Veena Malik (born Zahida Malik on 26 February 1978) is a Pakistani actress, model and comedian. She has established herself as one of the leading women in the Pakistani television and film industry with her abilities to mimic others and improvise.

Malik has also worked as a representative at the World Health Organisation for two years and sponsors a child at the SOS Children’s Village, an NGO based in Pakistan working with orphaned children.

Malik was born on 26 February 1978 in Lahore, to Ali Malik, a Pakistan Army soldier, and his wife, Zeenat Malik. The family settled in Rawalpindi after her birth. Her grandmother named her Zahida, but her family insisted on keeping Veena as her first name. Her father often remained away from home, so she was brought up by her grandmother and mother until she was in her late teens when her grandmother died. Malik grew up expressing an interest in joining the film industry and her grandmother decided to encourage her. Her father however disliked the idea and pondered over his daughter’s fate in an industry that was deemed unsuitable for girls in Pakistan and initially resisted his daughter’s attempts to pursue a career in entertainment. However, she continued to receive support from her grandmother despite the disapproval of many family members.

Coming from a conservative Muslim family, she faced great adversity from members of her family, especially her father,^[2] on her decision to join show business. Before starting her career off as an actress, Malik worked as a comedian for several televisions shows and series. She made her acting debut alongside Shaanand Zara Sheikh in Askari’s Tere Pyar Mein (2000), which did well at the box office. She played a supporting role in the film and was barely acknowledged. However, she appeared in a supporting role in Javed Sheikh’s Yeh Dil Aap Ka Huwa (2002); the film was a commercial success.

In 2003, Malik appeared in Indo-Pak cross venture Punjabi film Pind Di Kuri which failed to do so well, however, the film turned out be the first Indo-Pak venture film with a budget of approximately 70 million rupees. She also appeared in Askari’s Sassi Punno (2003) alongside Sana and Moammar Rana, however the film failed to do well at Lahore’s cinemas and further screenings had stopped in cinemas after a week of its release. She then appeared in Rafique’s Jageer, which was considered a flop at the box office.

In 2005, she appeared in Punjabi short film “Bau Badmash” (2005) which didn’t garner any recognition due to the lack of big stars. She then appeared in Khan’sKoi Tujh Sa Kahan (2005) which was a commercial success in Pakistan.

She continued to appear in many films such as Wapsi (2006), Packton Yaar (2006), Sozam Peh Angar (2006) and Anjaam (2007), however neither of these films made a mark in Pakistani cinema. In 2007, she won her first Lux Style Award for being the most stylish celebrity on the red carpet.

In 2008, Malik appeared in Rafique’s Punjabi film, Mohabbatan Sachiyan, alongside ex-fiancee Babrik Shah and newcomers Maria Khan and Adnan Khan. The film went on to become a commercial success. The same year, she appeared in Raza’s Kabhi Pyaar Na Karna in a supporting role, but the film was a flop. Her last film of 2008 was Altaf’s Ishq Beparwah which also failed to impress the audience.

In 2010, she worked in Rafique’s Main Jeena Tere Naal, and Beyg’s debut comedy film Miss Duniya.

Malik has usually been cast as a supporting actor. It is unclear if she herself stayed clear of the leading roles or was denied them. Industry enthusiasts say that the only genre she was good at was ‘comedy’ and the directors failed to create a leading role around her acting skills. The criticism was taken well by her and she began to hone her skills even more in comedy.

In 2002, she was called by Prime TV to host a show called Prime Gupshup^[3] for them ushering a new direction for her comedic skills and she improvised on the hour-long show occasionally mimicking actors. The show’s format was such a great success added with the charisma that she brought with her, resulting in offers from various other channels as well. She hosted the Geo TV show Hum Sub Umeed Say Hain, in which she was hailed for her comedic parodies.^[4]