Ali Zafar

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ali Zafar

• Does Ali Zafar smoke?: No

• Does Ali Zafar drink alcohol?: Yes

• Ali was born into a well-educated Punjabi family; as both his parents were professors at Punjab University.

• Since his childhood, he had an artistic touch; as he enjoyed painting a lot.

• As a child, Ali did not have any interest in poetry and music. He developed a fondness for music as he grew up.

• Before becoming an established singer, he was a part of an underground rock band, which used to do covers of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Metallica, and The Eagles.

• At the age of 8, he made his first comics.

• Prior to his debut in acting, he worked as a sketch artist at Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore, where he used to make portraits in 20 minutes. 

• His parents wanted him to pursue a career in civil services, but somehow he convinced his parents of his passion for music, and they supported him in his decision.

• He became an overnight star in Pakistan after his song “Channo” was released in 2003. Here’s a video of the song:

• He was very introverted and shy in his teens.

• After his Bollywood debut “Tere Bin Laden,” he received around 40 film offers as his performance was critically acclaimed by everyone. Although his debut was a big hit, it was banned in his native country.

• He met his wife, Ayesha, first time in the lobby of the hotel where he used to work as a sketch artist.

• His song “Dekha” was featured in the 2006 Hollywood flick ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’, as a soundtrack which made him the fourth ever Pakistani singer whose song got featured in a Hollywood film. Here’s the video of the song:

• In 2008, he and his wife, Aisha, were kidnapped at gunpoint when they were out for a dinner, but were released later; as Ali’s family paid PKR 2.5 million as ransom to the kidnappers.

• He is very much committed to his wife and he has not done any intimate scenes on the screen yet. Moreover, in the kissing scene in his film- London, Paris, New York, a body double was hired to perform the scene with Aditi Rao Hydari.

• He is a distant relative of Aamir Khan; as his wife’s father has a cousin whose mother is the cousin of Aamir Khan’s mother, Zeenat Hussain. 

• He was the first choice for the role of “Sarmad” in the film ‘Khuda Kay Liye’ (2007), but he rejected it due to some personal reasons, which later went to Fawad Khan.

•  He is the first-ever Pakistani actor to get nominated for any Bollywood award.

• In 2013, he was listed as the ‘Sexiest Asian Man On The Planet’ by the Eastern Eye, a British weekly newspaper.

• He used to be homophobic, a person having a strong dislike of homosexual people. But, after getting educated about this topic, he started respecting everyone’s sexual orientation.

• According to him, if he had to choose between singing or acting, he would choose singing. 

• He holds a very professional, punctual, and disciplined personality in the film industry.

• Ali is famously known as “Justin Timberlake of Pakistan.”

• Apart from acting and singing, he has endorsed various brands like Pepsi, Sony Ericsson, LG, Lux, Head, and Shoulders, etc.

• Sharing his experience about his entry into Bollywood, Ali says,
  

  The first time I ever went to Bombay, I had a feeling that it’s all about Bollywood here, and I remember thinking, ‘I wouldn’t mind getting into that someday’, and finally I did. I grew up watching a lot of Mr [Amitabh] Bachchan’s films, and then there were films such as Guide. When I grew up a little more I started seeing Dilip Kumar’s work, and I thought it was so fantastic.”

• He has never received any formal training in acting. Talking about his acting skills, he says-
  

  I prepared by studying reporters, watching and learning how they function. Considering that they are everywhere and around at most times, it was not really difficult. I also took a 10-day acting workshop with Barry John, along with the other actors in the film. I am an intuitive actor and have maintained a casual and natural acting style for the movie.”

• Following the victory of Arshad Nadeem in the 2024 Olympics, singer Ali Zafar announced a 1 million cash reward.

• In April 2025, after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam that resulted in the deaths of 26 Indian tourists, the relations between India and Pakistan worsened. Due to this, the Indian government decided to block the Instagram accounts of several Pakistanis in India, including that of Ali.