Four rising stars, four extraordinary showbiz journeys

For some aspiring actors, entering the entertainment industry is a childhood dream. For others, it begins with an unexpected opportunity, a friend’s encouragement or a major career change.

Rizwan Ali Jaffri, Saima Hussyn, Mahnoor Sheikh and Noor Xarmina are four emerging names whose journeys to television took very different routes. Their experiences show that there is no single formula for building a career in acting.

From football to acting

Rizwan Ali Jaffri never initially planned to enter showbiz. A passionate football fan, he was introduced to modelling by his friend Ali Shakeel.

Jaffri said he knew little about modelling when he first received the opportunity. The experience eventually led to professional shoots and opened a path into acting.

Director Sarmad Khoosat later encouraged him to make the transition from modelling to television. He subsequently worked on projects including Paani Jaisa Pyaar, Deewar and Bas Tere Saath.

Jaffri said acting required him to develop skills that were very different from modelling. While modelling focuses heavily on posture and presentation, acting requires control over dialogue, expressions and character development.

He also credited veteran actor Nauman Ijaz with helping him understand the craft during their work together.

Despite entering showbiz, Jaffri continued his education. He completed a master’s degree in business and technology and also gained corporate experience through an internship at Coca-Cola.

Saima Hussyn finds a second career

Saima Hussyn was working a conventional nine-to-five job when she was encouraged to try acting.

She had previously heard suggestions that she should enter the entertainment industry but had never taken them seriously. Actor and director Fahad Sarfaraz eventually persuaded her to attend an audition.

The audition did not result in the role she had initially sought. Instead, the production team believed she was better suited to another character and offered her a different role.

Hussyn has since appeared in projects including Daam-e-Mohabbat, while another drama, Kaisa Yeh Ishq, is awaiting release.

Alongside acting, she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She also has a familiar connection to the industry as the younger sister of actor Sonya Hussyn.

She acknowledged that being related to an established actor can lead to assumptions about nepotism. However, she said audiences ultimately decide which performers succeed based on their work.

Mahnoor Sheikh turns childhood passion into career

For Mahnoor Sheikh, acting was a long-standing ambition.

She developed an interest in performing at an early age and participated in school events, dancing and hosting. She also experimented with early social media platforms and made videos for fun.

After spending part of her childhood in Jeddah, Sheikh returned to Pakistan during her college years and decided to pursue acting professionally.

She began with television commercials and auditions before moving into acting. Her mother frequently accompanied her during the early stages of her career.

Sheikh has since appeared in projects including Nalaik, Deewar and Mohabbat Reza Reza.

She said her enthusiasm for the profession remains one of the driving forces behind her work.

Noor Xarmina leaves finance for acting

Noor Xarmina took perhaps the biggest professional leap of the four. After completing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and working in finance, she decided to leave her job and pursue acting.

Coming from a family that valued stable professional careers, Xarmina said she had nevertheless been interested in performing since school, where she participated in plays and dramas.

She later attended a summer programme at a drama school in London. The experience strengthened her decision to pursue acting professionally.

She eventually returned to Pakistan and began exploring modelling. Her career took an unexpected turn when she won the Miss Universe Pakistan title.

Xarmina later moved to Karachi to pursue more opportunities in television. A chance meeting with actor Sheheryar Munawar during a music video eventually led to an audition for a production house he was launching.

After further development, she landed a role in Dar-e-Nijaat.

One of her biggest challenges has been developing greater fluency and confidence in Urdu. She said living and working in Pakistan helped her improve the language, while television scripts also contributed to her vocabulary and delivery.

The four actors have followed very different paths into showbiz. One came from football and education, another left a corporate job, one turned a childhood passion into a profession, while another abandoned finance after discovering a stronger calling in acting.