Fawad Afzal Khan[a] (born 29 November 1981) is a Pakistani actor, producer, screenwriter, songwriter and singer known for his work in films and Urdu television. Khan is a recipient ofseveral accolades, including aFilmfare Award, twoLux Style Awards, and sixHum Awards.
Khan began his acting career on the television sitcom,Jutt and Bond. He formed analternative rock band,Entity Paradigm, with the show's co-stars and began his music career as its lead singer. The band appeared on the finale ofPepsi Battle of the Bands in 2002 and Khan became known for its 2003 debut album,Irtiqa. After about 250 performances, he left the band to pursue a film career. Khan made his film debut with a supporting role in the social drama,Khuda Kay Liye (2007), one ofPakistan's highest-grossing films.
Khan studied at an American school, where he said he faced racial issues and was bullied because of his shy, calm, non-combative nature.[10] Khan passed hisA-Levels at theLahore Grammar School, Johar Town (LGS JT), and received a bachelor's degree insoftware engineering from theNational University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES) in Lahore.[11][12][13] Because he could not find a job as aprogrammer, he soon began acting.[14] In aForbes India interview, Khan said that he had also failed to find a job in marketing.[15] By then he could play guitar, bass and drums, and becameEntity Paradigm's lead singer.[16] Khan's first amateur performance was in the title role of a play,Spartacus.[17]
Khan's firsttelevision role was a bumbling spy named Bond with his bandmate,Ahmad Ali Butt, in the 2001 sitcomJutt and Bond.[18][19] His debut film wasShoaib Mansoor'ssociodramaKhuda Kay Liye, where he played a musician who is brainwashed by the localmaulvi.[20] Although the film received positive reviews, critical response to Khan's performance was mixed.Taran Adarsh ofBollywood Hungama called it "strictly OK",[21] butThe Economic Times' film critic Gaurav Malani found him "engaged" in the role of an extremist.[22] Released in 2007, the film grossedRs. 250 million and is one ofPakistan's highest-grossing films.[23] Khan received theLux Style Award for Best Actor – Film in 2008,[3] and appeared in the TV seriesDil Deke Jaenge.[6] Later that year, inAnjum Shahzad'stravel adventure TV seriesSatrangi, he played an engineer who goes on a road trip.[24][25][18] In 2010, Khan played a conservative, middle-class boy in the telefilmAaj Kuch Na Kaho. Although it received negative reviews,Dawn found Khan "superbly convincing" and called him the film's "only redeeming factor".[26] That year, he starred withSanam Baloch inHaissam Hussain'speriod TV seriesDastaan. Based onRazia Butt's novel,Bano, its story (set in the 1940s) revolves around the separation of a young couple during the1947 partition.[27] ADawn reviewer wrote that Khan and his costars gave "superlative performances to match Samira Fazal's wonderful script",[28] andThe Express Tribune praised the lead pair's onscreen chemistry.[29] For his performance, Khan won the Best Drama Actor award at thePakistan Media Awards.[30]
Haissam Hussain's comedyAkbari Asghari, a modern adaptation ofMirat-ul-Uroos, was Khan's first television series in 2011; he played Asghar, an unambitious villager who wants to marry one of his cousins.[31] In an interview withThe Hindu's Anuj Kumar, Khan described his character as "completely oaf[ish]".[32] InKuch Pyar Ka Pagalpan, his third collaboration with Hussain, he starred with Sanam Baloch,Meekal Zulfiqar andAyesha Khan as a computer engineer who wants to take over his uncle's business.[33][34] Khan later starred withMahira Khan inSarmad Khoosat's TV serial drama,Humsafar, for which he won the Best Actor award at the 2012Lux Style Awards.[35]Humsafar is Pakistan's highest-rated television serial.[36] The series and Khan's performance were praised. Ranika Rajani praisedHumsafar inThe Indian Express, calling it a "breath of fresh air" and preferring it to Indian soap operas. According to Rajani, the lead pair's chemistry was the biggest factor in the show's success.[37]Zee News critic Ritka Handoo enjoyed the protagonists' performances, calling the Khans a "quite believable onscreen couple".[38]
