Rabia Iqbal Khan (Urdu: کبرٰی خان) known by her stage nameKubra Khan (born 16 June 1993), is a British-Pakistani actress who works in Urdu television and films. She made her debut in 2014 with the film Na Maloom Afraad. Khan is described among the nation's highest-paid actresses by the media.[3][4]
Born near Multan, Punjab on 16 June 1993, her family moved to the United Kingdom when she was 6 months, and initially was a model, having been spotted by Ahmed Ali Butt's future wife Fatima Khan and later by Butt's brother, before becoming an actress.[1]
Career
Khan's acting debut as well as cinematic debut was marked in 2013 by action-comedy Na Maloom Afraad, where she portrayed Hina, a bank-worker and love interest of the film's main lead, Mohsin Abbas Haider.[9] A reviewer from the Gulf Times found her presence as "almost angel-like" but criticised her unfit and preachy monologue.[10] In 2015, Khan appeared in the Bollywood movie Welcome 2 Karachi.[11][12][13]
She made her television debut in Sang-e-Mar Mar, which aired on Hum TV in 2016. Sadaf Haider of the DAWN Images termed her as one of the breakout star of the serial, noting her "beautifully controlled performance as Shireen".[14] She next appeared in the spiritual-romance Khuda Aur Muhabbat season 2 as a materialistic girl who later develops spiritualism.[15] Khan then essayed the justice seeking marital rape victim in the drama Andaaz-e-Sitam.[16] She concluded the year with a similar role of a rape victim in social drama Muqabil,[16] for which she received Lux Style Award for Best TV Actress nomination at the 17th Lux Style Awards.[17]
She had her first appearance in 2017 in spiritual drama Alif Allah Aur Insaan as a arrogant and pride daughter of a feudal family. She expressed dissatisfaction with her performance.[18] She then played a girl next door in romantic-comedy Shadi Mubarak Ho. Her next portrayal was a brief appearance as a ballsy London-based punjabi window in social drama Daldal.
In 2018, she appeared in the Pakistani films Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2 and Parwaaz Hai Junoon, both of which released on 22 August Eid-al-Adha. While reviewing her performance in Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2, Mohammad Kamran Jawaid of Dawn opined that her "cutesy aura befitting her role".[19]
She returned to television in 2019 with spiritual-romance Alif, portraying Husn-e-Jahan, a renowned Pakistani cinema actress who abandones her career to marry a calligrapher's son. Describing the project as "most memorable" for her, Khan reflected that she gave "heart and soul to Alif."[20]
In 2022, she portrayed Mashal Tahir, an emotionally fragile and insecure university student in psychological-drama Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay based on the eponymous novel by Umera Ahmad. Maria Kari of the DAWN Images found that as Mashal, Khan "packs a punch".[21] Khan then depicted a journalist with her childhood trauma in mystery-drama Sang-e-Mah, pairing opposite Atif Aslam. Her on-screen chemistry with Aslam was praised critically,[22][23] despite her performance being overlooked.[18] The same year, she returned to cinema screens, starring alongside Humayun Saeed in romantic-comedy London Nahi Jaunga as an educated rural Punjabi girl.[24] Rafay Mahmood of The Express Tribune found her as a "a real surprise package" who "ruled the screen and camera, equally".[25] The performance earned her a nomination of Best Film Actress at the 22nd Lux Style Awards[26]
In 2023, Khan starred as Jannat Ali Khan in ontology drama Jannat Se Aagay as a TV show host whose personal life gets affected due to her stardom, earning decent reviews; Gaitee Ara Siddiqi of The News International stated that she has done "a commendable job" suggesting improvement in dialogue delivery.[27]
In 2024, She appeared in television series Noor Jahan as Noor Bano Shah.[28]
Controversy
In 2023, reports emerged alleging that the Pakistan Army, under the direction of former COAS Qamar Javed Bajwa and former DG Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Faiz Hameed, employed actresses to entrap and blackmail politicians in the country. These claims were made by retired Major Adil Raja, who suggested that actresses were used to produce compromising videos and were housed in safe houses connected to the ISI. One of the actresses named in the allegations was Kubra Khan who denied these claims, describing them as unfounded.[29][30]
In response to the allegations, Khan, also threatened legal action against Adil Raja for defamation.[31] Raja subsequently issued an apology to Khan, clarifying that his intention was not to target women but to highlight broader systemic issues.[32]
Personal Life
In 2025, Khan announced that she was engaged to Gohar Rasheed.[33][34]
