Millions love Pakistani dramas for their relatable storytelling and natural acting, which appear genuine. A performance which looks like everyday life is far more impressive and leaves a more lasting impact. A good performance has the potential to elevate a mediocre script; a case in point is Momina Iqbal in Do Kinaray. She made that show a mega hit with her beautiful performance when the story was simply average.
At other times, actors either cannot deliver what is written on the page or bad direction and story make them deliver bad performances. A bad performance can ruin a good script. We all remember Ins e Yazdan’s character in a powerful script like Udaari. He was bad, and his scenes used to look unbearable.
The year 2025 also has its fair share of bad performances. Here is a list of the actors who could not impress:
Hira Mani (Dayan)
Hira Mani has been appearing in Pakistani dramas for a decade now. She has great talent, and she has shown her acting prowess in dramas like Kashf and Do Bol. She is currently impressing as Shazmeen in Sharpasand. But her acting in Dayan was extremely over the top. Her expressions were exaggerated, and her dialogue delivery looked unnatural. She is, in general, a natural actress, and maybe the director wanted her to overdo it. But it did not turn out to be very palatable.
Usman Peerzada (Dayan)
Usman Peerzada is a legend of Pakistani dramas. His polished screen presence, immense talent and clear dialogue delivery always add to a script’s strength. But what he was doing in Dayan is a question everyone was asking. He was a multi-talented doctor who had multiple specialities, then got involved in a criminal plot to help a girl he did not know. His in and out of Zawar Shah’s house was nothing short of magic. This was not Usman Peerzada’s best appearance, and frankly, this role could have been played by anyone else.
Imran Ashraf (Masoom)
Imran Ashraf is one Pakistani drama star who can either do it the best or make it cringe with an over-the-top performance. Masoom, which was lareday a copy, unfortunately fell into the second category. He is being too loud with the character. His chemistry with any of the other characters is not working because of his exaggerated expressions. Imran should have toned it down a bit, and his character might not have looked this jarring.
Ushna Shah (Aye Ishq e Junoon)
Ushna Shah is among the top actresses of Pakistani dramas. She has given some path-breaking performances in dramas like Balaa and Alif Allah Aur Insan, but lately, she has not been able to nail it. In Aye Ishq e Junoon, she played a lower-middle-class girl but had a Canadian English accent. Her hair and makeup did not match the story either, as she did not look as poor as she was shown to be. Additionally, with strong performances by Sheheryar Munawar and Shuja Asad, her weakness really stood out.
Feroze Khan (Humraaz)
Humraaz was one of the most highly anticipated dramas of 2025. With a stellar cast including Ayeza Khan, Zahid Ahmed and Feroze Khan, it was set to be a hit, but a loose script turned it into a major flop. Feroze Khan’s acting was also not up to the mark when he was playing one of the main drivers in the story. His acting was completely missing, and he was just focused on his looks, slow walks and AirPods. He can act as we have seen in shows like Khaani and Akhara, but he just completely missed the mark in Humraaz.
Zaviyar Nauman Ijaz (Agar Tum Saath Ho)
Zaviyar Naumna Ijaz is a young Pakistani actor. He has had hits and misses in his career, and his stint in Agar Tum Saath Ho was definitely a miss. The show was weird to say the least, but Zaviyar was the weakest performance-wise. Both his co-stars, Mawra Hocane and Ameer Gilani, tried to give their 100% despite the script being weak. Zaviyar’s dialogue delivery and expressions were both weak, and he was not able to bring in the required intensity.
Khushhal Khan (Biryani)
Khushhal Khan is slowly becoming a huge star of Pakistani dramas. Though he is young but his performance seriously faltered in Biryani. He was styled well, the story was largely okay, but Khushhal’s dialogue delivery has put him on the list. Many times, fans were seen complaining about how he half-eats his words and mumbles them, making it harder to understand his lines. He is a fine actor otherwise and just needs to work on this.
Nabeel Zafar (Sher)
Sher was arguably the most successful Pakistani drama of 2025. Nabeel Zafar appeared as Dr Fajar’s father on the show, and his role was emotionally intense. However, fans were not able to shake how his performance was not up to the mark. A lot of times, his expressions reminded fans of Nabeel from Bulbulay, which was a failure.
Hiba Bukhari (Main Zameen Tu Aasman)
Hiba Bukhari made her Pakistani drama comeback after her baby girl in Main Zameen Tu Aasman. She is a good actress, but in this show, she seemed to be having problems. Her character is that of a very young girl, and Hiba made it a bit too chirpy and out there.
Amar Khan (Dil e Nadan)
Amar Khan made a strong debut in Pakistani dramas in Belapur Ki Dayan. She knows how to act, but it did not look that way in Dil e Nadan. She chose to play a character dumber than the dumbest and then played it in the worst way possible. Dil e Nadan was hard to watch, and Amar Khan has to choose something good next to showcase her talent.
Which actor do you think gave the worst performance in Pakistani dramas? Share with us!