Khan's first 2012 role was Rohail, aTurkish resident who goes to Pakistan to marry his cousin but instead marries her sister, in Sarmad Khoosat'sAshk.[39][40] That year, he played a member of an affluent family (withSanam Saeed) inSultana Siddiqui's family-drama TV seriesZindagi Gulzar Hai. The serial, one of the most critically acclaimedPakistani dramas, also received widespread praise inIndia.[41] Dipti Sharma ofThe Indian Express enjoyed Khan's skillful portrayal.[42] The role earned him several awards, including theHum Award for Best Actor Popular and the Lux Style Award for Best Actor – Satellite.[43][44] Khan's last TV serial wasAhson Talish's sociodrama,Numm. Broadcast in 2013, Khan played a boy who secretly marries a girl inLondon and is forced to marry another girl when he returns to Pakistan.[45]Behadd, directorAsim Raza's telefilm, featured Khan as a young divorcee who proposes to a widow who is the mother of a teenage girl.[46] TheTimes of India noted that Khan's character inBehadd was different from those inHumsafar andZindagi Gulzar Hai, calling it "another benchmark".[47] His last telefilm was Anjum Shahzad's romanceArmaan (withAamina Sheikh), where he played a young, flirtatious boy.[48] He also co-wrote the telefilm's screenplay, withVasay Chaudhry.[49]
Khan was originally expected to make his debut inIndia'sHindi film industry, commonly known as 'Bollywood', soon after the release ofKhuda Kay Liye but the unstable political situation between India and Pakistan after the2008 Mumbai terror attacks delayed it.[50] He made his Bollywood debut inShashanka Ghosh's 2014comedy-drama,Khoobsurat, withSonam Kapoor.[51] Khan played Vikram Singh Rathore, Kapoor's love interest and the son of her patient.[52] OnZee News, Ritika Handoo praised his "immensely polished acting skills" and said that he fit his character very well.[53] Deepanjana Pal ofFirstpost liked Gosh's decision to make Khan's character a sex object, feeling that he blazed a trail for other male actors in similar roles.[54] The film was particularly well received in theUK, theUAE, and Pakistan because of Khan's following in those countries from his television work.[55][56] He received aFilmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his role in the film.[57]
Khan made a cameo appearance inAsim Raza'scoming-of-age film,Ho Mann Jahaan, in January 2016.[58] He then had a main role inShakun Batra's family drama,Kapoor & Sons. The film, which featured Khan as part of an ensemble cast includingRishi Kapoor,Ratna Pathak Shah,Rajat Kapoor,Sidharth Malhotra, andAlia Bhatt, was a commercial success. The actor received near-unanimous critical praise for his portrayal of Rahul Kapoor, acloseted homosexual writer.[59][60] ABollywood Hungama reviewer enjoyed Khan's performance, saying that his character creates an emotional connection with the audience,[61] andNDTV film critic Saibal Chaterjee praised his self-assured performance.[62]Kapoor & Sons earned Khan the Diversity Award at theIndian Film Festival of Melbourne[63][64] and a nomination forBest Supporting Actor at the62nd Filmfare Awards.[65] According to the film's producer,Karan Johar, "We went to six actors and after six rejections, I told Shakun Batra (director) that we should drop the idea and he started developing another screenplay. Later, in a flash of thought Fawad came to my mind. I sent him the script, he loved it and said he would do it."[66] In September 2016, Johar said that Khan's wife pressured him to accept the role.[67] Later in 2016, Khan appeared in a small role withRanbir Kapoor,Anushka Sharma, andAishwarya Rai Bachchan in Karan Johar'sromantic drama,Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.[68]Raja Sen ofRediff.com found his role "far too little to justify the ridiculous kerfuffle his casting had caused", but called him the perfect choice for the part.[69] InDeccan Chronicle Subhash K. Jha described Khan's role as "meagre and sketchy".[70]
After the2016 Uri terror attack, relations betweenIndia andPakistan deteriorated and the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) and the Film Producers Guild of India banned Pakistani artists from working in India until the situation normalised.[71]
Khan (right) performing with Ahmed Ali Butt in 2009.
