# Zara Noor Abbas
**Zara Noor Abbas** (زارا نور عباس), also known by her married name Zara Noor Abbas Siddiqui, is a Pakistani actress who works in Urdu television dramas and films. Born in Lahore, she comes from a family of performers, made her television debut in *Dharkan* (2016), and became widely recognized for playing Arsala in *Khamoshi* before adding film credits such as *Chhalawa* and *Parey Hut Love* (both 2019).[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2216031/) • [2](https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/567150-conversation-zara-noor-abbas) • [3](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2533862/pakistans-showbiz-is-a-community-not-an-industry-zara-noor-abbas?amp=1)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991 in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan; one database lists 1991, while Rotten Tomatoes lists 1990[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2216031/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/zara_noor_abbas) |
| Education | Studied filmmaking and theater at Beaconhouse National University[5](https://www.hmagpak.com/02-Dec-2017/half-an-hour-with-zara-noor-abbas) • [1](https://elcinema.com/person/2216031/) |
| Television debut | *Dharkan* (2016), produced by Momina Duraid Productions[2](https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/567150-conversation-zara-noor-abbas) • [5](https://www.hmagpak.com/02-Dec-2017/half-an-hour-with-zara-noor-abbas) |
| Breakthrough role | Arsala in *Khamoshi*, followed by *Lamhe* and *Qaid*[2](https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/567150-conversation-zara-noor-abbas) |
| Film debut | 2019, in *Chhalawa* and *Parey Hut Love*, both of which performed well at the box office[3](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2533862/pakistans-showbiz-is-a-community-not-an-industry-zara-noor-abbas?amp=1) |
| Award | Best Supporting Actress for *Parey Hut Love*, PISA Awards, 2020[6](https://sixscreen.com/celebs/zara-noor-abbas) |
| Family | Daughter of actress Asma Abbas; niece of Bushra Ansari; married to actor Asad Siddiqui since 2017, with one daughter, Noor-e-Jahan[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2216031/) • [6](https://sixscreen.com/celebs/zara-noor-abbas) |
## Early life and family
Abbas was born in Lahore, Punjab, and studied cinema and theater at Beaconhouse National University before acting professionally.[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2216031/) • [5](https://www.hmagpak.com/02-Dec-2017/half-an-hour-with-zara-noor-abbas) Her family background is firmly in the performing arts. In a 2017 interview she described starting as a theater actor and said her mother had a theater background, her aunt was also an actor, and her grandfather had been a film director who earned a filmmaking degree in Hollywood; "it runs in my blood," she said.[5](https://www.hmagpak.com/02-Dec-2017/half-an-hour-with-zara-noor-abbas)
**An acting family.** Her mother is the actress Asma Abbas, and her aunts include Bushra Ansari, Neelam Basheer, and Sumbul Shahid; her grandfather is listed as the filmmaker Ahmad Bashir.[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2216031/) • [6](https://sixscreen.com/celebs/zara-noor-abbas) She credited this household for her comic timing, saying comedy came naturally "because of my khala and my mother" and the "wonderfully hilarious women" she grew up around.[7](https://sapphire-online.com/pages/diving-into-summer-with-zara-noor-abbas.html)
Her personal life includes a first marriage in 2009 to Zain, and a marriage to actor Asad Siddiqui in 2017; the couple have a daughter, Noor-e-Jahan Siddiqui.[6](https://sixscreen.com/celebs/zara-noor-abbas)
## Television career
**Debut and breakthrough.** Abbas began her television career with *Dharkan* in 2016, alongside Adeel Chaudhry, and the serial was produced by Momina Duraid Productions, a company she said she continued to work with.[2](https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/567150-conversation-zara-noor-abbas) • [5](https://www.hmagpak.com/02-Dec-2017/half-an-hour-with-zara-noor-abbas) She shot to fame as Arsala in *Khamoshi*, in which she played a woman in distress; the serial became what the *News on Sunday* interview called a game-changer for her career. Her next projects, *Lamhe* and *Qaid*, did not make a comparable mark with viewers, and she acknowledged in that interview that taking similar roles had been a mistake: "I can't keep doing similar roles or else I won't grow as an actor."[2](https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/567150-conversation-zara-noor-abbas)
**Range of roles.** Her subsequent drama credits include *Deewar-e-Shab* (2019), in which she appeared alongside her mother and aunt; *[Ehd-e-Wafa](https://www.edgepedia.org/ehd-e-wafa)* (2019), where she played Rani Chaudhary; *Zebaish* (2020), as Noshi; *Phaans*; *Badshah Begum* (2022); *Jhoom*, on Geo TV; and *Ek Jhooti Kahani*.[2](https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/567150-conversation-zara-noor-abbas) • [8](https://theothermeunfolded.com/reviews/pakistani-content/drama-list/drama-list-zara-noor-abbas/) • [9](https://magtheweekly.com/detail/18801-60-seconds-with-zara-noor-abbas) She has described Rani in *Ehd-e-Wafa* as her easiest role and Badshah Begum, a period production in which she handled a weapon on screen, as her hardest.[7](https://sapphire-online.com/pages/diving-into-summer-with-zara-noor-abbas.html)
**Standup Girl.