Meesha Shafi (Urdu: ) is a Canadian singer, actress, and model of Pakistani origin.
She made her film debut as a supporting actress in Mira Nair's 2013 film The Reluctant Fundamentalist. She received critical acclaim for her performance as Laxmi, an Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing operative, in Bilal Lashari's action thriller film Waar, which is one of Pakistan's highest-grossing films of all time.
Shafi was born in 1981 in Lahore, Pakistan to actress Saba Hameed and Syed Pervaiz Shafi. She attended Lahore Grammar School for her A Levels and graduated from National College of Arts in 2007 with a degree in fine arts. Shafi became a Canadian citizen in 2016.
Career sModelling
Shafi debuted in the modelling industry at the age of 17 when she co-starred in the music video for "Bin Teray Kya Hai Jeena" with Jawad Ahmed. Shafi was named L'Oreal Paris Pakistan's brand ambassador in 2009. She has appeared in numerous Pakistani publications as well as international publications such as L'Officiel and Vogue India.
Acting
Shafi made her Hum TV debut in the 2006 series Muhabbat Khawab Ki Soorat. In 2007, she appeared in the Geo TV series Ye Zindagi To Woh Nahi.
She made her film debut alongside Kate Hudson and Riz Ahmed in Mira Nair's 2012 Hollywood film The Reluctant Fundamentalist (based on Mohsin Hamid's novel of the same name). The film depicts the negative impact of Americans on Muslims following 9/11. Shafi had a minor role in the film, appearing in only two scenes as the male lead's sister. The film received mixed reviews from critics and did not make a profit at the box office.
She then co-starred in Bilal Lashari's Pakistani film Waar with Shaan Shahid. The Pakistani media praised her portrayal of Laxmi, an Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing operative. The film earned her the ARY Film Awards' 'Best Supporting Actress' award in 2014.
In 2016, Shafi will play the lead in the TV costume drama Mor Mahal, which is set in the mid-nineteenth century.
Shafi made an appearance in the film Mustache, which premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in 2023.
A career in music
Shafi began her singing career with her husband's band Overload, but left in 2011. Shafi performed "Alif Allah (Jugni)" with internationally acclaimed folk singer Arif Lohar on Coke Studio Pakistan Season 3. The single, originally composed and performed by Lohar, amassed over 20 million views on YouTube and was the most-viewed Coke Studio song ever until it was surpassed by "Tajdaar-e-Haram," and was featured in films such as Cocktail, Diary of a Butterfly, and Jugni.
She performed a rendition of the folk song "Chori Chori," to mixed reviews. She returned to Coke Studio (Season 5) in 2012, singing "Ishq Aap Bhi Awalla" with the Chakwalees and a Faiz Ahmad Faiz ghazal, "Dasht-e-Tanhai."
Meesha Shafi returned to the Coke Studio floor for the third time in 2014 to perform "Sun Ve Balori" with composer and tabla guru Ustad Tafu and Strings.
Meesha Shafi contributed vocals to two OSTs in 2015. One such song, 'EVA,' produced by Strings, appears on the soundtrack of the film Moor, which was released in August 2015 and directed by Jami.
In August 2015, she released 'Mehram Dilaan De Mahi' for the OST of the biopic based on the life and works of prose writer Manto (directed and portrayed on screen by Sarmad Khoosat). True Brew Records produced the song, and Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi wrote the lyrics. Manto was released on September 11, 2015.
appearance on television
Shafi joined Strings, Ali Azmat, Shahzad Hasan, and Alamgir as a judge and mentor on the singing talent show Cornetto Music Icons, which aired on ARY Digital in April 2013.
In July 2017, Meesha Shafi joined Fawad Khan and Farooq Ahmed as a judge in the audition round of Pepsi Battle of the Bands Season 2, while Khan, Shafi, Atif Aslam, and Shahi Hasan served as judges in the knockout round. The season's host is Ayesha Omer.
Shafi went on to judge Pepsi Battle of the Bands Seasons 3 and 4!
Private life
Hameed Akhtar, Shafi's maternal grandfather, was a novelist and newspaper columnist, the president of the Progressive Writers' Movement, and the editor of Urdu daily newspapers such as Imroz and Nawa-e-Waqt. She married musician Mahmood Rahman in 2008. The couple has two children: Janevi, a daughter, and Kazimir, a son.
