Ali Arsalan Kazmi (; born 31 October 1981) is a

Pakistani-Canadian Pakistani Canadian refers to the community in Canada of Pakistani heritage or descent. It can also refer to people who hold dual Pakistani and Canadian citizenship. Categorically, Pakistani Canadians comprise a subgroup of South Asian Canadians ...

actor, director and producer. He appears in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

and

Punjabi language Punjabi, sometimes spelled Panjabi, is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Punjab region of Pakistan and India. It is one of the most widely spoken native languages in the world, with approximately 150 million native sp ...

films and television series. Apart from acting he has also worked as a host, director, producer and model.

Early life and career

Kazmi was born to the actor

Rahat Kazmi Rahat Kazmi () is a Pakistani actor, screenwriter, TV news presenter anchorman, and an academician. He has worked in several TV serials for PTV such as in 1967 with ''Mayaar'', rose to prominence in 1974 with ''Qurbatain aur Faaslay'' (an ad ...

and

Sahira Kazmi Sahira Kazmi (born 8 April 1950) is a retired Pakistani actress, producer and director. She is best known for her role in the country's first-ever colour series ''Parchaiyan'' (1976) and for producing the cult-classic blockbuster series '' Dho ...

(née Ansari), a well-known TV director, producer and actress who's herself the daughter of the late Indian film actor

Shyam Shyam is a name of Krishna and an Indian masculine given name and surname. Notable people with this name include: ;Shyam *Shyam (actor) (1920–1951), Indian Hindi film actor *Shyam (composer) (born 1937), an Indian music composer from Kerala *Shya ...

, on 31 October 1981 in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

, Pakistan. He began his career as a

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associa ...

in 1995 TV series ''Zikr Hai Kai Saal Ka'' 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. History PTV Home started broadcasting on 26 November 1964 in West Pakistan and on 25 Decem ...

and then continued playing supporting or minor roles in television which includes ''

Manzil For the convenience of those who read the Quran in a week the text may be divided into seven portions, each known as Manzil. The following division to 7 equal portions is by Hamzah az-Zaiyyat (d.156/772): # Al-Fatiha (chapter 1) through an-Ni ...

'' (2006). After completing his studies from

, he moved to Canada and began acting and modeling there by appearing in TV series, commercials and plays. He also worked at China Syndrome Productions as a director and producer. One of his initial major roles was as a villain in the film '' The Dependables'' (2014). He also played a negative role in

Mehreen Jabbar Mehreen Jabbar (Urdu: م‍ﮩ‍رين جبار ) (born on 29 December 1971, is a Pakistani film and television director and producer based in New York City. She is a daughter of the Pakistani media-person Javed Jabbar.https://tribune.com.p ...

's ''

Jackson Heights Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the borough of Queens in New York City. Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, and today northern Astoria ( Ditm ...

'' which gave him more popularity in Pakistan. In 2015, he starred in two commercially successful films,

Rohit Jugraj Chauhan Rohit Jugraj Chauhan is an Indian writer and director in the Cinema of the Punjab, Punjabi cinema and Bollywood film industry.. . Rohit, moved to digital storytelling with his big superhit on Netflix imdbtitle:14171428, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein. ...

's ''

Sardaar Ji ''Sardaarji'' is a 2015 Indian Punjabi cinema, Punjabi fantasy film, fantasy horror film and comedy film directed by Rohit Jugraj Chauhan, Rohit Jugraj, and starring Diljit Dosanjh, Mandy Takhar and Neeru Bajwa in lead roles. The trailer of the ...

'' (2015) and

Deepa Mehta Deepa Mehta, (; born 15 September 1950) is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996 film), ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth (1998 film), Earth'' (1998), and ''Water (2005 film), Water'' (2 ...

's ''

Beeba Boys ''Beeba Boys'' is a 2015 Canadian crime thriller film written and directed by Deepa Mehta. It stars Randeep Hooda as Jeet Johar, a loving single father, a dutiful son, a proud, observant Sikh and a ruthless gangster managing a team of stylish, c ...

'' (2015) with

Sarah Allen Sarah Allen is a Canadian actress. She studied acting at the National Theatre School of Canada and graduated in 2002. ''Being Human'' Allen is perhaps best known for playing vampire Rebecca Flynt on SyFy's '' Being Human''. For the role ...

Randeep Hooda Randeep Hooda (; born 20 August 1976) is an Indian actor, who works predominantly in Hindi cinema. Hooda is known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles. He made his Hindi film debut with '' Monsoon Wedding'' (2001). He ...

and

Gulshan Grover Gulshan Grover (born 21 September 1955) is an Indian actor and film producer who has appeared in over 100 films. He is popularly known as the "Bad Man" of Hindi cinema because of his ability to create an impact with his negative roles in films. ...

