Shaan Shahid

Shaan is a Pakistani actor, writer and director. Upon making his debut in Javed Fazil's Bulandi alongside Reema Khan, Shaan has acted in numerous commercially successful films and has established himself as one of the critically acclaimed leading actors of Pakistan. Armaghan Shahid was born in Lahore to the well-known director Riaz Shahid and television, theater and film actress Neelo. His father was a Muslim whereas his mother was Christian. He himself is a practicing Muslim. His paternal uncle Fiaz Shahid was a cameraman and producer for PTV in Islamabad. He started out his early education at the prestigious Aitchison College. His first acting venture came out at a boy scouts bonfire. He won the best actor's award in a play called Alif Noon, playing a comedy character but never took acting seriously as a career. After leaving Aitchison, he left for New York, United States and joined Newtown High School. Dreaming of becoming a lawyer due to his extraordinary talent of convincing people, he always thought he had a talent to become a lawyer. He stayed in New York for 7 years and then returned to Pakistan for vacation where he took up the family business, Riaz Shahid Films. At the age of 17, he did his first film as a debutante in "Bulandi" which was released in 1990 & was a huge success. Shaan made his acting debut in Javed Fazil's Bulandi (1990), in which he starred opposite Reema Khan. The film received generally positive reviews, making it a commercial success and caused Shaan to be flooded with offers by directors at the time. Bulandi was followed up by Nagina, another hit in which he starred opposite Madiha Shah. However, due to inexperience and signing of too many films, it resulted in many back to back flops. He took a break from the cinema industry in 1994 and went abroad. In 1996, he returned and starred in Syed Noor's Ghoonghat, which was his first villain role. The film went on to become a success. He then appeared in the same director's Sangam, yet another commercial success across Pakistan. In 2000, he appeared in Mujhe Chand Chahiye, which also starred Atiqa Odho and Javed Sheikh. The film turned out to be a major hit at the box office and established Shaan's credentials as an actor. In 2007, he starred in Shoaib Mansoor's commercially successful Khuda Kay Liye, for which he won the "Best Actor" award at the Lux Style Awards. In 2009, he appeared in Zill-e-Shah and Nach Ke Yaar Manana. As of 2010, Shaan has acted in more than 200 films, most of which became commercial successes in Pakistan. He is filming his own directional venture, Chup, alongside Juggan Kazim. Shaan opted out of Reema Khan's Love Mein Gum due to scripting problems. Shaan has revealed that he had been offered small roles in films by Aamir Khan's Ghajini and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Delhi-6 which he declined as the roles portrayed Pakistanis as villains and were thus unacceptable for him. Keen on making a difference to filmmaking in Pakistan, Shaan launched himself as a director. He directed his ambitious project Guns and Roses - Ik Junoon, which was released in 1999. The film was produced by the art entrepreneur Tanvir Fatima Rehman. In the film, he co-starred with Faisal Rehman, Meera and Resham. The music was scored by M. Arshad while the cinematographer was done by Azhar Burki and the film was written by Pervaiz Kaleem. He then directed Moosa Khan (2001), which starred himself, Saima, Abid Ali, Jan Rambo and Noor. The film received genuinely positive reviews from critics. Shaan is working on Chup alongside Juggan Kazim. The film is written by Mashal Peerzada and distributed/produced by Lux productions. The film will feature Pakistani actress Resham in an "item number". The shooting of her song was shown on ARY Digital show Happenings in July 2010. According to Shaan, the music soundtrack is composed by Zeb and Haniya with several newcomers. In a interview with Instep Magazine, Shaan confirmed to be working on three more projects with will feature Juggan Kazim whilst talks are on with models Natasha. The film is a commercial drama film set in Pakistan winter time and unfolds a dramatic but thoughtful film. Later, he confirmed that he will be directing, producing and writing the other pojects by himself. His second project working with the title Masakali is written by himself and scripted by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat. The film features Juggan Kazim and newcomers. The filming will begin in mid-2011. Shaan is a successful writer and has written short stories and works during his career. Recently, he scripted Reema Khan's Love Mein Gum and was contracted to star in the film but opted out, as Reema was unable to direct the script in the way he planned. Shaan joined with Mashal Peerzada, an director, scriptwriter and produced to work on his film Chup. He wrote the story whilst Peerzada wrote the script for the film. He is writing the story for his three upcoming projects. Shaan has joined Geo TV Network and he will host a morning show on Geo News. His show's name is Geo Shaan Say, which will be aired on Geo News from the 23rd of April, 2012 at 8:30 in the morning. Shaan, with his extensive education and grooming and the ability to project class and elegance through his stature and expressions has been a hot attraction for many brands and campaigns, several of which have had the pleasure of hosting him. Unilever Pakistan: On 17 February 2009, Unilever Pakistan launched their latest offering, the LUX Limited Edition soap, at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore, Pakistan. Pepsi: Shaan also endorsed another mega brand, Pepsi where he along with the singing sensation Ali Zafar helped strengthen the brand in Pakistan. Mobilink: Pakistan's telecom giant Mobilink also hosted Shaan as a spokesperson for Mobilink Indigo, with the launch of the new face of Mobilink's premium post paid brand Indigo in 2004. It was projected as the brand for the elite executive and families. His character was a man who's demanding lifestyle has him juggling between work and family and Indigo helps him breeze through this life successfully. One Pack = One Vaccine: Shaan was also the Goodwill Ambassador for One Pack = One Vaccine, a campaign launched by UNICEF, Procter & Gamble and the Ministry of Health in a bid to eradicate tetanus from Pakistan. Shaan has committed himself to the cause and has been visiting different areas and cities across the country including malls and stores in Karachi and Lahore, to bring awareness amongst parents, especially mothers, about this deadly disease and how one can fight to eliminate it.