Kubra Khan


Rabia Iqbal Khan known by her stage name Kubra Khan, is a 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.
Khan has appeared in successful films such as Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2, Parwaaz Hai Junoon, and London Nahi Jaunga. She made her television debut with Sang-e-Mar Mar followed by several dramas including Alif Allah Aur Insaan, Alif, Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay and Sinf-e-Aahan, Jannat Se Aagay and Noor Jahan''.
𝕏 KubraMKhan

Early life

Born near Multan, Punjab on 16 June 1993, her family moved to the United Kingdom when she was 6 months old, 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.

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. A reviewer from the Gulf Times found her presence as "almost angel-like" but criticised her unfit and preachy monologue. In 2015, Khan appeared in the Bollywood movie Welcome 2 Karachi.
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". She next appeared in the spiritual-romance Khuda Aur Muhabbat season 2 as a materialistic girl who later develops spiritualism. Khan then essayed the justice seeking marital rape victim in the drama Andaaz-e-Sitam. She concluded the year with a similar role of a rape victim in social drama Muqabil, for which she received Lux Style Award for Best TV Actress nomination at the 17th Lux Style Awards.
She had her first appearance in 2017 in spiritual drama Alif Allah Aur Insaan as an arrogant and pride daughter of a feudal family. She expressed dissatisfaction with her performance. 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".
She returned to television in 2019 with spiritual-romance Alif, portraying Husn-e-Jahan, a renowned Pakistani cinema actress who abandoned 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."
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". 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, despite her performance being overlooked. The same year, she returned to cinema screens, starring alongside Humayun Saeed in romantic-comedy London Nahi Jaunga as an educated rural Punjabi girl. Rafay Mahmood of The Express Tribune found her as a "a real surprise package" who "ruled the screen and camera, equally". The performance earned her a nomination of Best Film Actress at the 22nd Lux Style Awards
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. In 2024, she appeared in television series Noor Jahan as Noor Bano Shah.
She will next seen as Homai Vyarawalla in Aur Digital's drama Fatima Jinnah.

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 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.
In response to the allegations, Khan also threatened legal action against Adil Raja for defamation. Raja subsequently issued an apology to Khan, clarifying that his intention was not to target women but to highlight broader systemic issues.

Personal life

In January 2025, Khan and her longtime friend Gohar Rasheed announced their upcoming wedding.

Filmography

Films

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotesRef
2014Na Maloom AfraadHinaNabeel QureshiActing Debut
2014The ConversationsPerfect girlHaider ZafarBritish short film
2015Welcome 2 KarachiISI agent AsmaAshish R MohanHindi film
2018Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2CelinaNadeem Baig
2018Parwaaz Hai JunoonFiza Nadir KirmaniHaseeb Hassan
2019SuperstarHerselfMohammed EhteshamuddinSpecial appearance in the song "Dhadak Bhadak"
2022London Nahi JaungaArzoo Mansoor TiwanaNadeem Baig
2024AbhiZaraAsad Mumtaz Malik