Celebrity producer-director duo Shazia Wajahat and Wajahat Rauf have firmly rejected claims that nepotism fueled their son Aashir Wajahat’s rise in Pakistan’s entertainment industry.
Speaking openly on a recent podcast, the couple addressed online criticism of their son, insisting they have “never invested a single rupee” in his projects.
“People would say it’s nepotism and that his father must have done everything for him. But we always knew he was doing it all himself,” Shazia explained, adding that she often felt powerless against the trolling.
Wajahat Rauf backed her statement, revealing that Aashir became financially independent at an early age. “He used to do commercials for big companies as a child. With that money, he produced his own music videos. We never funded them,” he said, stressing that he never called in favors to secure his son roles. “No one can say I called them to shoot a song or cast him. That just didn’t happen.”
He recounted Aashir’s humble beginnings—filming early music videos with friends at his grandmother’s house—and shared the couple’s concern for their son’s well-being under public scrutiny. “We worried whether he could handle the criticism. I feared he might break down,” Wajahat admitted.
