# Hamza Ali Abbasi

Hamza Ali Abbasi (born 23 June 1986) is a Pakistani actor and director. He is best known for his roles as Afzal in the drama serial Pyarey Afzal (2013) and as Salahuddin in the drama serial Mann Mayal (2016).
In 2013, he appeared in two feature films, Main Hoon Shahid Afridi and Waar, for which he received the Best Star Debut Male and Best Supporting Actor awards at the 1st ARY Film Awards.
In 2022, he played the main antagonist Noori Natt in The Legend of Maula Jatt, the highest-grossing Pakistani film of all time as well as the highest-grossing Punjabi-language film of all time.

## Early life and education

Abbasi was born on 23 June 1986 in Multan into a Punjabi family of civil servants to Major (Retd) Mazhar Ali Abbasi, an army officer, and Begum Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry, a former judge and politician affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party. His sister Dr. Fazeela Abbasi is a dermatologist. Through his mother his cousin is actress Areej Chaudhary.
He gained his Bachelor's in International Relations from the United States and his Master's in the same subject from the Quaid-e-Azam University. While in the United States he also studied film-making.
He also passed the CSS exams and was working as a civil service officer in the police group before abandoning the job to concentrate on his passions, film-making and acting.

## Acting career
### Theatre

Abbasi started his career in 2006 as a theatre actor with a play titled Dally in the Dark. Later, he appeared in several plays such as Bombay Dreams, Phantom of the Opera, and Home is Where Your Clothes Are.

### Television

He began his television career in 2012 with a supporting role in Meray Dard Ko Jo Zuban Miley before getting fame for his lead roles in the serials Pyarey Afzal (2013) and Mann Mayal (2016).

### Cinema

His breakthrough was the movie Waar (2013). He was initially an assistant director to Bilal Lashari, before the later offered him a role in the movie, that he considers important for his future career.

### Voice acting

He voiced Baba Bandook, the main antagonist, and Vadero Pajero in the Unicorn Black produced animated series, Burka Avenger (2013).

## Other work
### Direction

Abbasi made his directorial debut with the feature film Mud House and the Golden Doll, released in 2011, which described as a simple story about simple people.
He has also directed Kambakht, still unreleased as of July 2024.

### Writing

In December 2020, Abbasi announced that he was writing a book on religion.
In August 2024, he released that book, My Discovery of Islam, God & Judgement Day.

## Personal life
### Relationships

Abbasi married painter and actress Naimal Khawar in 2019.

### Religion

Abbasi was born a Muslim, then for a while became an atheist but now identifies as Muslim again.

### Politics

Abbasi is a supporter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and he was elected as the cultural secretary of the party in January 2018. However, he resigned from this role in April of the same year because he felt that his movies did not represent Pakistan's culture well.
In 2018, he exposed journalist and former wife of Imran Khan, Reham Khan, by revealing the manuscript of her book beforehand. Reham Khan claimed to have been threatened directly by Abbasi via emails, but he denied these allegations. He believed that Reham Khan's claims were an attempt to tarnish his reputation due to his close relationship with Imran Khan.

## Filmography
### Film

Key :
| † | Film are currently on Cinema |
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | The Glorious Resolve | Tariq | Documentary film |
| 2011 | Mudhouse And The Golden Doll | Malang | Directorial debut |
| 2013 | Main Hoon Shahid Afridi | Maulvi Majeed | ARY Film Award for Best Star Debut Male |
| 2013 | Waar | SP Ehtesham Khattak | ARY Film Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 2015 | Jawani Phir Nahi Ani | Saif Ahmed | ARY Film Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 2016 | Ho Mann Jahaan | Malang Baba | Cameo appearance |
| 2017 | Shaan-e-Ishq | Mehwish's brother | Cameo appearance |
| 2018 | Parwaaz Hay Junoon | Sq/Ldr Hamza Ali Haider | Lead role |
| 2018 | Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2 | Saif Ahmed | Special appearance as Imran Khan |
| 2022 | The Legend of Maula Jatt | Noori Natt | Main antagonist |
| 2024 | Umro Ayyar - A New Beginning | Umro Ayyar | Special appearance |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Network | Note(s) |
| 2012 | Meray Dard Ko Jo Zuban Miley | Salaar/Azam | Hum TV | TV debut |
| 2013–2015 | Burka Avenger | Baba Bandook | Geo Tez/Nickelodeon | Voice over |
| 2013 | Pyaray Afzal | Afzal Subhanullah | ARY Digital | Drama serial |
| 2013 | Ek Tha Raja aur Ek Thi Rani | Farhan | ARY Digital | Telefilm |
| 2013 | Gullo Weds Gulli | Gullo | ARY Digital | Telefilm |
| 2016 | Mann Mayal | Salahuddin | Hum TV | Drama serial |
| 2019 | Alif | Qalb-e-Momin | Geo Entertainment | Drama serial |
| 2023 | Jaan-e-Jahan | Shehram | ARY Digital | Drama serial |
| 2024 | Faraar | Batish | Green Entertainment | Drama serial |

### Hosting and judging

| Year | Show | Role | Channel |
| 2014 | 1st ARY Film Awards | Co-host | ARY Digital |
| 2015 | 3rd Hum Awards | Co-host | Hum TV |
| 2018 | Debate Headquarters | Host | BOL Network |
| 2019 | Pakistan Star | Judge | BOL Network |

## Book

* My Discovery of Islam, God & Judgement Day, Ghamidi Center of Islamic Learning, 2024.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| ARY Film Awards ||||
| 2014 | Waar | ARY Film Award for Best Supporting Actor | Won |
| 2014 | Main Hoon Shahid Afridi | ARY Film Award for Best Star Debut Male | Won |
| 2016 | Jawani Phir Nahi Ani | Best Supporting Actor | Won |
| Lux Style Awards ||||
| 2015 | Pyarey Afzal | Best TV Actor | Won |
| 2021 | Alif | Best TV Actor (Viewers' Choice) | Nominated |
| 2021 | Alif | Best TV Actor (Critics' Choice) | Nominated |
| Hum TV Awards ||||
| 2017 | Mann Mayal | Best Actor Popular | Won |
| 2017 | Mann Mayal | Best Onscreen Couple | Won |
| International Pakistan Prestige Awards ||||
| 2017 | Style Icon of the Year Male | Style Icon of the Year Male | Won |