Yasir Akhtar (born 23 November 1972) is a Pakistani-British filmmaker, singer, songwriter, actor, director and producer. Akhtar is also the owner of film production company ''Pegasus Productions.''

Early life and education

Akhtar was born in a Pakistani Business class family to ''Mohammad Akhtar Shafi'' and ''Rizwana Akhtar'' where his father ''Mohammad Akhtar Shafi'' was a businessman,his siblings including Shazia Akhtar and Aamer Akhter has also been into the showbiz industry. He graduated from Government College of Commerce and Economics,

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 ...

. Akhtar's mother, Rizwana Akhtar is the elder sister of

Javed Jabbar Javed Jabbar (Urdu language, Urdu: جاوید جبار ) is a Pakistani people, Pakistani writer and politician.Pakistan-India partition, Akhtar's maternal grandfather, Ahmed Abdul Jabbar, served as an official of the Government in Nizam of Hyedrabad Deccan - India. Akhtar spent most of his childhood working alongside his first cousin

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 ...

(filmmaker) at his uncle Javed Jabbar's company

Career in music and performances

Akhtar started his singing career as a vocalist in the band ''The Arid Zone'' in 1989. 'The Arid Zone' launched their first album in 1993 through EMI Pakistan. Later he also produced and performed in various songs as a musician and singer like ''Kabhi Tu Hoga Mera Milan'', ''Chandni'', ''Teray Naal Dil'', ''Jogi'', ''Zara Man Ko Dekhna'', ''Aey Sanam'', ''My love'', ''Chan Mai'', ''Laut Aao Na'', ''Choom Loo Aasman'', ''Sansani'', ''Araam Naal Kar'', ''Assalamualaika Ya Nabi(SAW)'' etc. Akhtar also performed in various countries like UK, USA, Pakistan, Greece, Spain, UAE etc. Akhtar launched the musical band ‘The Arid Zone’ with his friends Kamran Jelani (Keyboards) and Shareb Jaffer (Guitarist). The trio started touring nationwide after the release of the first album 'The Arid Zone-Vol1. Besides performing in Pakistan and United Kingdom, Akhtar has performed internationally in

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

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, California, Washington DC, Greece, Spain and more. Akhtar's musical performances and interviews have been aired on

B4U Music B4U Music is an India & Worldwide free to air music television channel owned by the B4U Network Limited. The channel broadcasts a mixture of contemporary Bollywood, Indipop, Bhangra and international music. Programs include celebrity intervie ...

Zee TV ZEE TV also known as Z TV is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched on 1 October 1992 as the oldest privately owned television channel in India. History ...

MTV Pakistan MTV Pakistan was the Pakistani subsidiary of MTV, a cable television network owned by Viacom. The Pakistan franchise was set up in collaboration with Pakistan's first satellite channel media group known as Indus Media Group (Indus TV). ''Ind ...

PTV Network Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It ...

Sony Entertainment Sony Entertainment, Inc. is the umbrella entertainment division of Japanese multinational conglomerate Sony Group Corporation and managed by its American subsidiary, established in 2012 to oversee the corporation's ventures in film, televisio ...

BBC Asian Network BBC Asian Network is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles", especially those between the ages of 18 and 34. The station has produc ...

and many other prominent television channels.

Releases

‘The Arid Zone - Vol 1’ was released by EMI Pakistan in 1994. Later, Akhtar released ‘The Arid Zone-Jogi’ and ‘Yasir-My Love’. Akhtar has performed the following songs like Kabhi tu Hoga Mera Milan, Chandni, Laut Aao Na, Teray Naal Dil, Zara Man Ko Dekhna, Jogi, Choom Lo Aasmaan Ko, Sohniyeah, Pyar Diyan Gallan, My Love, Aey Sanam, Chan Mai and many more. Akhtar's musical albums were sponsored by Mobilink parent company of

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, English Biscuits,

Peek Freans Peek Freans is the name of a biscuit-making company based in Bermondsey, London, England which is now a global brand of biscuits and related confectionery owned by various food businesses. History James Peek (1800–1879) was one of three ...

, Phillips and other multinational companies. The musical group 'The Arid Zone' released their second album ‘The Arid Zone - Jogi’in 1997. In 2001, Akhtar released a solo album ‘Yasir-My Love'. The album released successful songs like Aye Sanam, My Love, Chan Mai, SurMai Sey Shaam and many more. The music videos of this album launched the careers of

Zara Sheikh Zara Sheikh ( Punjabi, ) is a Pakistani model and actress. Sheikh has acted in films such as '' Tere Pyar Mein'' (2000), '' Salakhain'' (2004), and '' Laaj'' (2003). She won the Nigar Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film ''Ter ...

