# Zeba Bakhtiar

Zeba Bakhtiar (Urdu: زيبا بختيار; born 5 November 1962) is a Pakistani film/TV actress and a television director. She is known for her TV drama Anarkali (1988), the Bollywood romantic drama Henna (1991), and the Lollywood movie, Sargam (1995). She produced and directed a movie Babu in 2001. Zeba won the best actress Nigar Award for the movie Sargam in 1995.

## Early life and family

Zeba is the daughter of Yahya Bakhtiar, a lawyer, politician and pre-independence Muslim League activist who served as the Attorney General of Pakistan, and also played a key role in framing Pakistan's current constitution. Her father belonged to Quetta, while her mother Eva Bakhtiar was an English woman born to Hungarian parents. Her father died in 2003, and her mother died in 2011. Her parents met in the UK in the early 1940s and married, with her mother eventually settling in Pakistan in 1949 after graduating from the University College London. Zeba has two brothers, Salim and Karim, who are both doctors, and a sister, Saira. She was raised in Quetta, and moved to Karachi later.

## Career

Zeba made her television debut with a Pakistan Television drama, Anarkali in 1988. Her melancholic romantic role in Anarkali was widely appreciated. Then, she signed a Bollywood movie Henna in 1991 under the direction of Randhir Kapoor. Henna made Zeba a household name in the subcontinent. Later, she worked in more Bollywood movies like Mohabbat Ki Arzoo (1994), Stuntman (1994), Jai Vikraanta (1995), and Muqadama (1996). But her career in Bollywood didn't make any progress after Henna. Then she came back to Pakistan and worked in Syed Noor directed film Sargam (1995). Her other Lollywood movies include Chief Sahib (1996), Qaid (1996), and Musalman (2001). She produced and directed movie Babu in 2001, and produced a movie Mission 021 in 2014. Apart from big screen, Zeba also appeared in some popular TV dramas like Tansan, Laag, and Pehli see mohabbat.

## Personal life
### Marriages

Bakhtiar married thrice. Her first husband was Salman Valliani whom she married in the year 1985. She married to Indian actor Jaaved Jafferi In 1989 and got divorce after one year. She came in the limelight because of her marriage to singer and music composer Adnan Sami. Zeba and Adnan got divorced in 1997. They have a son named Azaan Sami Khan

### Health

Zeba was diagnosed with diabetes before her second marriage. She now participates in the diabetes awareness campaigns on different forums.

## Social work

She is involved in women's association football in Pakistan as chairwoman of Karachi-based Diya W.F.C.

## Filmography

| Year | Film | Role | Language |
| 1991 | Henna | Henna | Hindi |
| 1994 | Mohabbat Ki Aarzoo | Poonam Singh | Hindi |
| 1994 | Stuntman | Reena B. Tiwari | Hindi |
| 1995 | Jai Vikraanta | Nirmala Verma | Hindi |
| 1995 | Sargam | Zeb-un-Nisa | Urdu |
| 1996 | Muqadama | Chanchal Singh | |
| 1996 | Chief Sahib | | Urdu |
| 1999 | Qaid | Khushboo | |
| 2001 | Babu | | |
| 2001 | Musalmaan | | |
| 2014 | O21 | as Producer | |
| 2015 | Bin Roye | Maliha Shafiq | |

### Television

* Anarkali (1988)- A Pakistan Television Corporation production
* Tansen
* Laag
* Mulaqat
* Abke Hum Bichre tau Shayad
* Muqaddas (1996)
* Mehmaan
* Shehr-e-Dil Ke Darwaze
* Moum (2010)
* Masuri
* Doordesh
* Aye Mere Pyar Ki Khushboo
* Ishq Ki Ibtida
* Samjhauta Express
* Hazaron Saal
* Be Imaan
* Takoune
* Maa Aur Mamta
* Bin Roye
* Aabla Paa
* Kharaash
* Pehli See Mohabbat

## Accolades

| Year | Ceremony | Category | Work | Result |
| 1992 | Filmfare Awards | Best Actress | Henaa | Nominated |
| 1992 | Filmfare Awards | Best Female Debut | Henaa | Nominated |
| 1995 | Nigar Awards | Best Actress | Sargam | Won |
| 2004 | Lux Style Awards | Chairperson's Lifetime Achievement Award | for contributions to Pakistani entertainment industry | — |
| 2006 | Lux Style Awards | Best TV Director (Terrestrial) | Masoori | Nominated |
| 2015 | Lux Style Awards | Best Film | O21 | Nominated |