Yasra Rizvi is a Pakistani actress and writer. She played the female lead in a number of television productions, including Mann Ke Moti (2012), Woh Dobara (2014), Thora Sa Aasman (2016) and Ustani Jee (2018). In her acting career, she is known for her portrayals of women in challenging situations.[2][3][4] She gained critical acclaim for her performance in the web-series Churails (2020). Her directorial ventures include Shanaas, Working Women (both 2023) and Chand Nagar.[5]

Yasra Rizvi
Born (1982-11-15) 15 November 1982 (age 41)
NationalityPakistani
OccupationActress
Years active2011–present
Spouse
Abdul Hadi
(m. 2016)
[1]
RelativesJenaan Hussain (sister-in-law)

Personal life

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Rizvi resides in Islamabad, Pakistan.[citation needed] She married Abdul Hadi in Karachi during December 2016.[1]

Career

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Rizvi started her acting career after completing her Master's from London, UK. She initially performed on stage and theatre plays and moved to television serials.[6] She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of a single mother in Mann Ke Moti (2013) aired on Geo TV. The series was a critical and commercial hit, also broadcast in India on Zindagi TV. Later she appeared as Fariha in Malika-Aliya (2014) and as Yasmeen in Woh Dubara (2014). In 2016, she appeared in the women-centric serial Thoda Sa Aasman, portraying the role of Fatima.[citation needed]

In 2016 Rizvi started working on a comedy, Senti Aur Mental, featuring Zain Afzal, Rizvi herself and Yousuf Bashir Qureshi in the cast.[7][8] The project, that would have been Rizvi's directorial debut,[9] was cancelled in 2021.[10][11][12]

Her other appearances include Iss Khamoshi Ka Matlab (2016), Kitni Girhain Baaki Hain 2 (2016), Baji Irshad (2017), Aangan (2017) and Ustani Jee (2018).[13][14]

In 2020, she played the lead role of Jugnu Chaudhary alongside an ensemble cast in Asim Abbasi's directed Churails, and released on ZEE5. Her portrayal of an ubar rich wedding planner was praised by critics. A reviewer from The Express Tribune opined "her performance improves tremendously with each episode."[15], while The Khaleej Times found her "simply delightful, often bringing in humorous elements to scenes rife with tension."[16]

The same year, she starred in Dunk as a wife seeking justice for her husband, a professor who had succumbed to suicide due to false allegations of harassment. In the following year 2021, she was portrayed an undereducated call girl in Kashif Nisar directed Dil Na Umeed To Nahi.[17]

In 2023, she made her solo directorial debut Shanaas, a mystery-thriller broadcast on Green Entertainment. A reviewer from DAWN Images praised her direction for its balance, emotional depth, and ability to elicit strong performances from the cast.[18] Her next project Working Women, a series about the challenges of working women of the society ,which was written by Bee Gul also broadcast on the same network.[19][20]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2015 Jawani Phir Nahi Ani Sherry's mother
2015 Manto Balwant Kaur [3]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2012–2013 Daagh Rehana
2013 Kaash Aisa Ho
2013–2014 Mann Ke Moti Fariha [21]
2014 Malika-e-Aliya Khadija
2014 Woh Dobara Yasmeen [3]
2014 Bhabhi Sambhal Chabi
2014–2015 Choti Dr.Amna
2015 Sawaab Sadia
Baji Irshad Irshad Director also[22]
Nazo Habeel's sister
2016 Main Kamli Raaghi [23]
2016 Iss Khamoshi Ka Matlab [24]
2016 Thoda Sa Aasman Fatima [25]
2016 Iftar Mulaqaat Herself
2016 Kitni Girhain Baaki Hain 2 Yasra Episode 36
2016–2017 Faltu Larki Tajwar [26]
2016–2017 Manchahi
2017 Aangan Haseena Cameo
2018 Ustani Jee Shehwar; Ustani Jee writer also[13]
2020-2021 Dunk Sairah
2021 Dil Na Umeed To Nahi Sawera
2022 Dil Awaiz Tammana Khanum
2023 Shanaas Director also
Working Women Director only
2024 Chand Nagar Director only

Webseries

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Year Title Role Notes
2020 Ayesha Ayesha Web series
2020 Churails Jugnu Web series on Zee5

References

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  1. ^ a b "Yasra Rizvi slams criticism for marrying man younger than her - Entertainment - Dunya News". dunyanews.tv. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  2. ^ Haq, Irfan Ul (12 March 2018). "In Angeline Malik's new TV series, a psych professor is the neighbourhood hero". DAWN. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Yasra Rizvi breathes love into Urdu adab | Pakistan Today". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  4. ^ Fatima, Nayab. "Yasra Rizvi trolled for her 'bad poetry'". Aaj News. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  5. ^ "'Chand Nagar' storyline and performances win people over, prompting calls for Season 2!". Daily Times. 24 April 2024. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  6. ^ Talha (31 December 2016). "Yasra Rizvi Just Got Married and Her Wedding Proves Goals|Parhlo.com". Parhlo. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  7. ^ Siddiqui, Saman (2 July 2018). "Multi talented Yasra Rizvi to make directorial debut with film "Senti aur Mental"". Oyeyeah. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Yasir Hussain, Yasra Rizvi to star in upcoming film 'Senti-aur-mental'". The Express Tribune. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  9. ^ NewsBytes. "Senti Aur Mental is based on a wedding, says Yasra Rizvi". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  10. ^ Images Staff (24 December 2021). "Yasra Rizvi's film SentiAurMental may have been laid to rest but it leaves behind an upbeat song". Images. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  11. ^ Zehra, Syeda (23 December 2021). "We won't be finishing Senti Aur Mental - Yasra Rizvi". Something Haute. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Yasra Rizvi Announces Not to Complete Shoot Of 'Senti Aur Mental'; Releases a Song From Film". PakistaniCinema.Net. 24 December 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Yasra Rizvi to lead 'Ustaani Jee'". Gulf News. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  14. ^ Tribune.com.pk (28 January 2016). "Yasir Hussain, Yasra Rizvi to star in upcoming film 'Senti-aur-mental' | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  15. ^ Shaheera Anwar (13 August 2020). "'Churails' review: Raw, real and radical". The Express Tribune.
  16. ^ Anamika Chatterjee (11 August 2020). "Churails review: For the misfits, by the misfits". The Khaleej Times. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  17. ^ Aamna Haider Isani (7 February 2021). "The Un-witching of Yasra Rizvi". The News International.
  18. ^ Qurat ul ain Siddiqui (16 October 2023). "A story of identity and betrayal: Shanaas comes close to the classic Pakistani dramas of the 80s". images.dawn.com. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  19. ^ Maliha Rehman (27 August 2023). "THE ICON INTERVIEW : BEING YASRA RIZVI". Dawn.com. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  20. ^ Simran Siraj (1 May 2023). "I can't censor myself: Bee Gul's next drama with Yasra Rizvi explores women's sexuality". Express Tribune.
  21. ^ "Yasra Rizvi responds to haters questioning age difference with husband". Geo News. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  22. ^ Tribune.com.pk (21 September 2016). "Pakistani soap to break stereotypes with Christian protagonist". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  23. ^ "'Mein Kamli' talks about honour killing and women empowerment". HIP. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  24. ^ Shabbir, Buraq. "Is Khamoshi Ka Matlab feels closer to reality". The News International. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  25. ^ Desk, Instep. "A quick guide to TV serials". The News. Retrieved 6 May 2019. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  26. ^ "Faseeh Khan, Mazhar Moin ready to rock the screen". Daily Times. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
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