(filmstar) and

Tooba Siddiqui Tooba Siddiqui, () is a Pakistani actress and model. Siddiqui started her career by starring in a music video "My Love" for pop singer, Yasir Akhtar. She began modeling for the Pakistani fashion industry in the early 2000s. She has appeared in ...

(model and actress). In 2015, Akhtar went to Turkey to film the music video of the single Sansani - The Sensation. In London, he shot a folk-rap song Araam Naal Kar - Take it Easy in 2018. Some parts of the ‘Take it Easy’ were derived from popular Sufi poet

Bulleh Shah Sayyid Abdullāh Shāh Qādrī (; ), popularly known as Baba Bulleh Shah and vocatively as Bulleya, was a Punjabi revolutionary philosopher, reformer and Chishti Sufi poet, regarded the 'Father of Punjabi Enlightenment'; and one of the g ...

. The rap part was written by himself. Akhtar recorded 'Assalamulalaika Ya Nabi" a Naat/Nasheed in 2019 and released it internationally.

As an actor

Akhtar started his career as a child actor in Pakistan's English feature film '

Beyond the Last Mountain ''Beyond the Last Mountain'' is a 1976 English-language Pakistani drama film written and directed by Javed Jabbar. It was Pakistan's first English language film, which was shown at the 6th International Film Festival of India in New Delhi. An U ...

'. Akhtar kept on appearing in TV commercials in school days. When Akhtar was 16 years old, he appeared with his younger sister Shazia Akhtar in PTV Network's drama serial 'Dastak' produced by

Shahzad Khalil Shahzad Khalil (), (1944 – 23 December 1989) was a Pakistani television director and producer. Early life Shahzad Khalil began his career as a director producing music videos in 1970, and then moved to making television drama serials. ...

. As a teenager, he appeared as a model in TV commercials of English Biscuits,

, Rafhan, Gillette and many other companies. Meanwhile, in the college, Akhtar started appearing as hero in Pakistan's national network's major drama serials. Naming few drama serials where his work was acknowledged were - Tapish, Khawab Suhanay, Yeh Jahan, Kallo, Monsoon, Phir Yun Hua, Machar Party Aaway see Aaway etc.

As director and producer

Akhtar got his first assignment as a Director and Producer at an early age, The executive producer of Combine Productions ''Ghazanfer Ali'' gave him work to direct and produce

Music Channel Charts Network Television Marketing or ''NTM'' was Pakistan, Pakistan's first private television slot. The company's productions first aired on Peoples TV Network (PTN, later renamed as STN) in 1990. In the 1990s, PTN entered into a three-year agreeme ...

in 1994, it was the very first pop chart show of Pakistan. Akhtar also launched the musical drama serial ‘French Toast’ based on a story of the struggle of musical band in 1995. 'French Toast' was aired on

in the UK and U.S.A. as well as on NTM in Pakistan. Akhtar also produced the first ever telefilm series of Pakistan called Tapal Cinema. The series was loved and acknowledged by the audience and was sponsored by tea company

Tapal Tea Tapal Tea is a Pakistani family-owned tea business headquartered in Karachi. It is one of the largest tea brands in Pakistan. History Tapal Tea was founded by Adam Ali Tapal in November 1947 as a retail outlet at Jodia Bazaar, originally import ...

. The project had six telefilms namely Rahain, Titlee, Shehzadi, Zeher, Chand and Kashish. Akhtar's ‘Tapal Cinema’ launched the careers of

Humayun Saeed Humayun Saeed (born 27 July 1971) is a Pakistani actor and producer. Describing himself as a method actor, Saeed is primarily known for his work on Pakistani television and cinema and is the recipient of several accolades, including Lux Styl ...

Shamoon Abbasi Shamoon Abbasi (; born 4 April 1973) is a Pakistani actor, director, producer and screenwriter, best known for portraying villain roles. Early life and family In his early years Abbasi was a footballer, captaining his team at U-17 school level. ...

Javeria Abbasi Javeria Abbasi () is a Pakistani film–television actress, model and host. She has appeared in the Hum TV serials '' Dil, Diya, Dehleez'' (in which she plays a lead role) and ''Thori Si Khushiyan'' as well as '' Doraha'', ''Andata'', ''Sotayl ...

