Sameer Ali Khan

Biography

Sameer Ali Khan is an Afghan international actor and martial artist known for playing tough, masculine characters in Afghan, American, and Bollywood feature films. His intense stare and fluid martial arts skills give his anti-hero characters an edge of authenticity.

 Khan's love of Cinema and action movies originated in his youth. Khan was born into a middle-class and well-educated family in Kabul, Afghanistan. As a kid, street fighting was a way of life for him amid the Afghan Civil War chaos. 

The oppressive environment on Kabul's war-torn streets was a serious motivator for Khan to express his frustrations through his passions. He took his cues from legends such as Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme, who taught him a love for cinema and martial arts; his brand of addictive cocktail fueled Khan to pursue his martial arts training starting at 13 years old.

 He excelled in Taekwondo and Kickboxing, all the while teaching himself how to act. After producing and acting in two Afghan regional films, Khan moved to Mumbai in 2007 to continue growing as an actor in Indian cinema.

 He was the first Afghan actor honored with a scholarship from the Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute in Mumbai. He got his first break in 2011 for the short film "God is Dead." The film was nominated at the Cannes Film Festival, where Khan was praised for his performance.

 In 2012, he arranged for a group of Bollywood's well-known celebrities to participate in the first-ever "Afghan Film Festival" held in Kabul, Afghanistan. Khan broke through as a Bollywood star by securing a major role as a mutant named Antman in India's first superhero franchise, Krissh 3, starring Priyanka Chopra and Hrithik Roshan.

 Not only was this Khan's first mega-budget film, but for Khan, Krissh 3 paved the way in securing substantial roles such as The Prince of Kuwait in the 2016's drama-thriller Airlift; starring Akshay Kumar, and an underground MMA fighter in Happy New Year alongside Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan. 

The transition to American Cinema came with the breakthrough role of Azam Ghol in Director Barry Levinson's comedy, Rock the Kasbah. Khan joined an all-star American cast, including Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, and Kate Hudson. Khan is now a recognized face in both Hollywood and Bollywood. Khan is fluent in English, Dari, Urdu, and Pashto.