Pakistani actress and model Kinza Hashmi is reportedly set to make her Bangladeshi film debut opposite Shakib Khan in his upcoming film ‘Mohabbat’.
Several sources close to the production have indicated that Kinza has been selected for the female lead and that the formalities of her contract have been completed.
However, director Himel Ashraf and producer Arshad Adnan have yet to confirm the casting publicly.
The announcement of ‘Mohabbat’ in the first week of October sparked considerable curiosity about who would star opposite Shakib. The film, directed by Himel Ashraf and produced by Arshad Adnan, is scheduled for release during Eid-ul-Azha in 2027.
Several Pakistani actresses were initially linked to the project, including Hania Aamir, Sajal Aly, Yumna Zaidi and Dur-e-Fishan Saleem. But sources now claim that Kinza, rather than any of those names, has secured the role.
The production company, Versatile Media, is reportedly planning to introduce Shakib’s new co-star at a special event. The mystery has also been reflected in the film’s first poster, which shows Shakib alongside the hand of a woman wearing a red scarf and white salwar kameez, with her face kept out of view.
Kinza is a familiar face in Pakistani television. She began her acting career in 2014 and gradually gained recognition through regular appearances in television dramas.
She attracted wider attention for playing Rushna in ‘Ishq Tamasha’. Her other television credits include ‘Gul-o-Gulzar’, ‘Mohlat’, ‘Dil Awaiz’, ‘Hook’ and ‘Mere Ban Jao’. She also appeared in the telefilm ‘Rooposh’.
Alongside television, Kinza has worked in films, including ‘Kattar Karachi’ and ‘Shiroz’. She has also built a profile as a model in Pakistan’s entertainment industry.
A role in ‘Mohabbat’ would mark a new chapter in her career, bringing her to a wider audience in Bangladesh.
Kinza would not be the first actress from outside Bangladesh to appear opposite Shakib. Over the years, he has worked with several Indian actresses, including Srabanti Chatterjee, Paoli Dam, Subhashree Ganguly, Swastika Mukherjee, Sayantika Banerjee, Idhika Paul, Sonal Chauhan, Darshana Banik, Mimi Chakraborty and Jyotirmoyee Kundu.
His previous two films with Himel Ashraf and Arshad Adnan also featured actresses from abroad. Idhika Paul starred opposite Shakib in ‘Priyotoma’ and became widely recognised among Bangladeshi audiences after the film’s release. She later appeared opposite Tollywood stars Jeet and Dev.
In ‘Rajkumar’, the second film by the same director-producer team, Shakib was paired with US model and actress Courtney Coffey. Kinza’s reported casting in ‘Mohabbat’ would continue that approach.
Shakib has appeared in 255 films, with Apu Biswas remaining his most frequent co-star. The two have worked together in 72 films.
If the reports are confirmed, Kinza will become the latest international actress to join Shakib’s long list of leading ladies. According to sources at Versatile Media, shooting for ‘Mohabbat’ could begin in the first week of January 2027, with the makers aiming for an Eid-ul-Azha release that year.
For now, audiences are waiting for the official announcement to confirm whether Kinza Hashmi will indeed be Shakib’s new co-star.
