Nayyar Ejaz or Nayyar Ijaz [1]The Express Tribune is a celebrated Pakistani film and television actor. He is popular for playing the antagonist Salman in the Pakistani TV serial Dhuwan (1994) and Kali Das in Laag (1998).
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Nayyar Ejaz was born on Wednesday, 11 September 1963 (age 59 years; as of 2022) in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. His zodiac sign is Virgo. Later, he moved to Lahore to pursue his studies, where he lived with one of his elder brothers. Initially, Nayyar Ejaz wanted to be a cricketer, and he played at the under-19 level. He has also played a few first-class matches and grade cricket. While he was pursuing cricket in Lahore, he had to return to Quetta owing to his father’s illness. It was Quetta that he was discovered as an actor by Tariq Mairaj, a PTV director, at a clothing store owned by his friend. At that time, he was completing his matriculation. Later, after a short stint with the Federal Government in Quetta, he pursued a FA, BA, and MA in political science. [2]YouTube- Metro Live TV
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 6′
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Nayyar Ejaz’s family hails from Dharampura, Lahore. He belongs to a family of renowned musicians. His father, Ustad Sharif Khan (deceased), worked for Radio Pakistan and was transferred to Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan in 1957. His mother, Hamida begum, died in 2014.
Nayyar Ejaz is the second youngest out of 12 siblings. Only 3 of the 12 siblings, including Ejaz, are in showbiz. His elder brother Salamat Ali is a well-known classical vocalist and gazal singer; he is married to Azra Riaz. Salamat Ali and Azra Riaz are a celebrated husband-and-wife duo who have performed numerous popular ghazals and geets together. His brother Riaz (deceased) was a poet, singer, music director, and actor who worked in the Pakistani entertainment industry. Two of his brothers’ names are Mumtaz Hussain and Amanat Ali. Apart from Riaz, his other 3 other siblings, 1 brother and 2 sisters, are deceased.
Wife & Children
On 19 November 2005, he got married to Rubina Ijaz. The couple had a child, who died years ago. [3]YouTube- ARY Digital HD
Religion/Religious Views
Nayyar Ejaz follows Islam. [4]Facebook-Nayyer Ejaz
Career
Television
When Nayyar Ejaz was in ninth grade, he played the role of a father in a TV serial in which Pakistani actress Azra Aftab played his daughter. In an interview, while talking about the same he said,
Once, when I was in ninth grade, I played the role of a father in a TV serial, where Azra Aftab played my daughter! People thought I could get away with playing the role because I looked and sounded much older than I actually was”
He fully ventured into the Pakistani entertainment industry around 1984 or ’85. Ejaz was standing at a friend’s clothing store when his husky voice and captivating demeanour attracted Tariq Mairaj. After four days, Mairaj approached Ejaz for casting him in a drama. At first, Ejaz was hesitant to enter showbiz due to a lack of acting skills. However, upon a little encouragement, he agreed to work in the drama. Soon, Ejaz made his acting debut with the TV show Zindagi Jis Ke Naam, Asghar Nadeem Syed’s first play, in which he played a sleazy profit-hungry producer. He gained recognition with the TV show Dasht (1993) in which he played a stammering youngster named Shaikh, who witnessed his parents’ murders.
At the beginning of his career, Ejaz worked a lot for the channel PTV. In 1994, he came into the spotlight with the TV show Dhuwan he played the role of Salman, a business tycoon and drug kingpin who has connections to narcotics and other criminal activities. The show was telecast on PTV Home.
In 1997, he amassed immense appreciation for the role of Guru of transgenders in PTV’s Janjaal Pura.
He gained popularity for playing the role of Major Kaali Das in the action crime drama serial Laag (1998) on PTV.
Other shows on PTV in which he appeared include Madar (1990) as Gul Mast, Baarish Kay baad (1993) as Qadir Bakhsh, Haqeeqat (1999) as Lala, Aan (2000) as Mehfooz, and The Castle: Aik Umeed (2001) as Munawar Mama. In 2007, he appeared in the show Sarkar Sahab in which he played the antagonist Mir Alam on ARY TV.
Other ARY TV’s shows in which he appeared include Hania (2019) as Vohra Sahab, Barfi Laddu (2019) as Iqbal Halwai, and Khwaab Nagar Ki Shehzadi (2021) as Jamil Khan.
Film
In 1995, he made his film debut with the Pakistani film Shartiya Mithay. Thereafter, he appeared in various Pakistani films like Chand Girhan (1997) Moosa Khan (2001), Zill-e-Shah (2008), and Saltanat (2012). In 2014, he played the role of an evil and corrupt politician in the Urdu-language action drama film The System.
In the 2016 Pakistani socio-comedy film Actor in Law, he played the role of an anti-feminist lawyer. He appeared in the historical war film Saya e Khuda e Zuljalal (2016) as a terrorist preacher named Molvi Nasser. In the 2017 action comedy film Na Maloom Afraad 2, he played an antagonist Sheikh Sultan al-Baklawa.
In 2017, he appeared in the romantic socio-comedy film Mehrunisa V Lub U in which he played the role of Marzi, a transgender don.
In the 2018 romantic action comedy film Teefa in Trouble, he played Sheikh Sahab.
In 2019, he played the role of Chand Kamal, a surreptitious talent manager-cum-journalist, in the romantic drama film Baaji.The role earned him the Best Supporting Actor Award at Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival (2019) in Mississauga, Canada.
In the 2022 Pakistani Punjabi-language action drama film The Legend of Maula Jatt, he played the role of Jagoo Natt.
Other Pakistani films under his belt include O21 (2014), Janaan (2016), Geo Sar Utha Kay (2017), and Ghabrana Nahi Hai (2022)
Facts/Trivia
- He draws inspiration from the works of American actor Robert De Niro.
- Once he revealed that he was paid a meagre Rs 300 for his first film.
- In an interview, Nayyer Ejaz and Salamat Ali attributed their eloquent speech and melodious voice to their mother.
- In 2016, Nayyar Ejaz ruled the cinemas with his various villainous characters for which he was dubbed as ‘Villain of the year.’ [5]The News International
- In an interview, he revealed that once he got slapped in public because of one of his villainous roles. Ejaz played a role in which the character was shaving his face and singing a song when in the back of his mind he thinks that his wife is having an affair with his friend. In anger, the character cuts the face of his wife with a blade. Ejaz said that after that film, one day he was sitting at the Islamabad airport when a lady approached and asked him to stand up. As he stood up, she slapped him hard on his face. Amazed and confused, Ejaz asked her the reason behind the disgrace. She said that for 30 years she used to talk to her husband while he shaved his face, but due to Ejaz’s vicious character in the film, she got afraid that her husband might cut her face with a blade.
- Nayyar Ejaz in an interview claimed that Shah Rukh Khan’s popular dialogue “K-k-k-Kiran” was inspired by his character from TV show Dasht (1993) in which he played a stammering youngster named Shaikh.
- For his versatile roles, Dawn Icon honoured Nayyer Ejaz with the title “The man with a thousand faces” in 2021.
- In the same year, he took a jab at the government for his high electricity bill. In a video message, the actor blasted the PTI government’s incompetence saying,
I just received an electricity bill of Rs 40,000 for one meter… and the other is for Rs26,000, my brother and I live together. How are we even consuming this much electricity at home? Are we living in the WAPDA house? Shame on such tabdeeli [change].”
References