Hottie of the week: Shahbaz Shigri

Status: Married

Birthday: February 24, 1988

Horoscope: Pisces

Who is he?

Producer, actor, director — Shahbaz Shigri, 24, made a name for himself acting in the famously banned Slackistan and making films like Gol Chakkar and Sole Search. In an industry that demands years of experience, he has already made a name for himself. Shahbaz took up filmmaking because he wanted to make movies for pure entertainment — something different from the usual depictions of poverty and terrorism that Pakistanis regularly see. “The lack of narrative fiction films being made in Pakistan is why I got into this,” he says, claiming that he finds filmmaking the best way to express himself completely. “It is exciting to create a film or music video from scratch.”

Why he’s droolworthy

Is it that square jaw? Those strong brows? That touchable hair? Whatever it is, we know we skip a heartbeat and do a double take when we see this guy. Add to this his indie cred: he’s made a music video for the Kominas and a feature film on Islamabad and is the don of what passes for indie film in Pakistan. His creativity and over-the-top ideas keep us hooked. “I draw inspiration from everything: movies, videos, people. I instantly imagine situations as movies, so it’s not hard to find inspiration in such a dynamic country.”

Our stud is one half of the power couple that is Aisha Linnea Akhtar and Shahbaz Hamid Shigri and the hotness (if not yet the star power) that the two generate makes us compare them to Brangelina. “What I really love about her,” says Shahbaz, “is that not only do we have the same interests, but goals.”

Warning: The bloke is married to one of the most gorgeous women in Pakistan, Aisha Linnea Akhtar. Not only is she his wife, but also his partner: she helped him with his filmmaking thesis for New York University and is a co-producer on his films. Clearly, she’s taking no chances with this one! The two are so close that Shahbaz even watches reality TV with her. “Project Runway”, “Jersey Shore” — whatever it is, if she’s watching it, so is he. But never alone! So bat your eyelashes at him all you want (we don’t blame you) — chances are he will give an ‘I’ve got better’ smile and run back in her arms ... even if you don a Jolie face mask for his sake.

Things you didn’t know about him

Even though he has found his perfect match we’d still like to tell you that Shahbaz gets drawn to ambitious, intelligent, hilarious and beautiful women. If you think that’s daunting listen to what he has to say next: “Luckily, my wife has all of those traits, and more.” Dear Aisha, we know we don’t stand a chance but no one can stop us from making castles in the air.

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, November 4^th, 2012.

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