Pakistani stars used to have quite well-defined career spans in the past. One could appear as a hero or a heroine for a certain period of time. Ageism has always been an unfortunate reality of the showbiz industry. Women and men are both targeted by it, but women specifically get targeted far more than men. Women are called all sorts of names, and they are pushed to play side characters as soon as they hit 40.
Pakistani stars in the past have seen long-running careers with actors like Muhammad Ali and Sultan Rahi playing heroes well into their 50s and 60s. Actresses, on the other hand, are asked to play sisters and mothers after 40. Only a few were able to play the lead after a certain age. Here is a list of stars who have been targets of ageism in the year 2025, but they are still running:
Mahira Khan
Mahira Khan is one of the biggest Pakistani stars. She started her career at a very young age as a VJ. She later made her acting debut with the film Bol and the drama Neeyat. The star has risen to unprecedented heights, and she has been working in the industry for 14 years now. Mahira Khan just turned 40, and she broke a taboo as she owned her age completely. She shared in a few interviews that she wants to be authentic to herself, and she does not feel that one needs to hide their age. This is what she said recently:
Humayun Saeed
Humayun Saeed is not just a Pakistani star but also one of the biggest producers in the country. He started his career with dramas and later not just appeared in films but also became one of the only two people who could pull the Pakistani audience to cinemas. The actor recently appeared in Love Guru, and the internet age-shamed him as soon as the trailer dropped. Humayun did not take it to heart, and he had fun with it. Humayun’s candid way of dealing with ageism:
Mehwish Hayat
Mehwish Hayat is a big Pakistani star. She has given countless hit dramas, and she is a successful name in Pakistani cinema. The actress also worked in Hollywood as an integral part of the Ms Marvel series. The actress has been a successful name for years now, and she still plays the lead character. She is another name who has been a target of age-shaming by the audience. Recently, she spoke about how people need to stop pressuring women not to age, as ageing is natural in an interview. Here is what Mehwish spoke about when she recently addressed age-shaming:
Faysal Quraishi
Faysal Quraishi is not just a Pakistani star but also a versatile actor. He has performed different roles in his career. He is also among a few leading actors from the current generation who played old characters when he was really young. But he has also been age-shamed recently. A few critics called him out for apparently using makeup to look younger in his drama Raaja Rani. The actor clarified that he is playing a man in his 40s, but the character demanded to work on his look and to seem a bit younger than his real age. This is how Javed Sheikh defended Faysal:
Fahad Mustafa
Fahad Mustafa went from dramas to Jeeto Pakistan and films. He has done a great job and catapulted his career to greater heights. The actor stopped appearing on television, and when he decided to make a comeback, it was opposite Hania Aamir in Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum. The public was sceptical initially as he was playing a guy way younger than his real age, and the age difference between him and Hania was big. But he proved everyone wrong with the way he not just played Mustafa but became Mustafa.
Bushra Ansari
Bushra Ansari is considered a legend of Pakistan. She started her career as a child artist and grew into an actress whose talent is unparalleled. She strives to be a happy person. Despite facing so many struggles and losses in her life, she never backed down from being happy and being herself. She still sings and dances and wears what she likes without caring about the judgment of the world. She has proven time and again that age is just a number.
Faisal Rehman
Faisal Rehman is a Pakistani film star who moved successfully towards television. He is among a few actors of Pakistan who have seen success in every era. Recently, he made a comeback with Qarz e Jaan, and he single-handedly owned the audience over more than anyone else in the show. He was being hit by ageist comments left, right and center. Everyone was asking him how he maintains fitness at his age. He got so fed up that he made a joke that he is so old that he has met Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The joke went viral, and many thought he was speaking the truth. Here is the joke:
Adnan Siddiqui
Adnan Siddiqui is another Pakistani star who has been a part of the acting fraternity for more than two decades. He has a legacy of good projects, and he has also become a successful producer. The actor is known to choose roles that are age-appropriate, and he can pick up some real sleaze ball characters like the one in Khuboo Mein Basay Khat. But he has also appeared opposite some younger actresses and played a character like Shehwar in Mere Paas Tum Ho. These characters do bring up age-shaming comments for the actor, but he takes them on gracefully and focuses on his work.
Hira Mani
Hira Mani started her acting career after her marriage and two kids. She rose to fame due to her great acting skills and her very bubbly personality. Her boys are all grown up now but Hira is not a person who would back down from what she loves. She is still her jolly self. She will make the videos she likes. She will wear what she wants to wear. But the actress get age shamed quite a lot as she is a mother to two sons and she still looks jolly and carefree.
Nida Yasir
Nida Yasir is a Pakistani star host. She has been hosting the longest running morning show of Pakistan and she has done it successfully. The starlet has always shared that she did not know much about fashion and styling when she was younger. She has groomed herself with time and now she experiments quite a lot. But she gets called out of she wears something that fans do not like. Nida does not care about it and does what she believes is right for her.
Which Pakistani star do you think fights age-shaming in the best way? Share in comments!
