Shaista Lodhi ( ur, ) is a Pakistani television host, and actress.

Early life and education

Lodhi was born in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

on 26 November 1977 to Ali Gohar Lodhi and Roshan Taj Lodhi. She grew up in a family with three brothers (Amir Lodhi, Tahir Lodhi and

Sahir Lodhi Sahir Lodhi is a Pakistani actor, director and host. He made his film debut with ''Raasta''. Personal life Sahir Lodhi was born in Karachi to Ali Kazim Lodhi and Roshan Gohar Lodhi. He has with two brothers (Amir Lodhi and Tahir Lodhi), and on ...

). In 2000, she completed her

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

from

Jinnah Sindh Medical University Jinnah Sindh Medical University (), formerly known as ''Sindh Medical College'', is a medical university in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It gained university status in June 2012. History Jinnah Sindh Medical University, formerly known as Sindh Med ...

Television career

Shaista started her career as a VJ in 2001. She was then asked to fill in as a host on a private TV channel. She was the host of the

morning show Breakfast television (Europe, Canada, and Australia) or morning show (United States) is a type of news or infotainment television programme that broadcasts live in the morning (typically scheduled between 5:00 and 10:00a.m., or if it is a lo ...

''Good Morning Pakistan'', which aired on

ARY Digital ''ARY Digital'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani pay television network available in Pakistan, the Middle East, North America and Europe. The ARY Group of companies is a Dubai-based holding company founded by a Pakistani businessman, Abdul Razzak Yaqoob ...

. At the end of September 2010, she joined

GEO Geo- is a prefix derived from the Greek word ''γη'' or ''γαια'', meaning "earth", usually in the sense of "ground or land”. GEO or Geo may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''GEO'' (magazine), a popular scientific magazine ...

and hosted the morning show ''

Utho Jago Pakistan ''Geo Entertainment HD'' or Geo Drama is a Pakistani entertainment television channel owned by Geo Television Network was established in May 2002. Its test transmission started on 14 August 2002 on the PAS 10 digital satellite whereas on 1 Octob ...

'' on the same channel. The show was suspended on 15 May 2014 by the channel administration after alleged

blasphemy Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religiou ...

during the show and she left Pakistan because of fears for her safety. Shaishta then moved to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

with her three children and returned to Pakistan in 2015. She made her comeback in morning shows by hosting ''Sitare Ki Subah'' on

Hum Sitaray ''Hum Sitaray'' is a Pakistani entertainment channel launched by Hum Network Limited on 14 December 2013. History The channel launched on December 14, 2013 with original programming - this had become a trend for Pakistani entertainment to ha ...

. She also hosted ''Mehmaan Nawaz'' on SEE TV and then returned to

Geo TV Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October 2 ...

, hosting ''Geo Subah Pakistan'' from 30 January 2017. In 2020, Shaista Lodhi was a captain of the Peshawar Stallions team in ''

Jeeto Pakistan ''Jeeto Pakistan'' ( ur, ; ) is a Pakistani game show, hosted by actor Fahad Mustafa on ARY Digital. The show was launched on 18 May 2014. It has been called the "biggest game show" of Pakistan. Jeeto Pakistan's participants are selected rand ...

'' League in

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

Special. In October 2021, she revealed that she would be hosting a morning show on

PTV Home PTV Home HD is a Pakistani Free-to-air Television channel owned by the Pakistan Television Corporation. It also broadcast as a Terrestrial television Terrestrial television or over-the-air television (OTA) is a type of television broadcastin ...

in the near future, replacing

Nadia Khan Nadia Khan (born 22 May 1971) is a Pakistani television actress, presenter and producer. She is best known for the ''Nadia Khan Show'', a morning TV programme, and for OutStyle, her YouTube channel. She is known for her role in the PTV series ...

. She made her debut on the show, ''Morning at Home'', on 15 November 2021.

Personal life

She was previously known as Shaista Wahidi, In 1999, she married Waqar Wahidi, after which she came to be known as Shaista Wahidi. They got separated in 2012 and the marriage eventually ended in a divorce. She has three children from her first marriage. She married for a second time in June 2015. Her second husband, Adnan Lodhi, is the first Pakistani art

auctioneer An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

in South Africa. Shaista's brother,

, also works in the TV industry.Zahidi, Farahnaz. (10 April 2013
Let’s give Shaista Wahidi a break – The Express Tribune Blog
Blogs.tribune.com.pk. Retrieved on 11 December 2015.

Filmography

Television series

Telefilm

Reality shows

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lodhi, Shaista Pakistani television hosts Pakistani women television presenters Living people People from Karachi Pashtun people 21st-century Pakistani actresses Jinnah Sindh Medical University alumni Pakistani YouTubers Pakistani television actresses 1971 births