Ahad Raza Mir

Ahad Raza Mir (Urdu: آحد رضا میر‎;) is a Canadian-Pakistani actor and singer. Mir is known for his roles in Pakistani television serials and films, and for his appearance in musical show Coke Studio. Mir has established a career in Pakistan and has earned praise for portraying unconventional roles on screen, and is the recipient of a Lux Style Award.[1][2]

Ahad Raza Mir
Born (1993-09-29) 29 September 1993
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Alma materUniversity of Calgary
Occupation
  • Actor
  • producer
  • singer
Years active2010–present
Spouse(s)
(
m. 2020)
RelativesHaroon Shahid (cousin)
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
Websitewww.ahadrazamir.com

The son of actor Asif Raza Mir, before pursuing acting on television, Mir worked as a theater artist in Canada while studying at the University of Calgary. Mir returned to Pakistan in 2015 and first earned recognition with the television series Sammi (2017). A leading role in the romantic drama Yaqeen Ka Safar (2017) proved to be a breakthrough for him, earning him critical acclaim and a Lux Style Award for Best Actor.[3] Mir established himself by portraying a fighter pilot in the combat-war film Parwaaz Hay Junoon (2018), a poet in the pre-partition period drama Aangan (2018), an army officer in the coming-of-age Ehd-e-Wafa (2019), and an avenger in the revenge drama Yeh Dil Mera (2019).

In addition to acting, Mir supports charities and causes, and is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products.

Early life

Ahad Raza Mir was born on 29 September 1993 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. He is the son of Asif Raza Mir, a veteran actor and producer of the Pakistani film and television industry; and Samra Raza Mir. His paternal grandfather, Raza Mir,[4] was a filmmaker who also served as cinematographer for the first ever Pakistani film, Teri Yaad (1948).[5] [6] Fellow actor and singer Haroon Shahid is his cousin.[7] Mir Attended a Performing Arts High School,[8] and graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.[9]

Career

Career beginnings and stage roles (2010–2016)

Mir started his career in 2010, playing a brief role in Hum TV's romantic-drama Khamosiyan.[10] In Canada he began his bachelors in BBA but later changed his major to BFA to pursue his career in acting, he explained, "for as long as I can remember, acting is the only career that I've wanted to pursue in my life, although I was enjoying BBA but I realized half way through that I wasn't internally happy. I discerned that when you have a plan A, there's no point of having a plan B. There should be one plan and it should be your only goal, that's when I decided to make the switch and changed from BBA to BFA in the University of Calgary."[11] Mir started his career on stage, performing, directing and writing in several musicals and plays across Canada. Mir wanted to move to Toronto, but instead decided to go back to Pakistan to work in films and television,[12] "It was one fine morning when I got this wild idea of moving to Pakistan as I had not been back for over a decade. Ever since that decision, I've been quite lucky and very grateful to be accepted as an actor."[11]

Rise to prominence (2017–present)

In 2017, he started auditioning for Hum TV's production house MD Productions and was cast as a leading role in Yaqeen Ka Safar and a recurring role in Sammi, the latter went into production early but he gained a wider recognition and fame with the former where he played a grief-stricken brother as Dr. Asfand Yaar,[13][14] alongside Sajjal Ali.[15] His performance earned him Lux Style Award for Best Actor, and won three Hum Awards including Hum Award for Best Actor.[16] He attributes his success to producer and filmmaker Momina Duraid, Mir said in an interview, "Momina Duraid has followed my career closely for the longest time. I was in Canada when she called me to offer the part. The goal has been to do a film since I was very young, and so I knew that I had to pack my bags and come to Pakistan right away."[17]

Coming from an influential filmmaking family, Ahad was accused of nepotism to which his father said it is very "natural of people to made that comment" and acknowledged that "to some extent it was easier because there was a reference" but has also said "regardless of his family name, and he’s been able to overcome this, proving his mettle on his own."[18] Responding to such claims Mir said, "people kept telling me I was a star-kid, but I spent most of my time not knowing that. It was oblivious to me. I wanted people to take me, as an actor, very seriously. I'm not a social media celebrity, I'm not here to become famous; I’'m here to give Pakistan some good cinema and TV."[18] Talking about the difference in Canadian and Pakistani film exposure he said, "my vital years were spent in Canada and after moving here I feel I am very lucky that I got so much. But the adjustments I had to make were about life, like getting used to the weather, the way people worked and their punctuality here."[19] He further said, "here [In Pakistan] you need to have connections, your looks matter, how many followers you have etc. Talent, I feel, comes right at the end and sadly I feel Pakistan has more celebrities and less actors."[20]

