Bollywood has been very accepting of talents not only from our own country but also from abroad. Considering the strained relations between India and our neighboring country, Pakistan, they still gave us a host of great talents that the industry admires. Here’s a list of 10 Pakistani’s who made an impact in Bollywood.
Fawad Khan
No wonder this Pakistani heart throb rules the list. With a charming face and unmatched acting skills Fawad ruled the silver screen for a long time. He worked on big ticket films like Khoobsurat, Kapoor and Sons and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and also won a filmfare award for his debut film.
Mahira Khan
Mahira Hafeez Khan is a Pakistani actress born in Karachi, Sindh. She had a successful film career in Pakistan with various accolades to her name. She co-starred in Rahul Dholakia’s film ‘Raees’ alongside Shah Rukh Khan in 2017. Although tensions escalated between the two countries after the Uri attack in 2016, the film was a huge commercial success.
Atif Aslam
A global icon and Pakistani playback singer Atif Aslam enchanted the Indian audience with his Bollywood debut track ‘Who Lamhe’ in 2005, after that there was no looking back. He has won several musical and acting awards using his soulful voice, unreal charm and brilliant acting. His coke studio debut in 2009 was with his chartbuster songs ‘Tu jane naa’ and ‘Tera hone laga huu’. He is the recipient of numerous filmfare and IIFA awards too.
Ali Zafar
He is a Pakistani singer, song writer, actor, model, producer and screenwriter who won over Bollywood with his incredibly rich voice and charm. He made his Bollywood acting debut with a lead role in ‘Tere Bin Laden’. He also starred in Indian films such as Meri Brother Ki Dulhan. His cameo appearance in SRK starrer ‘Dear Zindagi’ in 2016 was much appreciated. He has various Lux screen awards and Filmfare nominations under his belt.
Imran Abbas
Imran Abbas is a Pakistani actor and model who was born in Islamabad. His family originated from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh but relocated to Pakistan post-independence. He started his modelling at the tender age of 20 and made his first television appearance in 2003. He debuted in Bollywood with Mahesh Bhatt’s feature film ‘Creature 3d’ which also won him a Filmfare nomination for ‘best debut male’. He also acted in 2015 film ‘Janisaar’ alongside Pernia Qureshi. He is also a urdu poet by passion.
Sajal Aly
Sajal Aly is a Pakistani born actress who is known for playing a variety of roles in a number of television dramas. She debuted in Bollywood starring opposite Bollywood sensation Sridevi in the crime-thriller feature film ‘Mom’. The film was released in 2017 and was a major box office hit grossing over ₹175 crores in the global market.
Sara Loren
Mona Lizza Hussain aka Sara Loren is a Pakistani model and actress who acts in Urdu and Hindi films and television. She made her Bollywood debut in 2010 with Pooja Bhatt’s film ‘Kajraare’ where her co star was Himesh Reshamiya. After that in 2013 she teamed up with Vishesh Bhatt to star in his psychological thriller ‘Murder 3’. Her ladt known appearance is in the Hindi language comedy drama ‘Fraud Saiyyan’ which was released in 2019.
Saba Qamar
Saba Qamar Zaman is a well known and critically acclaimed actress and television presenter of Pakistani origin. She has acted in several critically acclaimed Hindi films such as ‘Manto’ , opposite Nawazuddin Siddique, ‘Hindi Medium‘ opposite Irfan Khan and other films like ‘Lahore ke aage’. She also bagged 2 filmfare nominations for her role in ‘Hindi Medium’. In 2017 she bagged the role of Qandeel Baloch in the Pakistani biographical drama ‘Baaghi’.
Humaima Malick
A Pakistani actress and model by profession, she appears in a number of both Pakistani and Bollywood films and serials. Her Bollywood debut was in Kunal Deshmukh’s ‘Raja Natwarlal’, where she co starred with Imran Hashmi. Released in 2014, the film received positive reviews from critics.
Veena Malik
Veena Malik is a Pakistani actress, TV host, model and reality television personality who works in the Indian and Pakistani entertainment industry. In 2010 Veena appeared in Indian reality TV show ‘Big Boss’. After that she also became a part of the Cricket World cup reality show, ‘Big Toss’ as a team captain. She also has been a part of several Punjabi and Kannada films and some item songs in the mainstream Bollywood movies.
