is more of an extrovert, while Sumbul is a bit shy. Saniya and Sumbul have earlier participated in three reality shows – Zee TV’s Dance India Dance, Star Plus’ India’s Dancing Superstar and Hindustan Ka Big Star on Big Magic. Jodha Akbar is a big learning curve for them, and I am happy with their debut as actors.”

Ask him how he single-handedly manages the workload of both the kids and he says, “Well, it used to be tough earlier. But now, I have settled into my responsibility completely. I am enjoying my dual role of being a father and mother to my two daughters.”

Saniya and Sumbul have trained under Monika Verma’s academy called Sehejmoodra Acting Academy. Monika Verma has had a 12 years experience in theatre.

We wish the siblings all the luck in their acting career!!