Mir made his Coke Studio debut as a featured artist in its upcoming eleventh-season, the director and producer of the series Zohaib Kazi said, "we saw something akin to it on Instagram. Not exactly like it but we saw Ahad Raza Mir singing a little and playing the guitar on Instagram. When we saw that, we thought he had something. To be able to play right while singing is an art in itself. We decided we should talk to him."[21] In 2018, Mir made his film debut with Haseeb Hassan's military-drama Parwaaz Hay Junoon, co-starring Hamza Ali Abbasi and Hania Amir which was released on Eid al-Adha 2018.[22] Mir replaced Osman Khalid Butt in a role of Flight Lieutenant Saad,[23] who opted out due to his other commitments.[24]

Mir reunited with Sajal Aly and Mawra Hocane in Hum TV's Mohammed Ehteshamuddin directed[25] period drama Aangan (2018-2019), where he played a poet, Jameel. About the character, Mir said, "Jameel is the most confusing character I have ever played. He is a poet, he is a politician, he’s somebody who is on a journey of what love means, what family bonds mean, somebody who is actually quite relatable to everyone out there."[26]

The Shakespeare Company in a joint production with Vertigo Theatre in Canada had signed Mir to play Hamlet in their 2019 production.[27][28][29][30] He is the first South Asian actor to play the role professionally in Canada.[31] For his performance he won the Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama.[32][2]

He has turned executive producer for the upcoming movie Kalasha, revolving around the culture of the Kalash people of the Chitral Valley.[33]

Personal life.

Mir became engaged to actress Sajal Ali on 10 June 2019, and married her in Abu Dhabi on 14 March 2020.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Director Notes
2018 Parwaaz Hai Junoon Saad Haseeb Hassan
2020 Kalasha TBA Farukh Turk Filming; Also producer

Television
Year Title Role Director Notes
2010 Khamoshiyan Vasay Babar Javed
2017 Sammi Salaar Saife Hassan
2017 Yaqeen Ka Safar Dr. Asfandyar "Asfi" Ali Khan Shahzad Kashmiri
2018 Coke Studio Featured Artist Ali Hamza, Zohaib Qazi Episode 9
2018 Aangan Jameel Mohammed Ehteshamuddin
2019 Ehd-e-Wafa Captain Saad Saife Hassan
2019 Yeh Dil Mera Amaanullah Khan Aehsun Talish
2020 Dhoop Ki Deewar Vishaal Haseeb Hassan Filming

Theatre
Year Production Role Theater/Venue Notes
2014 West Side Story Tony U of C Operetta Company
A Picture with a Bull Ruben Common Ground Festival
The Tempest Caliban Theatre Calgary
Romeo and Juliet Tybalt The Shakespeare Company
Naughty But Nice N/A Forte Musical Theatre Guild
2015 Macbeth Lennox The Shakespeare Company
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo Musa Search Tower Company
2019 Hamlet Hamlet The Shakespeare Company