. Kazmi has also appeared in the

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

''Coffee at Laundromat'' (2015) for which he has won ''Best Actor in a Short Film'' award at the World Music & Independent Film Festival 2016. He also appeared in

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Liam Neeson, several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, BAFT ...

's short-lived TV series '' Taken'' (2016). "I play Marzoki, a fast talking, sharp, quirky analyst", said Kazmi in an interview regarding ''Taken''. He appeared in Mehreen Jabbar's ''

Dobara Phir Se ''Dobara Phir Se'' is a 2016 Pakistani romantic drama film directed by Mehreen Jabbar who co-produced it as well, written by Bilal Sami and a production of ARY Films. The film is produced by Salman Iqbal and co-produced by Mohammad Jerjees Seja. ...

'' (2016) and the animated film '' The Breadwinner'' (2017) produced by

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...

. Ali was also signed to appear in

Ajay Devgan Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director, and producer. One of the most prolific actors of Hindi cinema, Devgn has appeared in over 100 films and has won numerous accola ...

's ''

Shivaay ''Shivaay'' is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed and produced by Ajay Devgn under his banner Ajay Devgn Films from a story written by Sandeep Shrivastava. The film stars Ajay Devgn in the title role along with debu ...

''. But due to not getting permission to shoot in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

where Kazmi is based, some changes were made in the script and his role was removed. He is currently playing the role of Abid in ''Tu Ishq Hai''. Kazmi's project Umro Ayyar-A New Beginning was expected to be released in 2022, but ultimately released in 2024, directed by

Azfar Jafri Azfar Jafri () is a Pakistani film director, screenwriter, actor, and VFX artist. He is best known for his Independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film producti ...

under the banner of VR Chili Production. Umro Ayyar is an action thriller movie based on the revival of Persian legend of 90's. The other cast of Umro Ayyar is

Usman Mukhtar Usman Mukhtar () (born 27 July 1985) is a Pakistani actor, director, producer and cinematographer. Early and personal life Mukhtar was born in Rawalpindi on 27 July 1985, to actress Nasira, who has acted in 158 films and was known for her role ...

Sanam Saeed Sanam Saeed is a Pakistani actress, singer and former model who predominantly works in Urdu cinema and television. She is best known for portraying the role of Kashaf Murtaza in Momina Duraid's ''Zindagi Gulzar Hai'', for which she received nu ...

Faran Tahir Faran Haroon Tahir is an American actor. Tahir made his film debut as Nathoo in Disney's 1994 film ''The Jungle Book''. He went on to star in a variety of roles, such as Raza in ''Iron Man'' (2008), Captain Robau in ''Star Trek'' (2009), an ...

Adnan Siddiqui Adnan Siddiqui ( born 23 October 1969) is a Pakistani actor, Film producer, producer and model (person), model who has worked in Lollywood and Hollywood and also made his debut in Bollywood with the Hindi film ''Mom (film), Mom'' (2017). He also ...

& more.

Personal life

Kazmi married his high school sweetheart Alizeh Khorasanee, whom he knew since the age of 12. They married in

and settled in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. They have two sons. Kazmi speaks

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

, basic

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

.RISING STAR: CANADIAN ARTISTE ALI KAZMI SOARS AND SHINES
/ref>

Filmography

Film

Television

Web series

Producer

Under the banner of Big Bang Entertainment. * 2013: ''

Meri Beti ''Meri Beti'' () is a Pakistani television series premiered on ARY Digital on 9 October 2013. Produced by Fahad Mustafa and Ali Kazmi under the banner of Big Bang Entertainment, serial stars Arij Fatyma, Sabreen Hisbani and Samina Peerzada ...

'' -

ARY Digital ''ARY Digital HD'' () is a Pakistani television network available in Pakistan. ARY Digital was founded by a Dubai-based holding company Pakistani businessman, Abdul Razzak Yaqoob and Salman Iqbal (ARY). The network is focused towards on Pak ...

* 2014: ''Koi Nahi Apna'' - Ary Digital * 2014: '' Dusri Bivi'' - ARY Digital * 2014: ''Bahu Begum'' - ARY Digital * 2014: ''Soutan'' - ARY Digital * 2015: '' Rang Laaga'' - ARY Digital * 2015: ''Mere Jeevan Saathi'' - ARY Digital * 2015: ''Begunaah'' - ARY Digital * 2016: ''Be Aib'' -

Urdu 1 Urdu 1 () is an Urdu language entertainment channel based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It airs foreign dramas dubbed in Urdu. History Urdu 1 was founded in 2012 to air foreign television shows dubbed in Urdu. It began test transmissions on ...