, Zubair Abbasi and many others. Mere Ghar Aik Whirlpool was also a known drama serial of Pakistan in 1999 created by Akhtar. The style of brand placement associated with entertainment made the serial popular as

Whirlpool A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...

name was used in the drama, This idea turned to be profitable for the creators and started a new trend of branded drama serials in Pakistan. The project was sponsored by Phillips -

. Artists Like

Nida Yasir Nida Pasha, better known as Nida Yasir, is a Pakistani television host, former actress, and model known for her role as Saima in the television drama '' Hum Tum''. She also hosts the morning television show ''Good Morning Pakistan'' at ARY Digi ...

, Adeel Hayat Ansari, Naeem Shaikh, Salman Saqib Sheikh (

Hira Mani Hira Salman (''née'' Jamal; born 27 February 1989), known as Hira Mani (), is a Pakistani television actress, singer, presenter, and former video jockey. She starred as the lead in several hit series, including ''Jab We Wed'' (2014), ''Preet N ...

’s husband) and many others were introduced to the industry with ''Mera Ghar Aik Whirlpool''. British Asian drama serial ''Sard Aag-Cold Fire'' was produced by Akhtar in 2006. which was filmed in Manchester and London and was aired on

Hum TV Hum TV HD is a 24-hour Urdu general entertainment TV channel based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi. It is owned by Hum Network Limited and traded on the Pakistan Stock Exchange as (HUMNL). Hum Net ...

, for which Akhtar also auditioned new talent from places like Birmingham, London and Manchester. where he Introduced Jessica Bath, Mani Liaqat, Ali Khalid etc. 'Sard Aag' also had actors like Abid Ali,

Noman Ijaz Nauman Ijaz (Punjabi and ) is a Pakistani television and film actor, anchorperson, and television presenter. He is the recipient of several accolades, including 10 Lux Style Awards, 7 Hum Awards and a President's Pride of Performance award, wh ...

, Shalaka Ranadive in the cast list. Akhtar has also organizied events for igh Commission for Pakistanand

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

. Akhtar’s productions has been broadcast on channels like

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

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 ...

Sony TV Sony Television, Sony TV, or Sony HD may refer to any of the following television-related products from Japanese conglomerate Sony: * Television sets designed and manufactured by Sony Corporation in Japan ** Trinitron, television hardware brand (196 ...

Geo TV Jang Media Group (), also known as Geo Group, is a Pakistani media conglomerate and a subsidiary of Dubai-based company Independent Media Corporation. It has headquarters in Printing House, Karachi. It is the publisher of the Urdu language new ...

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 ...

Protégé

Through

, Akhtar introduced artists like

Shehzad Roy Shehzad Roy (born 16 February 1978) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, guitarist, activist, social worker, producer and humanitarian. He started his singing career in 1995 and has recorded six albums since. He has recorded many hit songs such as ...

Fakhar-e-Alam Fakhar-e-Alam ( Punjabi, ) (born 19 January 1976) is a Pakistani actor, singer, songwriter, TV host, video jockey, rapper and producer famous for introducing the bhangra-rap fusion genre of music in Pakistan. He is considered a pioneer of bhan ...

Najam Sheraz Najam Sheraz (Urdu: نجم شیراز) is a Pakistani pop singer and songwriter. Early life Najam Sheraz was born in Multan, Pakistan on 2 August 1969. He played professional cricket. He graduated from the University of Engineering and Technolo ...

Komal Rizvi Komal Rizvi (; born August 3, 1978) is a Pakistani actress, singer, songwriter, and television host. She is famous for her songs at Coke Studio (Pakistan). Early life Rizvi was born in Dubai and raised in England and Nigeria. As a teenager, ...

, Fringe Benefits, Jazba, Nadeem Jafri, Azfar Ali and many more to the Pakistani Entertainment Industry. Akhtar produced and directed 50 episodes of pop chart show ''Music Channel Charts''. As a director and producer, Akhtar launched the careers of many artists like Armeena Rana Khan, Tooba Siddiqui, Humayun Saeed, Nida Yasir, Javeria Abbasi, Fakhr e Alam, Najam Sheraz, Komal Rizvi, Shehzad Roy, Shamoon Abbasi and various other artists to the Pakistani Industry.

Acting, direction and production

Musical work

Music videos - production work

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akhtar, Yasir Pakistani playback singers Pakistani male actors 1972 births Living people