Waqar Zaka

Some Lesser Known Facts About Waqar Zaka

• Does Waqar Zaka smoke?: He occasionally smokes hookah.

  

• Does Waqar Zaka drink alcohol?: No

• Waqar Zaka is a popular Pakistani VJ and host. He is known for the TV reality game show ‘Living on the Edge’ (2004).

• His father is basically from Jaipur, India. ^[11]The Education Hub

• When he was 15 years old, he wrote the song “Nahi Parha Mein Ne Poora Saal,” and the song became an instant hit.

• In an interview, Waqar shared an incident related to his first audition, he said that when he was in the final year of his graduation, he saw the advertisement of ARY Digital’s host hunt auditions. He went for the audition but was not allowed to enter the gate due to some reasons, so, he gave PKR 200 (Pakistani currency) to the watchmen and went for the audition, but based on his looks he was rejected.

• After completing his filmmaking course, he started his career as a TV host in ARY Digital’s live calls and discussions show in 2002.

• In 2004, he came up with a new format of a game show, which was initially rejected by the ARY Digital. He recorded a few dare videos and broadcasted them on the channel, which turned out to be a big hit. The show was later broadcasted with the name “Living on the Edge” and was aired on ARY Musik.

  

• Reportedly, it’s format was copied from India’s TV game reality show, MTV Roadies. As per Waqar’s statement, the concept of the show was originally his idea. He said that the makers of MTV Roadies India sent him a mail to grant the permission to copy the format of his show, Living on the Edge.

• In 2006, he launched another TV show with the name XPOSED. It was based on exposing underground activities and undercover criminal activities in Pakistan. It was aired for a brief period but left a great impact on the Pakistani media.

  

• In an interview, Zaka Said,

I brought new ideas to the industry. From Living on the Edge to Xposed, my shows were all later on copied by both local and international media. I am not the one who is saying it, Hindustan Times also acknowledged this.”

• He was promoted to the position of the Vice President of ARY in 2006.

• In 2007, Zaka hosted another TV reality show, Desi Kurriyan, which was a big hit. It was conceptualised by Obaid Khan and Jerjess Seja, and the theme of the show was to focus largely on the urban lifestyles of the women in Pakistan.

  

• Later, in an interview, he said,

I did not want to do Desi Kuriyan, it tarnished my image quite a lot. People would blame me for promoting values against our culture through the show. They even had issues with me being the only male host amid 12 contestants.”

• In 2008, he appeared in the Live morning show of ARY Digital in which he challenged the people who claimed to have supernatural powers to bring Jinnat or ghosts.

• In 2010, the concept of ‘Selfie Videos’ was started by him in Pakistan, in which he uploaded his travel vlogs on Facebook, his videos gained immense popularity. He is famous for posting controversial content on his social media profiles.

  

• In 2013, he entered into politics and contested the Pakistani general election for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan from Karachi NA-253 constituency. He got only 31 votes out of the 211,768 total votes.

• In 2014, he introduced an interesting concept in Pakistan with the TV show, King of street magic. It was a platform for the aspiring conspiracy theorists, illusionists, and paranormal investigators. Later, the show was banned; as it catered a sensitive and controversial content.

  

• In 2015, his idea of “SELFIE VIDEO” gained immense popularity as he became the first Muslim to reach out to Sittwe City of Burma all alone and help the Rohingya Muslims residing there.

• Waqar is famous for his philanthropic work in various countries. He visited and helped Rohingya people (Indo-Aryan ethnic group who follow Islam and reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar) in Sittwe, Burma; as they were suffering from discrimination and cruelty from some extremist groups in Burma. He went to places where Major NGOs had failed to reach and with the help of the Government of Pakistan, he provided them help. He made a documentary of his work and uploaded on Facebook with the slogan, “NAIKEE KAR, FACEBOOK PAR DAAL.”

• He visited the Muslims living in Syria and helped in rescuing families residing in the war-struck city of Aleppo in Syria. He helped in relocating the families of Syria to Turkey and provided them with proper accommodation. He collected a large number of donations and helped the people suffering in Syria. The main objective of “Waqar Zaka Foundation” was to reach personally to the victims and help them in the best possible way.

  

• In 2015, he appeared in ‘Line Pe Ajao,’ a TV show made for ICC Cricket World Cup. He said in an interview,

• While all the TV channels will focus on the match, I will be in the crowd, talking to them and capturing their vengeance against the opposing team. Just imagine how it would feel to be in the stands of the Pakistan versus India cricket match and bring that action live for mobile phone users.”

• In 2016, he became one of the most famous Pakistani celebrities on Snapchat; as he uploaded snaps related to sexual awareness, Islamic concepts and other infotainment topics.

• In 2017, he was associated with ‘Onecoin and Bitconnect’ (open-source cryptocurrency), which turned out to be a scam. So, he launched his own coin ‘Ouicoin’ and did a private crowd-sale through his snapchat account. In 2018, he founded ‘TenUp Nation,’ a company based on the blockchain technology.

  

• In April 2019, he announced ‘Tehreek-e-Tech,’ a political movement in Pakistan with an ambition to pay back the Pakistani debts. In an interview on Samaa TV’s show “Naya Din,” he said,

Since I am an engineering graduate from NED University, I have come to realize that technology is the only way to pay back the debts of Pakistan.”

• He has also started #BhaiJaan campaign with an aim to help the victims of cybercrime, acid attack, and molestation.

  

• In an interview, he revealed that he was the first choice to host ‘Jeeto Pakistan’ (2014), a TV game show, which was similar to Aamir Liaquat’s ‘Inaam Ghar’ (2014). Zaka said,

I cannot copy Aamir Liaquat, it’s not my genre.”

• Once there were rumours of Zaka dating the Pakistani actress, Sanam Jung, to which he said,

This is the worst gossip I have heard. I have never even met Sanam, and social media has created these baseless rumours. I am single, not dating anyone. It is important that I clarify this because ‘her respect is getting destroyed.”

• He has become the first Pakistani to make content for the Korean app ‘Line.’  Later, he was hired by the Chinese Company ‘Zapya’ for making online content for them and promoting the app in Pakistan.

  

• After being approached to work for the Korean and Chinese company, he expressed his happiness by posting on Instagram, he wrote,

After being the first Pakistani to make content for the Korean app LINE, Thankyou to Allah for this. First Pakistani showbiz personality hired by a Chinese Company for content creation on social media. Appearance at Zapya Head office. Download Zapya, as I will start lots of contest for all of you.”

• In 2019, he appeared as a host in the youth-based TV reality show, ‘Champions,’ aired on BOL Entertainment.

  

• He is a big fan of EDM (Electronic Dance Music) and has attended various events of ‘Tomorrow Land’ and ‘Ultra Music Festival.’

  

• He is criticised for his Anti-Indian sentiment posts on his social media accounts.

  

• He is an avid animal lover.