Mahira Khan holds onto sexiest Pakistani woman crown

LONDON: Acclaimed Pakistani actress Mahira Khan has been named the sexiest Pakistani woman on the planet for a third year in a row by a UK magazine, which annually publishes its list of sexiest Asian men and women mainly from the showbiz industry.

The A-list star ranked fifth in the 2017 edition of the long-running 50 Sexiest Asian Women in the World list. This rounds off a remarkable year for the actress, which started with a starring role opposite Bollywood’s biggest star Shah Rukh Khan and ended with a great performance in a recent Pakistani film Verna.

Being ranked fifth and the highest-placed Pakistani took the down-to-earth star totally by surprise, she said as she reacted to the magazine’s list.

“Honestly, this time I think I’m just going to take the tag and run with it! It feels great, third time in a row. Being sexy or beautiful for me is really just being comfortable in your own skin,” said Mahira.

Now in its 14th year, the longest running list of its kind is based on many millions of votes sent in by fans around the world, media coverage, impact and heat generated across various social media platforms.

British-Pakistani showbiz reporter Asjad Nazir, who founded the list and puts it together annually, told this scribe: “Mahira Khan has become a powerful symbol of girl power in Pakistan, both for youngsters who have big dreams and for working mothers. She has also spoken up about important social causes including the empowerment of women in Pakistan and has been a great ambassador for her country around the world. She has combined all that with how great she always looks. Mahira has shown both inner and outer beauty.”

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra was named the world’s sexiest Asian woman for the fifth time. Indian TV actress Nia Sharma came in second, last year’s winner Deepika Padukone was placed third, and the crown princess of Bollywood Alia Bhatt was ranked fourth.

Pakistani singing sensation Momina Mustehsan made it to the list as an influential artist. Momina has emerged in the male-dominated music industry in Pakistan and made a massive impact along with opening a debate about important social causes.

“Momina has a heavenly voice and looks to match, but more than that she has opened up debate on important issues like woman empowerment, cyber bullying and mental illness. She is making a mark in a male dominated music industry and is a singing icon for a new generation. She is also becoming a strong symbol of girl power in Pakistan,” said Asjad.

Other names in the 2017 list include Niti Taylor (11), Sonam Kapoor (12), Sanaya Irani (13), Jennifer Winget (14), Esha Gupta (17), Krystle DSouza (21), Armeena Rana Khan (22), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (26), Erica Fernandes (28), Jacqueline Fernandez (30), Athiya Shetty (32), Humaima Malick (33), Anushka Sharma (44) and Mehwish Hayat (50).

Originally published in The News