Pakistani Actors are known all around the globe. The Pakistani drama industry is the biggest in the entertainment umbrella of the land. The dramas have always been loved by everyone who can speak and understand Urdu and Hindi all over the world. With Humsafar, the drama world got back to the fame game and all the stars in the country have been made by the dramas. However, like all the other departments in Pakistan, camps and favouritism run deep and many great stars and talent never get the roles and position that they truly deserve. Some are not given the chance to do lead characters while others are not given work according to their potential.
Mediocre people with better networking keep snatching up opportunities from these stars while their talent though is acknowledged by everyone, they remain underrated due to the lack of good opportunities. Mediocrity in the entertainment world is also reigning supreme like all the other fields in Pakistan and many great actors have remained underrated and not reached their deserved potential of being a star. Here is a list of a few names who are very underrated and never given enough due for their talent and performances:
Haris Waheed
Haris Waheed is from NAPA and his talent shows in each of his projects. He started acting from theatre and later on joined dramas. He has notable projects under his belt like Udaari, Sammi and the recently concluded Jaan e Jahan. Haris Waheed has the looks, the talent and he has proven himself over and over again. But he does not have millions of followers or a network of power backing him thus he keeps getting negative roles or supporting characters mostly.
Haris Waheed has the ability to shine in every appearance and that is what he did once again in Jaan e Jahan. He single-handedly ate Hamza Ali Abbasi with his presence and it is high time that he gets better roles and leading characters as he has the prowess to win the audience every time.
Jinaan Hussain
Jinaan Hussain is another starlet who has proved herself time and time again. She rose to fame with the drama Bashar Momin and since then she has done dramas like Muqabil, Gul e Rana, Ishq Zah e Naseeb and she has just blew eeryone’s minds with Working Women that aired on Green TV.
Jinaan is a graduate of NCA and she is an artist at heart. She is tall, beautiful and talented and she deserves better characters than playing a sister or sister-in-law.
Srha Asgar
Srha Asgar is an actress, host and dancer. She is a talented artist and a ball of energy. Srha has the looks, the style and the ability to dominate the screens. She has been doing supporting characters in dramas like Aakhir Kab Tak, Pyar Ke Sadqay, Ishq Murshid and the recently concluded Akhara.
Srha knows how to be the backbone in a scene and she has all the ingredients to be a leading lady but she is still stuck playing sister characters and not getting the lead roles that she totally deserves.
Rabya Kulsoom
Rabya Kulsoom is the daughter of veteran actress Parveen Akbar and sister to Faizan Sheikh but the actress made her way into the industry by herself. She is beautiful and talented and she was able to give her best in front of the best in the industry.
Rabya has done wonders in dramas like Fraud, Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha and Mannat Murad. She has the ability to hold her own but she like Srha is still getting supporting roles and mostly sister characters. She deserves to get lead roles on the prime time as she has the talent to win hearts.
Sunita Marshall
Sunita Marshall is a self-made star. She started her career with modelling and she is a super model of Pakistan. She is a star who broke the mould and showed that people from the fashion industry can work wonders in acting. With dramas like Mera Saien, Tair e Lahooti and Qaid e Tanhai, Sunita Marshall showed the world what she is made of.
She is still extremely beautiful and her screen presence can blow you over but the industry is making her take up sister in law roles. With Sunita, Pakistanis have the opportunity to have their very own Tabu or Kate Winslet but she is being cast in “character” roles as they call them nowadays because she is not 20 anymore.
Nadia Afgan
Nagia Afgan is a very natural actress. She has always focused on the characters she has picked up and not on her personal vanity. She has many memorable roles to her credit and as soon as you say Shashlik or Shahana, you suddenly have Nadia’s image in your mind. She can do both comedy and serious with equal prowess which is not something everyone is capable of.
With her recent stint in Kabli Pulao as Shamim, she blew everyone over and showed the world how such graceful talent is being wasted in Pakistan and she is getting the roles of mother to people who are nearly as old as her.
Faraz Farooqui
Faraz Farooqui and his twin brother joined the industry together. They have been known for their dancing skills and entertaining videos but Faraz Farooqui has a lot more to offer. The actor has been a part of dramas like Ishq Hai, Malal e Yaar and Bandish 2 and he has been trying hard to get better characters to perform.
With his latest stint in Akhara, he showed what he is made of. From changing his physique to nailing the sensitive character of Sultan, Faraz Farooqui shows how he deserves better opportunities but he is another actor who is not getting what he deserves. Faraz was able to overshadow Feroze Khan with a single good opportunity when Feroze has a massive following.
Faiza Gillani
Faiza Gillani made her acting debut in the late 90s and she has since worked on projects that she has liked. Her talent is unmatched and she is an actress who has maintained her style, fitness and polished her acting skills over the years. Faiza Gillani has been a part of dramas like Mannat Murad, Deewangi, Jhok Sarkar and Serial Killer recently.
Faiza is also being treated like Nadia Afgan where she is getting side roles that do not matter sometimes but she still makes people notice her. Her stint in Serial Killer is enough to show the world her capabilities and how much the industry is losing by ignoring her talent.
Nabeel Zafar
Nabeel Zafar started his career with Din on PTV and became a sensation with Dhuwan. He has since been working in the industry and he has shown how good he is in serious characters. He is also the producer for Bulbulay, the only true sitcom running on television. Nabeel is now typecast as the funny one and people know him from Bulbulay.
He recently broke the Bulbulay bubble and appeared in Sar e Rah where we could see how much talent he has but he is not signing any dramas as he only gets offered bechara father roles who have nothing to do in the script and they just die.
Hiba Ali Khan
Hiba Ali Khan is another actress who has all the potential and she can emote with her eyes. After taking a sabbatical from acting, she made her comeback with Mayi Ri in a negative role and she just hit it out of the park. She is beautiful, she has talent and style and she can be featured in diverse roles.
What the producers are doing now is casting her in evil sister in law roles in dramas like Rah e Junoon and Jaan Nisar. An actress with so much to offer should be given opportunities in good scripts and not simply be pushed into a box.
Mohib Mirza
Mohib Mirza has the talent, the looks, the persona and the ability to dominate the screens. He is a great artist and his eye for good scripts should be commended. He is also a host and a director who can do wonders with his magical eye. But Mohib has not worked in a lot of projects over the years despite being one of the best leading men in Pakistan.
The reason once again is subpar scripts and nothing exciting on the table which has pushed Mohib to say yes to only a few dramas and this is honestly a loss for the industry.
Adnan Shah Tipu
Adnan Shah Tipu is a Pakistani actor who has worked internationally and he has worked in all the genres in Pakistan as well, a feather not worn by many Pakistani stars. He got standing ovations recently at film festivals for his film In Flames while at the same time he blew away the Pakistani audience in Standup Girl.
He has worked in dramas like Dil Na Umeed To Nahin and Zard Patton Ka Bunn and his acting talent is supreme. However, the star is still not given the due and fame that he deserves in Pakistan where kids with zero talent and better social media numbers will be prioritized over a star like Adnan Shah Tipu.
Not giving proper opportunities to such actors is lowering the IQ of the industry for sure. It is high time that Pakistan recognizes true talent. There is nothing wrong with loving on mainstream stars with their flair and following but actual good talent needs to get appreciation before we have no one left to make a legend for the next generation. Who else is an underrated Pakistani actor or actress according to you? Share in comments!