The Indian Minority

The New Khan in Bollywood

Actor Fawad Khan is set to become the latest Indian heartthrob. The Pakistani tele-serial ´ZindagiGulzar Hai´, airing on Zindagi channel has already caught the attention of viewers in India and Fawad Khan has rapidly acquired a huge fan following, particularly among the youth. He is scheduled to make his Bollywood debut with ´Khoobsurat´, co-starring SonamKapoor. The film is a remake of the Rekha hit with the same name. The film releases on September 19th across India. Fawad plays a sophisticated Rajput prince in the film who falls in love with the vivacious Sonam Kapoor.

Fawad Khan is enjoying his second innings as a star, having first rocked Pakistan as a rock star with his band Entity Paradigm in the early 2000s. He turned actor in 2007 and made waves with his portrayal of a singer-turned-jihadi in the blockbuster film ´Khuda Kay Liye´. His television serials like the megahits ´Dastaan´ and ´Humsafar´ and telefilm ´Behad´ brought him several thousand more fans, making him a super star in Pakistan.

Considering the impact his portrayal of the extrovert and chauvinistic ZaroonJunaid in ´ZindagiGulzar Hai´ has had on Indian audiences, it can be safely assumed that this Pakistani actor is here to say.

Fawad Khan spent a good part of his childhood in UAE, Greece and UK as the family travelled with his father who worked for a pharmaceutical firm. In 1992 the family moved back to Lahore but by then Fawad Khan had acquired a ´Yankee accent´ as he puts it. It took him a long time to ditch the accent. Fawad Khan was diagnosed with severe diabetes at the age of 17 and it says a lot for his focus, grit and determination that he overcome the disease to become a rock star and a superstar in Pakistan. And now he is set to conquer hearts in India.