Zeba Bakhtiar is a famous Pakistani actor, producer and director. He has worked in the Pakistani entertainment industry as well as the Indian film industry.
Wiki/Biography
Zeba Bakhtiar was born Shaheen on Friday, 5 November 1971 (age 51 years; in 2022) in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. His zodiac sign is Scorpio. He attended the Convent School of St. Joseph in Quetta. He attended Karachi Grammar School. Zeba graduated from Kinnaird College for Women University in Lahore, Pakistan. Later, he also attended Balochistan University in Quetta.
Zeba Bakhtiar’s childhood photo with his father
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 7″
Hair Color: Dark Ash Blonde
Eye Color: Light Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father, Yahya Bakhtiar, is a Pakistani lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General of Pakistan. He was born in 1921 in a Pashtun family in Quetta. He attended several schools in Quetta and Lahore. He obtained a degree in Law in London and was later called to the bar in the United Kingdom.
Photo of Zeba Bakhtiar’s father, Yahya Bakhtiar
In 1941, he became a member of the All India Muslim League. He served as a lawyer and statesman of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s cabinet and played an important role in drafting the Constitution of Pakistan 1973. In 1974, he joined the Pakistan People’s Party and left the Majlis Muslim League. In 1977, he was elected as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from the Quetta-Pishin constituency. Yahya was also appointed to the Senate of Pakistan.
Yahya Bakhtiar with General Ziaul Haq and other politicians
When Mr. Bakhtiar represented former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in the court trial against the Zia-ul-Haq government beginning on October 24, 1977, he became famous in Pakistan. Bhutto was sentenced to death after being found guilty of murder on March 18, 1978 and was executed on April 4, 1979. Many Pakistanis refer to the execution of the democratically elected prime minister as “judicial murder.” In 1988, Yahya Bakhtiar was appointed as the Attorney General of Pakistan. He remains the vice-chairman and member of the Central Committee of the Pakistan People’s Party and the president of Balochistan PPP. In addition, he also represented Nawaz Sharif, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Bakhtiar died on 27 June 2003 in Karachi at the age of 81.
Old photos of Zeba Bakhtiar and his father in the 70s
Zeba Bakhtiar’s mother, Eva Bakhtiar, was born to Hungarian parents. She met Yahya Bakhtiar in the early 1940s and they married in 1949. He graduated with honors from University College London in England and moved to Pakistan in 1949. Eva died in 2011. Zeba has two brothers, Saleem Bakhtiar and Karim Bakhtiar, who are both doctors based in the US. His sister, Saira Bakhtiar, is a corporate lawyer based in Karachi.
Picture of Zeba Bakhtiar’s mother
Husband & Son
Zeba Bakhtiar has been married four times. In 1982, Zeba Bakhtiar married Salman Galliani from Quetta. The couple welcomed a daughter but they separated after their marriage went kaput causing Bakhtiar’s sister to adopt their daughter. In 1989, she married Indian actor Javed Jaffrey; however, they filed for divorce within one year of marriage. In 1993, she married music composer Adnan Sami, but they separated five years later. The couple welcomed a son and named him Azaan Sami Khan. Azaan is a singer, and married Sophia Bilgrami at the age of 20.
Zeba Bakhtiar with Adnan Sami Khan
Zeba Bakhtiar with his son, Azaan Sami Khan
In 2008, Zeba married Sohail Khan Leghari in Pakistan.
religion
He follows Islam.
Career
Actor
Television series
In 1988, she made her acting and television debut with the Pakistani television drama series Anarkali, which aired on PTV. Zeba appeared in various popular TV dramas including Tansen (1990), Laag (1998), and Pehli Si Mohabbat (2005).
Zeba Bakhtiar in a still from the television drama Pehli Si Mohabbat (2005)
Movie
Pakistani people
In 1995, she made her debut with the film Sargam where she played the role of Zeb-un-Nisa. He appeared in several Pakistani films including Chief Sahib (1996), Qaid (1996), and Musalman (2001). In 2015, she played the role of Saba’s mother in the romantic drama film Bin Roye.
Zeba Bakhtiar in a still from the movie Bin Roye (2015)
India
In 1991, she made her Bollywood debut when she played the role of Henna in the Hindi film Henna, directed by Randhir Kapoor. Zeba became a household name after he appeared in this film.
Zeba Bakhtiar in a still from the movie Henna (1991)
He appeared in several films including Mohabbat Ki Aarzoo (1994), Stuntman (1994), and Jai Vikraanta (1995).
