Mahira Khan: From VJ Desk to the Top of Pakistani Cinema

Mahira Khan's career began with a microphone, not a script. As a young video jockey in Karachi she spent her evenings on live television, learning in front of an audience of millions. When the film roles arrived, she was ready for them, and Pakistani drama and cinema have been shaped by her choices ever since.

Today she is one of the highest-paid actresses in Pakistan, the winner of seven Lux Style Awards and eight Hum Awards, and a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. This is the story of how the presenter became the star, and of the records she keeps collecting along the way.

Quick facts

• Born: 21 December 1984, Karachi
• Profession: Actress, producer
• Years active: 2006 to present
• Known for: Humsafar (2011), Bin Roye (2015), Raees (2017), Verna (2017), Superstar (2019), The Legend of Maula Jatt (2022), Love Guru (2025), Aag Lagay Basti Mein (2026)
• Awards: seven Lux Style Awards, eight Hum Awards, a Lifetime Achievement honour at the UK Parliament (2024)

Early life

Mahira Hafeez Khan was born in Karachi and completed her A-Levels at Foundation Public School. At seventeen she moved to California, the first woman in her family to travel abroad alone, and studied at Santa Monica College before enrolling at the University of Southern California for a master's degree in English literature. She worked part-time jobs, including shifts at a pharmacy, and has said the experience made her strong and independent. After a year she left her studies and flew home, drawn to acting.

First frame: the VJ years

Khan began her on-camera career in 2006 as a video jockey at MTV Pakistan, hosting the live show Most Wanted five days a week. She later presented Weekend with Mahira on AAG TV. The presenter's chair turned out to be a training ground: quick thinking, warm conversation, and no fear of a live camera, all skills that would define her screen presence.

The Humsafar years

Her acting debut came in 2011 with a supporting role in Shoaib Mansoor's Bol, one of the highest-grossing Pakistani films of its time. Later that year came Humsafar, and everything changed. As Khirad in the adaptation of Farhat Ishtiaq's novel, Khan became a household name at home and across South Asia, and won the Lux Style Award for Best Television Actress.

Critically acclaimed dramas followed. Shehr-e-Zaat (2012) and Sadqay Tumhare (2014) each brought her a Hum Award for Best Actress, and Bin Roye (2016), the serial version of her own film, confirmed her as one of the country's leading actresses.

Film stardom

In cinema, Khan won Lux Style Awards for Best Film Actress for Bin Roye (2015) and Ho Mann Jahaan (2016). In 2017 she made her Hindi film debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Raees, one of the highest-grossing Indian films of the year. Verna, Shoaib Mansoor's social drama about a woman seeking justice, brought her a third Lux Style Award and some of the best reviews of her career. Saat Din Mohabbat In (2018) and Superstar (2019) followed, the latter earning her both the critics' and the viewers' Lux Style Awards.

Records and returns

After a five-year break from television, Khan returned in 2021 with Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay and produced and starred in Aik Hai Nigar, a biopic of Nigar Johar, Pakistan's first female three-star general. In 2022 she appeared in the action comedy Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad and, in her most widely seen role to date, The Legend of Maula Jatt, which became the highest-grossing Pakistani film of all time. She narrated the 2023 mini-series Razia, then returned to cinemas in 2025 with two major releases: the romantic comedy Love Guru with Humayun Saeed, and Neelofar with Fawad Khan.

In 2026, Aag Lagay Basti Mein crossed the Rs 100 crore mark worldwide within weeks of release. With Maula Jatt, Love Guru and Aag Lagay Basti Mein, Khan now appears in three of the highest-grossing Pakistani films of all time.

Producer, ambassador, advocate

Beyond acting, Khan founded Soul Fry Films and produced the sports drama Baarwan Khiladi (2022), and co-founded Mashion, a media platform focused on women's empowerment and mental health. In 2019 she was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, working on behalf of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, and she has campaigned with the Commonwealth's "No More" initiative against domestic abuse.

Khan represented Pakistan at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 and, the following year, became the first Pakistani actor to walk at Paris Fashion Week. In November 2024 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the UK Parliament for her work as a cultural ambassador and for women's empowerment.

Awards at a glance

• Seven Lux Style Awards, including multiple Best Actress honours across television and film
• Eight Hum Awards, including Best Actress for Shehr-e-Zaat and Sadqay Tumhare
• Lifetime Achievement Award, UK Parliament (2024)
• Appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Afghan refugees in Pakistan (2019)

What's next

Khan is attached to Mitti De Baway, a Green Entertainment series announced in 2026 with Wahaj Ali, and to Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samait Lo, Pakistan's first Netflix original series.

Where to follow

• Instagram: @mahirahkhan

From a live television desk in Karachi to the summit of the country's box office, Khan's career has been built on range, timing and an audience's trust. The records are a by-product. The work, as she has said herself, is meant to last.