Mahira Khan

Mahira Khan
ماہرہ خان
Khan in 2024
Born
Mahira Hafeez Khan

(1984-12-21) 21 December 1984
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Alma materSanta Monica College
OccupationActress
Years active2006–present
Spouse
  • Ali Askari
    (m. 2007; div. 2015)

    Salim Karim
    (m. 2023)
Children1
AwardsFull list

Mahira Hafeez Khan (pronounced [maɦiːraː hafiːz kʰan]; born 21 December 1984) is a Pakistani actress known for her work in films and television. One of the highest-paid actresses in Pakistan, she has received several accolades, including seven Lux Style Awards and eight Hum Awards.

After working as a video jockey for various television shows, Khan made her acting debut in 2011 with a supporting role in Shoaib Mansoor's blockbuster social drama Bol (2011). She then played a troubled wife in the highly successful romantic television drama Humsafar (2011), which won her the Lux Style Award for Best Television Actress. She gained wider recognition for portraying a range of unconventional characters in several top-rated television series, including the religious drama Shehr-e-Zaat (2012), the biographical romance Sadqay Tumhare (2014), and the romantic drama Bin Roye (2016), all of which earned her multiple Best Actress awards and nominations.

Khan established herself by starring as the female lead in two of Pakistan's highest-grossing productions—the 2015 romantic drama Bin Roye and the 2016 coming-of-age musical drama Ho Mann Jahan. Her first project in Hindi cinema came with the crime thriller Raees (2017), which ranks among the highest-grossing Indian films of 2017. She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of a rape victim in the revenge drama Verna (2017), and an aspiring actress in the musical drama Superstar (2019). After a short break, she appeared in the 2022 action films Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad and The Legend of Maula Jatt, both of which became major box-office successes. She produced the sports-based web series Baarwan Khiladi (2022).

Outside of acting, Khan supports social causes related to women's rights and the refugee crisis. She has worked with UNICEF since 2019 and was appointed as the national and global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Afghan refugees in Pakistan the same year. She has also co-hosted several award ceremonies and is a prominent celebrity endorser for major brands and products. Khan is known to be private about her personal life, which often attracts media attention.