Awards and nominations
Year Nominated work Awards Category Result Ref(s)
2016 Naughty But Nice Calgary Theatre Critics' Awards Best Actor in a Musical Won
[34]
2018 Yaqeen Ka Safar Lux Style Awards Best Actor – Television Won
[35]
Hum Awards Best Actor Popular Won
[36]
Onscreen Couple Popular Won
Best Television Sensation male Won
2019 Hamlet Betty Mitchell Award Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama Won
[32]
2020 Aangan Pakistan International Screen Awards Best Television Actor Nominated
[37]
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References
  1. Kari, Maria (2019-09-21). "Ahad Raza Mir feels more Pakistani now than he ever has". DAWN. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  2. "Ahad Raza Mir bags International nomination for hamlet". AAJ Tv. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  3. Shabbir, Buraq (April 9, 2017). "Introducing the rising star". The News International. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  4. Raza Mir's IMDb profile
  5. "Teri Yaad – Film / Movie". Complete Index To World Film (CITWF). April 18, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  6. Sarah Babar (1 November 2017), "13 Interesting Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Ahad Raza Mir", MangoBaaz. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  7. Sarah Babar (1 November 2017), "13 Interesting Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Ahad Raza Mir", MangoBaaz. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  8. "Hello! Exclusive: Ahad Raza Mir Reveals His Future Plans, Love for Acting And Ideal Woman". November 25, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  9. Ajaz, Mahwash (November 1, 2017). "Everything you ever wanted to know about Ahad Raza Mir – in his own words". The Express Tribune. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  10. "Ahad Raza Mir – Biography, Age, Education, Family, Dramas". Review It. 2017-07-24. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  11. Arif, Azqua (August 8, 2017). ""I wish to show the public who 'Ahad' really is and be my own self"". HIP. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  12. Hyder, Hira (September 9, 2017). "Ahad Raza Mir: "I love both the East and the West for what they are."". HIP. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  13. Kari, Maria (December 26, 2017). "How Yakeen ka Safar's Asfandiyar is the leading man Pakistani dramas desperately needed". Dawn. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  14. Tahir, Mariam (November 1, 2017). "Ahad Raza Mir tells us the secret behind Dr Asfandyar's appeal". Something Haute. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  15. Haider, Sadaf (October 13, 2017). "There's more to Dr Asfi than the romantic element, says Ahad Raza Mir of Yakeen ka Safar". Dawn. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  16. Staff, Images (2018-07-29). "Hum Awards 2018: Yakeen Ka Safar wins big". Images. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  17. Sarym, Ahmed (March 12, 2017). "The up and coming". The News On Sunday. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  18. Sarym, Ahmed (June 3, 2018). "The 'Raza Mir' Factor". The Express Tribune. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  19. Haroon, Fifi (January 15, 2018). "'اداکاری میری میراث ہے'". BBC Urdu. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  20. Khan, Saira (January 17, 2018). ""Pakistan has more celebrities and less actors," Ahad Raza Mir". HIP. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  21. Sabeeh, Maheen (July 30, 2018). "How Ahad Raza Mir made it to Coke Studio 11". Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  22. Shabbir, Buraq (July 24, 2017). "Catching up with Ahad Raza Mir". The News International. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  23. "Ahad Raza Mir replaces Osman Khalid Butt in Parwaaz Hay Junoon". HIP. January 18, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  24. ul Haq, Irfan (19 January 2017). "Osman Khalid Butt is no longer part of Parwaaz Hay Junoon". Dawn Images. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  25. "Ahsan Khan and Mawra Hocane pair up for Ehteshamuddin's Aangan". The News International. October 20, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  26. Shabbir, Buraq (April 1, 2017). "All that Ahad Raza Mir really is". The News On Sunday. Archived from the original on April 14, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  27. "Ahad Raza Mir to play Hamlet in Shakespearean play". The Express Tribune. August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  28. "Ahad Raza Mir will be returning to Toronto for Hamlet". Something Haute. August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  29. B. Hobson, Louis (June 10, 2018). "Rising star to return to Calgary to play Hamlet". Calgary Herald. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  30. Sarym, Ahmed. "Ahad Raza Mir comes clean". Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  31. Iman, Aiman (August 17, 2018). "Pakistani actor Ahad to play Hamlet in Canada! - News Pakistan". News Pakistan. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  32. "Ahad Raza Mir receives Betty Mitchell Awards nomination for hamlet". Samaa TV. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  33. Muna Moini (19 September 2018), "Ahad Raza Mir reveals connection with upcoming film ‘Kalasha’", SomethingHaute. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  34. "The Calgary Theatre Critics' Awards Winners". Downtown Calgary Blog. July 9, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  35. "Winners of the Lux Style Awards". Pakistan Today. February 21, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  36. "The 2018 Hum Award Nominations Are Out And We're Surprised That They're Actually Deserving". MangoBaaz. May 27, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  37. "Ahad Raza Mir nominated for 'Best TV Actor' at PISA". The Nation. 2020-01-24. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
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