Bilal Ashraf ( ur, ; born 10 October 1979) is a Pakistani film actor, producer and visual effects director. After studying visual effects from the Franklin Marshall College, he started his career as a visual effects director and then pursued his career in acting after making a brief appearance in the 2014 thriller '' O21''. Ashraf has since starred in the romantic comedy ''

Janaan ''Janaan'' (Urdu/Pashto: جانان; ) is a 2016 Pakistani romantic comedy film directed by Azfar Jafri, written by Osman Khalid Butt and co-produced by Hareem Farooq, Munir Hussain, Imran Raza Kazmi and Reham Khan, under production banners ...

'' (2016), the acclaimed war drama ''

Yalghaar ''Yalghaar'' ( en, "Assault" or "Attack"; previously known as ''Delta Echo Foxtrot'') is a 2017 Pakistani war-epic film directed by Hassan Rana. The film is produced by MindWorks Media and is based on the true story of Pakistan Army's Swat O ...

'' (2017) and the musical romance ''

Superstar A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...

'' (2019).

Life and career

Bilal Ashraf was born in Karachi into an

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Punjabi origins. Playing a

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

character in ''

'' (2016) but himself not being one, he learned some

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...

for his role, enough to "look comfortable lip-syncing to songs." Ashraf received his early education from St. Michael's Convent School in Karachi. He studied visual effects direction at

Franklin & Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Fran ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States. He did a double major in finance and arts. Later he went to Escape Studios in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to learn

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

. He has ten years of experience behind the camera. Ashraf initially worked as a hedge consultant in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

but he later quit his job and moved to

in order to study animation and visual effects on the insistence of his late sister, Sadia Ashraf, a director as well as a teacher of filmmaking at the

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, who wanted to improve Pakistan's cinema and with whom he created ''Radical Films''. She is the reason he decided to become an actor. Ashraf has named

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

as his all-time favorite band, has chosen '' Scent of a Woman'' as the movie which pushed him to become an actor while he also described

sculpting Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

as his "hidden talents." Ashraf made a cameo appearance in the 2014 thriller film ''O21''. In 2016, Ashraf made his lead acting debut in ''

'', a romantic comedy, alongside

Armeena Khan Armeena Rana Khan ( ur, ) is a Pakistani Canadian film and television actress and model. One of Pakistan's most popular actresses, she has received a Lux Style Award, a Hum Award and a Nigar Award nomination. Most of her television series in ...

and

Ali Rehman Khan Ali Rehman Khan ( ur, ) is a Pakistani actor who appears in Urdu films, television series and theater plays. Khan has won two Hum Awards and has been nominated twice at the Lux Style Awards for his acting prowess. Born and raised in Islamabad ...

, which was appreciated by critics as well by the audiences. The next year he appeared in the war film ''

'' which had a decent opening at the box office, while his other 2017 release, ''

Rangreza ''Rangreza'' is a 2017 Pakistani musical romantic drama film directed by Amir Mohiuddin, and written by Akhtar Qayyum under the production banner of Vision Art Films. The film features Gohar Rasheed, Bilal Ashraf, Urwa Hocane and Ghana Ali in ...

'', was both a critical and commercial failure. In 2019, he played the leading role in

Mohammed Ehteshamuddin Mohammed Ehteshamuddin ( ur, ) is a Pakistani TV director, producer, writer and actor. Ehtesham's short films ''Shahrukh Khan Ki Maut'' (2005) and ''Mein Sawa Paanch Bujay Aai Thi'' (2006) featured at the 2005 and 2006 Kara Film Festival. In ...

's directorial debut, ''Superstar'', produced by

Momina Duraid Momina Duraid ( ur, ) is a Pakistani director and producer. She is a senior producer and creative head of television network Hum TV and CEO of her own production company MD Productions. She has produced and created several series including '' ...

and with

Mahira Khan Mahira Hafeez Khan (; born 21 December 1984) is a Pakistani actress. She started her career as a VJ in 2006. Khan is best known for portraying the role of Khirad Hussain in the romantic-drama '' Humsafar'' for which she received numerous acc ...

as co-star. ''Superstar'' becomes the highest-grossing film for Bilal Ashraf. Explaining his long absence since ''Rangreza'', he said that, considering its missed potential, he'll look more seriously at the scripts, and also shared the fact that he took acting classes in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

as well as theater classes with actor Sunil Shankar in the NAPA, in Karachi. In 2021 he launched his acting career on television with ''

Aik Hai Nigar ''Aik Hai Nigar'' is a Pakistani television biographical-drama film based on three-star general of Pakistan Army, Nigar Johar and centers on her life and career from 1975 (when Johar was young) to present time. The telefilm is directed by Adn ...

'' and also became a producer, founding the production house ''Behive Transmedia'' with director-actor Ehteshamuddin, their first release being the historical drama '' Khaab Toot Jaatay Hain.''

In the media

In 2019 he was featured in the magazine ''

Eastern Eye The ''Eastern Eye'' is a British weekly newspaper. It was created in 1989 and was first published by ''The Guardian'', before becoming a standalone newspaper. History Sarwar Ahmed Sarwar Ahmed ( bn, সরয়ার আহমেদ; bor ...

's'' listing in

and was ranked at No. 7th on "Sexiest Asian Men" which included

Ali Zafar Ali Zafar ( pa, ; born 18 May 1980) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, model, actor, producer, screenwriter and painter. Zafar started out on Pakistani television before becoming a popular musician. He later also established a career in Bo ...

Hrithik Roshan Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including six ...

Zayn Malik Zain Javadd Malik ( ; born 12 January 1993), known mononymously as Zayn, is an English pop and R&B singer. Zayn auditioned as a solo contestant for the British music competition television series ''The X Factor'' in 2010. After being eliminate ...

and

Filmography

Film

Television series

Telefilm

Other appearance

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashraf, Bilal 1979 births Pakistani male television actors Living people Pakistani male film actors Male actors from Karachi Punjabi people Visual effects artists Pakistani producers 21st-century Pakistani male actors People from Karachi Pakistani television producers Hum Award winners Pakistani male models Male actors in Urdu cinema