Two rock bands,Ahmed Ali Butt's Entity and Khan's Paradigm, were active inLahore between 1994 and 2000. The bands collaborated on the title track of a television sitcom,Jutt and Bond (featuring Khan and Ahmed Ali Butt), in the early 2000s.[86] This collaboration led to the bands' merger intoEntity Paradigm.[87] The new band appeared in the 2002 finale ofPepsi Battle of the Bands, losing to the bandAaroh.[88] Entity Paradigm's debut album,Irtiqa, was released in October 2003; it received broad critical appreciation, particularly the popular romantic track "Rahguzar".[24] The band broke up in 2007, reuniting in 2010 to participate in thethird season ofCoke Studio (where they coveredSajjad Ali's "Bolo Bolo").[89][90] Their single, "Shor Macha", was released that year.Dawn listed it among the year's most popular Pakistani songs in the newspaper's online poll.[91] Khan was featured in its video (directed byBilal Lashari),[92] and said that he had played almost 250 shows as a musician.[93] He left the band in 2012 to focus on his acting career.[94]
Khan appeared as a judge onPepsi Battle of the Bands in July 2017, withAtif Aslam andMeesha Shafi.[95] He sang the show's introductory song,[96] and appeared in its video (released on 23 July) with Aslam and Shafi.[97][98] According to Vafa Batool ofPakistan Today, Khan "preferred to acknowledge the raw live energy on stage."[99] Khan and the other members of Entity Paradigm reunited and performed "Hamesha" in the show's finale.[100]
Khan attendedIslamic Relief USA fundraisers inSan Jose andWashington, D.C.,[101] and raised money for the Shukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre inBahrain.[102] He has supportedSOS Children's Villages by participating in children's carnivals in 2014 and 2017.[103][104] In March 2015, Khan toured theUnited States andCanada and raised money for Pakistani charities;[105] he has also raised money in London for charitable organisations in Pakistan.[106] He and his wife participated in a musical tour of the United States to raise money for charitable organisations throughout Pakistan.[107] In November 2015, they officiated at the launch of a tree-planting event organised by the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Peshawar.[4] Khan appeared inAli Zafar's music video, "Urainge", which was made as a tribute to the victims of the2014 Peshawar school attack.[108]
Khan is one of the highest-paid actors in the Pakistani film industry.[121][122] According to director and producerAbdullah Kadwani, "Fawad is the closest actor toWaheed Murad."[48] Soon after the release ofKhoobsurat,The Indian Express's Mimansa Shekhar wrote that the actor redefined the Bollywood actor with charm, replacing "stereotype body builders with six packs".[123] After the success ofKapoor & Sons, Nirmalya Dutta ofDaily News and Analysis called Khan's portrayal of a gay male "a big leap forward for India'sLGBT movement"; in India, where homosexuality was illegal at that time, "Khan had the guts and gumption to play this seminal role."[124] In August 2016,Ranbir Kapoor said that Khan opened a door by playing a gay man and he was now comfortable playing such a role.[125]
Khan is described bySouth Asian media as one of its most attractive men,[126] and he was named the Most Beautiful Man at the2015 Vogue Beauty Awards.[127] He was ranked third in theTimes of India's 50 Most Desirable Men poll in 2014[128] and 2015,[129] and was fifth in 2016.[130] In November 2014, Khan received the Fresh Face of the Year Award at theHello! Hall of Fame Awards in India.[131] The British magazineEastern Eye ranked Khan seventh in 2014[132] and sixth from 2015 to 2018[133] third[134] and sixth[135] on its annual list of sexiest Asian men. For his style and fashion, he received the Crush of the Year Award at the Grazia Young Fashion Awards.[136] TC Candler, an independent critics list, nominated Khan as one of the 100 Most Handsome Faces of 2017.[137] He was nominated for the International Pakistan Prestige Award for Style Icon of the Year in September 2017[138] (which went toHamza Ali Abbasi).[139]
The Herald named Khan one of its 10 People of 2016.[140] He was ranked the fifth-most-popular Bollywood actor of November 2014,[141] and was called the most popular Bollywood actor in March 2016 byTimes Celebex.[142]MenXP ranked Khan 37th on its Most Popular Bollywood celebrities of 2014 list.[143] He was the first Pakistani to appear on the cover ofFilmfare magazine, in September 2014,[144] and again appeared on its cover in October 2015[145] and March 2016.[146]Hi! Blizt magazine featured Khan on its cover in 2016.[147] He received the Best Male Debut Award at the IBNlive Movie Awards, with 48.54 per cent of the vote.[148]
Khan married Sadaf Khan (née Ahmad) in 2005 after an eight-year courtship.[149][150] They have three children.[151][failed verification][152] Khan and his wife founded Silk by Fawad Khan, a clothing line,[153] whose debut collection was launched in August 2012 in Lahore.[154]
He was diagnosed withType 1 diabetes at age 17, after an accident which damaged his pancreas.[155] The accident occurred behind a swimming pool, where Khan was scratched and jumped into untreated water. He later realized he had the disease when he lost 10 kilograms (22 lb).[156]
^abAkbar, Ali (11 November 2015)."I will invite Shah Rukh Khan to visit his hometown Peshawar: Fawad Khan".Dawn.Archived from the original on 11 November 2015. Retrieved11 November 2015.I wish I could speak Pashto," he shared with Dawn News. "I am unfortunately one of the non-Pushto speaking Pathans. I am a Pathan, but have been living in Lahore.
^Gupta, Priya (2 August 2014)."Fawad Khan: I cannot imagine my life without my wife".The Times of India. Archived fromthe original on 6 January 2025.My father is pretty much a self-made man and I am proud of that. He was born in Patiala and crossed the border from India to Pakistan when he was four. My mother's family also comes from Lucknow.
^Iqra, Sarfaraz; Adeela, Akmal (12 October 2015)."Real life fairy tales".The News International.Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved28 June 2018.