** Her recent television work includes *Standup Girl*, a comedy-drama series that aired from December 2023 to 2024 on Green Entertainment, in which she portrayed Zara, a young woman from [Islamabad](https://www.edgepedia.org/islamabad) who moves to Lahore to pursue stand-up comedy.[3](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2533862/pakistans-showbiz-is-a-community-not-an-industry-zara-noor-abbas?amp=1)
## Film career
Abbas entered film in 2019 with two releases. In *Chhalawa* she played Haya.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/zara_noor_abbas) In Asim Raza's *Parey Hut Love* she took a supporting part as Shabbo, a comic character she described as "high on life but she is innocently dumb"; she said the role was initially limited but was extended during shooting, and her performance earned her the PISA Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2020.[2](https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/567150-conversation-zara-noor-abbas) • [6](https://sixscreen.com/celebs/zara-noor-abbas) Later film and telefilm credits include the title role in *Dil Tera Hogaya* (2020) and Maya, a lawyer, in *Love Life Ka Law* (2022).[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/zara_noor_abbas) • [8](https://theothermeunfolded.com/reviews/pakistani-content/drama-list/drama-list-zara-noor-abbas/)
**She Roze.** In her new film *She Roze*, announced through a 2026 SBS Urdu interview, she plays a bomb disposal unit officer in a story focused on women's empowerment. She framed the role as showing women's strength, independence, and ability to take on demanding work, and said [Pakistani dramas](https://www.edgepedia.org/pakistani-dramas) have taken on a social responsibility of raising awareness beyond entertainment.[10](https://www.sbs.com.au/language/urdu/en/podcast-episode/beyond-entertainment-drama-has-taken-on-a-social-responsibility-zara-noor-abbas/4hl7mhqo4)
## Public views and recognition
Abbas speaks openly about the state of her profession. In a discussion with host and actor [Danish Taimoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/danish-taimoor), she argued that Pakistan's entertainment sector is not yet a full-fledged industry but a small community, noting abundant creative talent from cities such as Lahore and [Faisalabad](https://www.edgepedia.org/faisalabad) but demand concentrated on a handful of performers; Taimoor disagreed, saying the drama sector had grown significantly over the previous decade.[3](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2533862/pakistans-showbiz-is-a-community-not-an-industry-zara-noor-abbas?amp=1)
**Advocacy and controversies.** She has spoken about workplace double standards for women and has advocated for mental health awareness, discussing depression, anxiety, and self-care. In June 2026 she criticized online tabloids for manufacturing rivalries between female actors after facing backlash for liking a post comparing performances in the drama *Zanjeerain*, writing on Instagram that such comparisons take women out of context to generate engagement.[11](https://www.upfront.pk/zara-noor-abbas-criticises-online-comparisons-between-female-actors/) She has also said she plans to direct one day, naming direction as her alternate career if not acting.[9](https://magtheweekly.com/detail/18801-60-seconds-with-zara-noor-abbas)
## Notes on the birth date
Two databases give different birthdays: elCinema and Six Screens list 13 March 1991 in Lahore, while Rotten Tomatoes lists 22 May 1990.[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2216031/) • [6](https://sixscreen.com/celebs/zara-noor-abbas) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/zara_noor_abbas) The Pakistani sources are mutually consistent and are the ones commonly used for her biography.
## References
1. [Zara Noor Abbas, elCinema](https://elcinema.com/person/2216031/)
2. [In conversation with Zara Noor Abbas, The News on Sunday (Instep), 27 January 2019](https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/567150-conversation-zara-noor-abbas)
3. [Pakistan's showbiz is a community, not an industry: Zara Noor Abbas, The Express Tribune](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2533862/pakistans-showbiz-is-a-community-not-an-industry-zara-noor-abbas?amp=1)
4. [Zara Noor Abbas Movies List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/zara_noor_abbas)
5. [Half An Hour With Zara Noor Abbas, H Mag, 2 December 2017](https://www.hmagpak.com/02-Dec-2017/half-an-hour-with-zara-noor-abbas)
6. [Zara Noor Abbas Biography & Drama Career, Six Screens](https://sixscreen.com/celebs/zara-noor-abbas)
7. [Diving Into Summer with Zara Noor Abbas, Sapphire interview](https://sapphire-online.com/pages/diving-into-summer-with-zara-noor-abbas.html)
8. [Drama List: Zara Noor Abbas, The Other Me Unfolded](https://theothermeunfolded.com/reviews/pakistani-content/drama-list/drama-list-zara-noor-abbas/)
9. [60 Seconds with Zara Noor Abbas, MAG The Weekly, July 2023](https://magtheweekly.com/detail/18801-60-seconds-with-zara-noor-abbas)
10. [Beyond entertainment, drama has taken on a social responsibility: Zara Noor Abbas, SBS Urdu, 6 October 2026](https://www.sbs.com.au/language/urdu/en/podcast-episode/beyond-entertainment-drama-has-taken-on-a-social-responsibility-zara-noor-abbas/4hl7mhqo4)
11. [Zara Noor Abbas criticises online comparisons between female actors, Upfront, 30 June 2026](https://www.upfront.pk/zara-noor-abbas-criticises-online-comparisons-between-female-actors/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of South Asia › Pakistani screen actors, 2000s onward*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license