British-Pakistani actor and host (born 1968)
This article is about the actor. For the diplomat and socialite, see Aly Khan.
Alyy Khan (born 6 December 1968) is a British-Pakistani[1][2] actor and host who has worked in Hollywood, Bollywood, and Lollywood films and television series.[3][4][5] He is known for his roles in the films A Mighty Heart (2007), Traitor (2008), Don 2 (2011), 3 Bahadur (2015), Actor in Law (2016), and Mogul Mowgli (2020), and also played a parallel lead in the telefilm Anjuman (2013). Khan has also appeared in several television series, including The Bill (2006), Strike Back (2011), Saat Pardon Mein (2012), Indian Summers (2015), Pakeezah (2016), and Mere Humsafar (2022).
In 2012, Khan hosted the television reality show Foodistan for NDTV and Geo TV. Recent credits include The Serpent (2020) on Netflix, Shantaram (2022) on Paramount/Apple + TV ,and The Archies (2023) on Netflix India.
Khan was born in Karachi, Pakistan. After his parents divorced, Khan moved with his mother to England and then to his maternal grandmother's home in Mumbai, India when he was about ten years old.[6] He received his education at Bombay Scottish School in Mumbai. He studied drama under the guidance of Hima Devi, who was affiliated with Trinity College, London, through the Hima Kala Kendra in Mumbai. Khan also holds a diploma in film and television production from Pimlico Arts and Media College in London.[7]
The late singer-turned-Islamic preacherJunaid Jamshed was his cousin.[7]
Khan started his career in the early 1990s in Indian television shows and later theatrical Indian films. He is known for his roles in the films A Mighty Heart (2007), Traitor (2008), Don 2 (2011), 3 Bahadur (2015), Actor in Law (2016) ,and Mogul Mowgli (2020), and also played a parallel lead in the telefilm Anjuman (2013). Khan has also appeared in several television series, including The Bill (2006), Strike Back (2011), Saat Pardon Mein (2012), Indian Summers (2015), and Pakeezah (2016). Recent acting credits include The Serpent (2020) on Netflix, Shantaram (2022) on Paramount/Apple + TV, and The Archies (2022) on Netflix India.
From 2012 to 2013, Khan hosted the cooking game show Foodistan, where chefs from both India and Pakistan competed, broadcast simultaneously on NDTV and Geo TV.[8]
In 2013, Khan directed a play, Aapki Soniya, starring Sajid Hasan and Mehwish Hayat, staged in Karachi's NAPA.[9]
Khan is also engaged in philanthropy and currently serves as the Brand Ambassador of Crossadder Foundation, a 'for youth, by youth' NGO working on awareness, advocacy, and action.[10] Crossadder Foundation is the caretaker of Master Ayub School and facilitates the education of street children.[11]