| Hamza Ali Abbasi | |
| Native Name Lang: | ur |
| Birth Date: | 23 June 1986 |
| Birth Place: | Multan, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Nationality: | Pakistani |
| Alma Mater: | Quaid-i-Azam University |
| Years Active: | 2006–present |
| Known For: | Pyaray Afzal (2013) Waar (2013) Jawani Phir Nahi Ani (2015) Parwaaz Hay Junoon (2018) The Legend of Maula Jatt (2022) |
| Mother: | Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry |
Hamza Ali Abbasi born 23 June 1984) is a Pakistani actor and director.[1] [2]
He is best known for his roles as Afzal in the drama serial Pyarey Afzal (2013) and as Salahuddin in the drama serial Mann Mayal (2016).[3]
In 2013, he appeared in two feature films, Main Hoon Shahid Afridi and Waar,[4] for which he received the Best Star Debut Male and Best Supporting Actor awards at the 1st ARY Film Awards.[5]
In 2022, he played the main antagonist Noori Natt in The Legend of Maula Jatt, the highest-grossing Pakistani film of all time as well as the highest-grossing Punjabi-language film of all time.
Abbasi was born on 23 June 1986 in Multan[6] into a Punjabi family[7] of civil servants to Major (Retd) Mazhar Ali Abbasi, an army officer, and Begum Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry, a former judge and politician affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party.[8] His sister Dr. Fazeela Abbasi is a dermatologist.[9]
He gained his Bachelor's in International Relations from the United States and his Master's in the same subject from the Quaid-e-Azam University.[10] [11]
He also passed the CSS exams and was working as a civil service officer in the police group before abandoning the job to concentrate on his passions, film-making and acting.[12]
Abbasi started his career in 2006 as a theatre actor and appeared in several plays such as Bombay Dreams, Phantom of the Opera, and Home is Where Your Clothes Are.
He began his television career in 2012 with a supporting role in Meray Dard Ko Jo Zuban Miley before getting fame for his lead roles in the serials Pyarey Afzal (2013) and Mann Mayal (2016).
His breakthrough was the movie Waar (2013). He was initially an assistant director to Bilal Lashari, before the later offered him a role in the movie, that he considers important for his future career.
He voiced Baba Bandook, the main antagonist, and Vadero Pajero in the Unicorn Black produced animated series, Burka Avenger (2013).[13]
Abbasi made his directorial debut with the feature film Mud House and the Golden Doll, released in 2011, which described as a simple story about simple people.[14]
He has also directed Kambakht, still unreleased as of July 2024.
In December 2020, Abbasi announced that he was writing a book on religion.[15] [16]
In August 2024, he released that book, My Discovery of Islam, God & Judgement Day.[17]
Abbasi married painter and actress Naimal Khawar in 2019.[18]
Abbasi was born a Muslim, then for a while became an atheist but now identifies as Muslim again.[19]
Abbasi is a supporter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and he was elected as the cultural secretary of the party in January 2018. However, he resigned from this role in April of the same year because he felt that his movies did not represent Pakistan's culture well.[20]
In 2018, he exposed journalist and former wife of Imran Khan, Reham Khan, by revealing the manuscript of her book beforehand. Reham Khan claimed to have been threatened directly by Abbasi via emails, but he denied these allegations. He believed that Reham Khan's claims were an attempt to tarnish his reputation due to his close relationship with Imran Khan.[21]
| Film are currently on Cinema | ||
| Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Glorious Resolve | Tariq | Documentary film | ||
| Mudhouse And The Golden Doll | Malang | Directorial debut | |||
| 2013 | Main Hoon Shahid Afridi | Maulvi Majeed | ARY Film Award for Best Star Debut Male | ||
| Waar | SP Ehtesham Khattak | ARY Film Award for Best Supporting Actor | |||
| 2015 | Jawani Phir Nahi Ani | Saif Ahmed | |||
| 2016 | Ho Mann Jahaan | Malang Baba | Cameo appearance | ||
| 2017 | Shaan-e-Ishq | Mehwish's brother | |||
| 2018 | Parwaaz Hay Junoon | Sq/Ldr Hamza Ali Haider | Lead role[22] | ||
| Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2 | Saif Ahmed | Special appearance as Imran Khan | |||
| 2022 | The Legend of Maula Jatt | Noori Natt | Main antagonist | ||
| 2024 | Umro Ayyar - A New Beginning | Umro Ayyar | Special appearance[23] | ||
| TBA | Film in re-working process |
| Year | Title | Role | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Meray Dard Ko Jo Zuban Miley | Salaar/Azam | TV debut | |
| 2013–2015 | Burka Avenger | Baba Bandook | Voice over | |
| 2013 | Pyaray Afzal | Afzal Subhanullah | Drama serial[24] | |
| Ek Tha Raja aur Ek Thi Rani | Farhan | Telefilm | ||
| Gullo Weds Gulli | Gullo | |||
| 2016 | Mann Mayal | Salahuddin | Drama serial | |
| 2019 | Alif | Qalb-e-Momin | Drama serial[25] | |
| 2023 | Jaan-e-Jahan | Shehram | Drama serial [26] | |
| TBA | Upcoming Drama Series on Green Entertainment[27] |
| Year | Play | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Dally in the Dark | Shah Sharabeel |
| 2007 | Bombay Dreams | |
| Home is Where Your Clothes Are | ||
| The Addams Family | ||
| 2008 | Phantom of the Opera | |
| 2009 | Tom, Dick and Harry | |
| 2010 | Moulin Rouge | Ghazala Siddiqui |
| 2011 | Bombay Dreams |
| Year | Show | Role | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1st ARY Film Awards | Co-host | [28] | |
| 2015 | 3rd Hum Awards | Co-host | ||
| 2018 | Debate Headquarters | Host | ||
| 2019 | Pakistan Star | Judge |
|-! style="background:#bfd7ff;" colspan="5" |ARY Film Awards|-|rowspan="2"|2014|Waar|ARY Film Award for Best Supporting Actor[29] ||-|Main Hoon Shahid Afridi|ARY Film Award for Best Star Debut Male[29] ||-|2016|Jawani Phir Nahi Ani|Best Supporting Actor[30] ||-! style="background:#bfd7ff;" colspan="5" |Lux Style Awards|-|2015|Pyarey Afzal|Best TV Actor[31] ||-| rowspan="2"|2021[32] | rowspan="2"|Alif| Best TV Actor (Viewers' Choice)| rowspan="2" |-| Best TV Actor (Critics' Choice)|-! style="background:#bfd7ff;" colspan="5" |Hum TV Awards|-|2017|Mann Mayal|Best Actor Popular[33] ||-|2017|Mann Mayal|Best Onscreen Couple[33] ||-! style="background:#bfd7ff;" colspan="5" |International Pakistan Prestige Awards|-|2017|colspan="2"|Style Icon of the Year Male[34] [35] ||}