* 2016: '' Yeh Ishq'' - ARY Digital * 2016: '' Waada'' - ARY Digital * 2016: ''

Muqabil ''Muqabil'' () is a Pakistani drama television series directed by Ali Hassan, written by Zafar Mairaj. It originally aired on ARY Digital from 2016 to 2017 and stars Kubra Khan, Mohsin Abbas Haider and Asif Raza Mir in lead roles. Cast * Asif ...

'' - ARY Digital * 2016: '' Be Qasoor'' - ARY Digital * 2016: ''

Andaaz-e-Sitam ''Andaz-e-Sitam'' (The Act Of Cruelty) was a Pakistani drama television series directed by Ali Hassan, written by Inam Hasan. It originally aired on Urdu 1 from 5 January 2017 to 8 June 2017. Kubra Khan played the lead role. Plot Andaz-e-Sitam ...

'' - Urdu 1 * 2016: ''Haya Ke Rang'' - ARY Zindagi * 2016: ''Naimat'' - ARY Digital * 2016: ''Tum Yaad Aaye'' - ARY Digital * 2016: '' Aap Ke Liye'' - ARY Digital * 2016: ''Saheliyan'' - ARY Digital * 2016: ''Mere Baba ki Ounchi Haveli'' - ARY Zindagi * 2016: ''Teri Chah Mein'' - ARY Digital * 2016: '' Mera Yaar Miladay'' - ARY Digital * 2016: ''

Socha Na Tha ''Socha Na Tha'' () is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Imtiaz Ali, in his directorial debut. The film stars debutant Abhay Deol alongside Ayesha Takia. The film was released on 4 March 2005 and received positive ...

'' - ARY Digital * 2016: ''Dil Haari'' - ARY Digital * 2016: ''Shehzada Saleem'' - ARY Digital * 2017: ''Mubarak Ho Beti Hui Hai'' - ARY Digital * 2017: '' Zaakham'' - ARY Digital * 2017: '' Bilqees Urf Bitto'' - Urdu 1 * 2017: ''Bachay Baraye Farokht'' - Urdu 1 * 2017: ''Teri Raza'' - ARY Digital * 2017: '' Aisi Hai Tanhai'' - ARY Digital * 2018: ''

Meri Guriya ''Meri Guriya'' () is a Pakistani Urdu-language crime drama television series that premiered on 27 June 2018, on ARY Digital. The series is co-produced by Fahad Mustafa and Dr. Ali Kazmi for Big Bang Entertainment. It stars Sania Saeed, Sonya Hu ...

'' - ARY Digital * 2018: ''Nibah'' - ARY Digital * 2018: ''Babban Khala Ki Betiyan'' - ARY Digital * 2018: ''Badbakhti'' -

ARY Zindagi ARY Digital Network () is a subsidiary of the ARY Group. The ARY group of companies is a Dubai-based holding company founded by a Pakistani businessman, Haji Abdul Razzak Yaqoob (ARY). The network has a video on demand streaming service called ...

* 2018: ''

Balaa ''Balaa'' () is a 2018 Pakistani thriller film, thriller television series that aired on ARY Digital. It is produced by Fahad Mustafa and Dr. Ali Kazmi under their banner Big Bang Entertainment. It stars Bilal Abbas, Bilal Abbas Khan, Ushna Shah ...

'' - ARY Digital * 2018: '' Khudparast'' - ARY Digital * 2018: ''

Visaal ''Visaal'' is a 2018 Urdu-language Pakistani television series that airs every Wednesday on ARY Digital. It is written by Hashim Nadeem and directed by Ali Hassan. Zahid Ahmed and Hania Amir are playing the lead characters, along with Saboor A ...

'' - ARY Digital * 2019: ''

Cheekh ''Cheekh'' (; ''lit'': 'Scream') was a 2019 Pakistani crime-drama television series created and produced by Fahad Mustafa and Dr. Ali Kazmi under their production house, Big Bang Entertainment. It features Saba Qamar and Bilal Abbas in leads an ...

'' - ARY Digital * 2019: ''

Bandish Bandish, cheez or gat is a fixed, melodic composition in Hindustani vocal or instrumental music. It is set in a specific raga, performed with rhythmic accompaniment by a tabla or pakhawaj, a steady drone, and melodic accompaniment by a sarangi, ...

'' - ARY Digital

Video games

Theatre

Awards

, - , style="text-align:center;", 2016 , rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;", Ali Kazmi , Best Actor in a Short Film at World Music & Independent Film Festival ,

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kazmi, Ali Living people 1981 births Canadian male actors of Pakistani descent Canadian music video directors Canadian television directors Canadian male models Canadian television producers Canadian male television actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male voice actors Pakistani emigrants to Canada Naturalized citizens of Canada Male actors from Karachi Pakistani people of Indian descent