The Ali Zafar Case
Meesha Shafi accused actor Ali Zafar of sexual harassment in 2018. She filed a complaint with the Punjab Ombudsperson (who is supposed to hear cases of workplace harassment of women), who refused to hear the case because she "did not have an employer-employee relationship" with Zafar. Her appeal to the governor was also denied on "technical grounds." Ali and Meesha did not have an employer-employee relationship, according to the Lahore High Court. Meesha's case aided in identifying a loophole in the Pakistani justice system that states that a woman cannot make harassment allegations against someone unless she works for the accused party. Meesha Shafi filed a civil defamation case against Zafar on September 17, 2019, for statements he made in April 2019 on Hum News, alleging that she was lying about the sexual harassment allegations against him in order to gain fame and Canadian immigration. Shafi denied the allegations, claiming that at the time of the original complaint, she was already a celebrity and a Canadian citizen.
Ali Zafar won a petition to have Shafi's civil defamation case against him dismissed on September 29, 2020, while also filing a FIR against Meesha Shafi and eight others for posting defamatory content about him on their Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.
On January 19, 2022, Shafi won an appeal against the Lahore High Court's decision to dismiss her defamation case in favour of Zafar's.
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Reluctant Fundamentalist[7][5] | Bina Khan | English | |
| 2013 | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag[7] | Perizaad | Hindi | |
| 2013 | Waar[5] | Zoya, Laxmi | Urdu, English | ARY Film Award for Best Supporting Actress[14] |
| 2014 | The Tournament of Shadows[5] | English | Filming | |
| 2023 | Mustache | Asiya | English, Urdu |
| Year | Show | Role | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Mor Mahal | Farrukh Zaad | Urdu |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Pichal Pairee |
| 2012 | The Reluctant Fundamentalist[5] |
| Year | Song | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Chori Chori" | Originally sung by Reshma |
| 2010 | "Alif Allah" [5] | Performed with Arif Lohar |
| 2012 | "Dasht-e-Tanhai | Originally sung by Iqbal Bano |
| 2012 | "Ishq Aap Bhe Awalla" | Performed with Chakwal Group |
| 2014 | "Sunn Ve Balori" | Originally sung by Noor Jehan |
| 2014 | "Jugni"[5] | Originally sung by Alam Lohar |
| 2016 | "Aa Rahe Haq Ka Shaheedo" | Originally sung by Naseem Begum[15] |
| 2016 | "Bholay Bhalay" | |
| 2016 | "Aya Lariye" | |
| 2020 | "Gal Sunn" | |
| 2020 | "Na Tutteya Ve" | |
| 2022 | "Muaziz Shaarif" |
| Year | Song | Film | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | EVA | Moor | Strings |
| 2016 | Sun Vey Bilori | Shaan-e-Ishq | Amir Munawar |
| 2017 | 24/7 Lak Hilna | Punjab Nahi Jaongi | Shani Arshad |
Pepsi Battle of the Bands
| Year | Season | Song | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 | "Speaker Phaar" | |
| 2018 | 3 | "Koi Sarda Aye Te Sare" | Originally sung by Noor Jehan |
"Mein" | |||
| 2019 | 4 | "Leela" |
| Year | Song | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Boom Boom" | Originally sung by Nazia Hassan |
| 2020 | "Amrit" |
| Bio | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Meesha Shafi |
| Profession | Model, Actress, Singer |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 168 cm in meters- 1.68 m in feet inches- 5’ 6” |
| Weight (approx.) | in kilograms- 55 kg in pounds- 121 lbs |
| Figure Measurements (approx.) | 34-28-36 |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Brown |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 1 December 1981 |
| Age (as in 2022) | 41 Years |
| Birth Place | Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Sagittarius |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Hometown | Lahore |
| School | Toddler's Academy, Lahore Lahore Grammar School |
| College/University | National College of Arts, Lahore |
| Educational Qualification | Graduate |
| Debut | Singing Album with a Band: Pichal Pairee (2009) Single: 'Eva' from the film Moor (2015) Acting Urdu Film: Waar (2013) English Film: The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013) Hindi Film: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) TV: Mor Mahal (2016) |
| Family | Father- Pervaiz Shafi Syed Mother- Saba Hameed (Veteran Actress) Brothers- Faris Shafi (Rapper, Actor) Ali Abbasb (Actor) Sister- None |
| Religion | Islam |
| Boys, Affairs and More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Boyfriends | Not Known |
| Husband/Spouse | Mahmood Rehman (Musician) |
| Children | Son- Kazimir Rehman Daughter- Janevi Rehman |
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