With Pakistani cinema back in business, many showbiz personalities have attempted a comeback in recent years. Included in the list are some of the prominent stars of the Lollywood era, which saw the revived movie industry as an opportunity to resurrect their careers and reclaim their mantle as the reigning stars of tinsel-town.

Linked to the fate of their comeback projects were their own personal careers — and while some returned with a stunning cinematic rebirth, others faded back to the oblivion.

Here we take a look at the prominent star rebirths in recent memory. Buckle up for the ride!

Shaan Shahid

Shaan took over the star mantle in the Lollywood era of the late 90s and early 2000s, but his prospects soon dwindled as the industry started to churn out fewer and fewer projects. While he continued to star in the odd Punjabi hit such as Majajan, the Mujhe Chand Chahiye star saw a turnaround in his fortunes with Shoaib Mansoor’s critically acclaimed Khuda Kay Liye which released in mid-2007. Following the film, he again took a long hiatus from mainstream cinema, although he continued to star in smaller-scale regional and Urdu productions. Shaan returned back to the silver screen in a grand manner with Waar, although since that film he has not delivered a solid box office hit. All eyes are now on his upcoming production Zarrar which should release early next year.

Moamar Rana

Moamar Rana starred in a string of box office smashes such as Yeh Dil Aap Ka Huwa, Choorian and Deewane Tere Pyar Ke in the brief revival of the mid to late 90s, and returned to starring in lower budget regional and Urdu projects once the industry tanked. He returned to the silver screen with Saya e Khuda e Zuljalal and 2017’s Azadi, however, none of these films quite worked the way it was expected. Moamar will next be seen in Shehroze Shabzwari starrer Qulfee.

Humayun Saeed

Humayun Saeed has been the leading television star since the late 90s, and saw a spectacular cinema debut in Samina Peerzada’s Inteha opposite Meera. His subsequent forays into filmdom didn’t quite work out the way Inteha did, that was until Humayun returned to the big screen with Mein Hoon Shahid Afridi. That film enjoyed a decent run when released in mid-2013, and Humayun followed this up with 2015’s super successful Jawani Phir Nahi Ani. The rest they say is history, and Humayun continues to be the reigning superstar delivering one blockbuster after another.

Meera

Meera was the reigning box office screen goddess of the 90s, however, with the film industry seeing a complete turnaround, she found it difficult to regain her former glory and her recent films such as Hotal fizzled while Shehzad Rafiq’s Ishq Khuda didn’t fare too well either. All of this changed this year with Saqib Malik’s Baaji, where the actress proved once again she could hold her own in front of the newer crop of Pakistani film stars. The film received a decent response at the ticket counters and will be hitting the theaters again on December 6.

Ashir Azeem

Ashir starred in one of PTV’s most successful television serials Dhuaan, and returned to the big screen as the leading man in his home production Maalik. The film dealt with the controversial subject of exploitation by the powerful and was banned by the censors, only to be re-released and become a runaway hit. The star currently resides in Canada, and while he has stated that a sequel to Maalik is in the works, details about the venture remain sketchy at best.

Here was your lowdown on Pakistani stars who have attempted to stage a rebirth in recent times. Watch this space for more on local cinema and a lot more! Stay tuned to Galaxy Lollywood.