Not many people were familiar with Sarish Khan, the Seattle-based lawyer-turned-actor and dance show host, until a chance participation in a beauty pageant saw her win the title of Miss Pakistan USA in the year 2015. Soon it transpired that she’s the granddaughter of yesteryear’s best-loved star couple of Lollywood, Sabiha Khanum and Santosh Kumar. The filmmakers in her grandparents’ home country instantly got curious, and some of them reached out to her with offers of acting. To their joy, Khan, then a 20-something, had already cut her teeth on a short film as part of her study course at the New York Film Academy.
Veteran writer-director Syed Noor was the first to get her nod of approval for his crime caper, titled Chein Aye Na. Khan flew down to Karachi where the key filming was to begin. She was received by an excited media as the ‘star to watch out for.’ Sadly, the film where she was paired opposite Shehroz Sabazwari didn’t so much as make a whimper at the box office, and it almost seemed like the end of the story for Khan who had signed on one more project only — noted TV drama director Amin Iqbal’s debut feature, Rehbara, also starring Ayesha Omar and Ahsan Khan. Hard luck continued to dog her, as this film ran into financial troubles after a major shooting spell in Karachi, forcing Khan to make an early exit.
A dejected Khan returned to the US, and resumed work as a corporate lawyer. She is also a human rights advocate, and the Women Empowerment Ambassador for Comprehensive Disaster Response Services (CDRS), an international non profit. But she has always maintained that her true love is acting as well as modelling. Her latest project is Zee TV’s reality show, Dance USA Dance, which she is hosting. It is the television channel’s flagship programme that claims to “bring together talent from all corners of the world.” It also features American actress and former contestant on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’, Lauren Gottlieb.
Khan has earlier performed in front of a live audience at LUX Style Awards, Pakistan’s premier fashion and lifestyle awards ceremony. Her dance segment with her Chein Aye Na co-star Sabazwari had got them great applause.