Khaqan Shahnawaz admires Mahira Khan, hopes to share screen with her

Rising actor and internet personality Khaqan Shahnawaz has expressed his admiration for Mahira Khan, one of Pakistan’s most celebrated and highest-paid actresses, saying he hopes to work alongside her someday.

In an interview with Independent Urdu, Shahnawaz shared, “Who wouldn’t want to? I still want to share the screen with Mahira Khan and be in her presence. Mahira is a star—I’ve always been a fan and still am.”

The young actor, a law graduate in his late twenties, gained popularity through roles in dramas such as Accident, Barhwaan Khiladi, Yunhi, and College Gate. Most recently, he portrayed a Pashtun character in My Dear Cinderella, a Ramadan special drama that aired on Hum TV and wrapped up over the Eid holidays.

Reflecting on a brief encounter, Shahnawaz recalled seeing Mahira Khan from afar at a wedding: “I couldn’t meet her because she came for a very short time, but I saw her from a distance and I thought, ‘That’s a star.’ She had an undeniable aura as she walked by.”

When asked about his interest in action roles, Shahnawaz noted the genre's limited presence in Pakistani television, which traditionally leans toward romantic comedies and family dramas.

“We don’t produce a lot of action dramas, but if given a choice between action and a rom-com, it would be a tough decision,” he said. “Recently, I had to choose between a family tragedy and a romantic comedy, and I went with the latter in My Dear Cinderella. The role was very different from who I am in real life, so I wanted to experiment and see if I could transform into that character.”

Though Shahnawaz is establishing himself as an actor, he still identifies strongly as a content creator.

“If you check my Instagram or TikTok, you’ll see I’m still consistently posting,” he said. “My transition into acting was definitely made easier because of content creation—I can confidently say that.”