Bollywood movie poster Jai Vikraanta (1995)
Publisher
He launched his own film production company, ‘Nirvana Films,’ in 1999 and ‘Sagar Entertainment,’ in 2004. He runs his production company One Motion Pictures with his son, Azaan. In 2001, he made his debut as a producer and director with the film Urdu Babu. In 2014, Zeba and his son, Azaan Sami Khan, produced the Pakistani spy thriller O21 (or Operation 21 formerly The Extortionist), starring Shaan Shahid and Ayub Khoso. In 2017, he joined his father’s family real estate development business where he undertook his first project ‘Bakhtiar Mall’ in Quetta.
Controversy
Breach of Agreement
In 2003, Arshad Sami Khan filed a case against Zeba Bakhtiar for breach of agreement, on behalf of Adnan Sami Khan where Arshad appealed for the court to order Zeba to allow Azaan Sami Khan (son of Zeba and Adnan) to meet his father, Adnan Sami Khan, without any hindrance. He also claimed that three months before, there was a settlement between the two families and after that they withdrew all the cases against Zeba and his father, Yahya Bakhtiar, but the latter did not withdraw their cases against the Sami family. The reconciliation agreement stated that Azaan would be allowed to see his father at any time without any delay; however, Zeba Bakhtiar refused to allow his son to meet. While pleading with the court to allow his grandson to unite with his son, Adnan, Arshad warned Zeba’s family and said that the twelve cases, which were withdrawn against Zeba Bakhtiar and his family, will be reopened to get justice.
Award
- In 1995, she was awarded the Nigar Award for Best Actress for the Pakistani film Sargam (1995).
- In 2004, he won the Chairman’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the Pakistani entertainment industry at the 3rd Lux Style Awards held in Dubai.
Zeba Bakhtiar after winning the Chairman’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the 3rd Lux Style Awards in 2015
- In 2018, Zeba won the Excellence Award for Timeless Beauty at the HUM Style Awards.
Zeba Bakhtiar after winning the Excellence Award for Eternal Beauty at the 2018 HUM Style Awards
Facts/Trivia
- Zeba was diagnosed with diabetes in his early 20s. He often organizes diabetes awareness campaigns in different forums. In an interview, while talking about participating in the awareness drive, he said,
Although I have been officially working to raise awareness about diabetes for over a year now. I have not yet been able to provide free medicine, tests and treatment to patients who cannot afford it.”
- Zeba was selected for the Eisenhower Fellowship South Asia program in 2012 to study the topic ‘possibility of using media for social change and development.’
- Zeba has worked in Bollywood films with several popular actors including Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, and Jackie Shroff.
Zeba Bakhtiar with Saif Ali Khan
- Zeba is the CEO of Sagar Entertainment, a production company.
- She became the chairman of Diya Women’s Football Club, which is a Pakistani women’s football and futsal club association based in Karachi.
- In 2012, when Adnan Sami’s second wife, Sabah Galadari, filed a case against Adnan under the domestic violence act, Zeba Bakhtiar came to support Adnan and said,
He can be a bad husband but can’t hurt anyone.”
- In 2014, Zeba Bakhtiar announced a boycott of three cinemas, Capri and Bambino Cinemas in Karachi and Dreamland Cinemas in Multan. The screening of the film Operasi 021 was shown in conjunction with Aidilfitri but closed after 25 minutes, he revealed while addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC).
- In September 2020, she was appointed as the president of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI) in Pakistan.
- She has been featured on the cover of several fashion magazines.
Zeba Bakhtiar is featured on the cover of SHE Magazine
- Zeba has also appeared in various TV commercials and print ads as a model.
Zeba Bakhtiar in a print ad
- While talking about Rishi Kapoor in an interview, Zeba said that after she met Rishi Kapoor, she felt as if he was also a part of her family. He also said that he keeps in touch with her through calls and online social media platforms. Furthermore, Rishi’s brother Randhir Kapoor also made sure Zeba was aware of Rishi’s health.
Before this mobile phone came into our life, I used to call her on her landline to wish her happy birthday and Diwali. And once the WhatsApp trend started, we communicated about it to greet each other. Also, he used to text me whenever a Ranbir Kapoor film was released and I used to make it a point to watch it.”
- Zeba is a fitness enthusiast and often shares her fitness regimen on social media.
Zeba Bakhtiar during exercise
- Zeba is a pet lover and has a Labrador Retriever.
Zeba Bakhtiar with his dog
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
