A cult that's transgressed borders, cultures and, of course, age, embracing pubescent girls, rebellious teens, young ladies and their mothers - the cult of Fawad Khan.
Fawad is the Prince Charming of Pakistan, whose popularity quotient only seems to be rising with every passing minute. His good looks, those intense eyes and the timbre of his voice have made women everywhere weak in the knees.
My first glimpse of Fawad Khan was in 2007, at the special screening of the critically acclaimed Pakistani film Khuda Ke Liye, playing a musician who turns to fanaticism under the influence of fundamentalists. The 25-year-old Fawad endeared himself as the misled youth and his ultimate repentance in the film. You couldn't hate him, rather you felt sorry for the waylaid young man.
Seven years later, a colleague shrieked, "FAWAD , FAWAD KHAN WILL BE IN A HINDI FILM!"
"Ya so, who would that be?," was my reply. "Fawad Khan of Zindagi Gulzar Hai, of Humsafar," - she looked at me as if I was an imbecile.
Humsafar. Oh yes, I remembered reading about it in Saba Imtiaz's Karachi, You Are Killing Me. The serial apparently had laid siege to every household across Pakistan, as families sat rooted watching the trials and tribulations of Khirad and Asher.
"So what about him child?," I asked my colleague. "You have to take me with you when you meet him," she pleaded. "Sure," I answered, my curiosity getting the better of me.
Lo and behold, as I Google-ed images I discovered that this was the same young actor from Khuda Ke Liye. I had completely missed him in the last seven years and he seemed to have become THE FAWAD KHAN - please note the all caps - the King Khan of Pakistani Television.
So I jumped on to the Fawad Express, my first stop being episode one of Zindagi Gulzar Hai and, to say the least, I was hooked, charmed by the clean shaven, witty, flirtatious Zaroon. A non-TV watcher, I clocked 15 hours on YouTube as I watched the episodes back to back, being drawn into Zaroon's metamorphosis from a prankster to a responsible young man, a besotted lover to a possessive husband. Even though his character was shown to be slightly regressive and chauvinistic, Fawad's own charm was an overriding factor.
Then came Behaad, a tele-film which had him play a younger man who falls in love with a widow, the mother of a teenage girl. Again, his sensitivity made him endearing.
I was so impressed with the young man with the arresting eyes and voice that I decided to watch Humsafar which turned out to be a bit too melodramatic for me, but for Fawad Khan's performance as sensitive, caring husband Asher who is manipulated into leaving his adoring wife. His ultimate repentance had many a female heart suffer from erratic heart beats.
But what was it about this man, a modern day Mr Darcy, a Mills and Boon hero come to life, which had women so captivated? I tried listing down what women find so attractive about him:
Charming, well spoken and rooted, he definitely comes across as the man you want to take home to your mother, but unfortunately he is taken. Married to his childhood sweetheart, Fawad Khan is a besotted husband, whose world revolves around his wife. Every woman's dream husband? Maybe.
He acts well, dresses well and, guess what, even sings well too. A rebel rockstar, Fawad was part of a band only to give it up as he took to acting. Images of him playing the guitar are swoon-worthy. This man truly strikes a chord.
Down to earth Fawad's humility also impresses. No starry airs, no tantrums - he is an attentive listener and talker. Now, which woman wouldn't want a man like that?
Pictures of him playing with his son prove that Prince Charming is also a devoted family man.
Stylish and well turned out, he is the uber male. Though I personally prefer his clean shaven look, he has even made the beard appear cool.
And last but not the least, Fawad is a man who embraces his strengths and weaknesses. A diabetic, he has openly spoken about his health concerns.
So is he anything like his screen characters? "Yes," he says. He's romantic like Zaroon, who playfully teases his wife and indulges her whims, but is not regressive. "I can take a bullet for love," says the international heartthrob. Ladies, join me in going "Awwwwwww!"
Fawad Khan is a man of the world, who truly seems to have universal appeal.
