Some Pakistani internet stars first appeared in a photograph or a few seconds of video. A tea seller caught a photographer’s attention. A young woman joked with her friends on a roadside. A cricket fan spoke after a difficult defeat. People shared these moments, repeated the lines, and started following the faces behind them. Several later found work in television, music, and business, while others continued posting about everyday life.
Social media has introduced Pakistani audiences to people working at tea stalls, reacting to cricket matches, and recording daily life in their villages. Their names became familiar through photographs, interviews, songs, and short videos. Several later appeared in television dramas, opened cafés, or continued creating content for the audiences who first found them online.
Viral Pakistani Personalities
These seven names became familiar through different kinds of posts, from a tea seller’s photograph to comedy songs and videos of village life.
Arshad Khan
Arshad Khan was serving tea at Islamabad’s Sunday Bazaar when photographer Jiah Ali took his picture in 2016. The photograph spread across social media, and people soon knew him as the blue-eyed Chaiwala. Modeling offers and television appearances followed.
In 2020, Arshad opened Café Chaiwala Rooftop in Islamabad. He wanted a business connected with chai and insisted on keeping Chaiwala in the name. The café used truck art decor, tables with tire bases, and signs carrying Urdu and Punjabi jokes about tea.
Dananeer Mobeen
Dananeer Mobeen filmed her “Pawri Ho Rahi Hai” video during an outing with friends in February 2021. She pointed toward her car and friends while joking about their party. The short clip led to recreations across Pakistan and India, including a musical remix by Yashraj Mukhate.
She made her television acting debut in Sinf-e-Aahan in 2021. Her performance later earned her the Best Emerging Talent award in television at the 2023 Lux Style Awards. She went on to play lead roles in Muhabbat Gumshuda Meri and Meem Se Mohabbat.
Momin Saqib
Momin Saqib reached a wider audience after Pakistan lost to India at the 2019 Cricket World Cup. His emotional post-match interview, especially the line “Maro Mujhe Maro,” became a widely shared meme. He had already served as president of King’s College London Students’ Union.
His acting work later included Raqs-e-Bismil and the telefilm Dil Ke Chor. In 2022, he made his film debut in Dum Mastam, playing Guddu Razor, a singer with an inflated opinion of his own importance.
Ahmad Shah
Ahmad Shah was still a young child when clips of his conversations began spreading online. His “Peeche Toh Dekho” video reached audiences beyond Pakistan, and viewers began repeating the phrase alongside his other familiar lines.
Television appearances followed on Jeeto Pakistan and Shan-e-Ramazan. His YouTube channel also passed one million subscribers, earning him a Gold Play Button alongside his earlier Silver award.
Ali Gul Pir
Ali Gul Pir had already worked in comedy when Waderai Ka Beta brought him wider attention in June 2012. The song mocked the entitlement of a feudal landlord’s son, using a character who boasts about his wealth and influence.
He later found another audience through short dubs and parodies of public statements. By 2026, he was still working as a rapper and comedian, explaining in an interview how public words and actions provide material for his satire.
Taher Shah
Taher Shah became known online after releasing Eye to Eye in 2013. His English lyrics, long curls, and delivery drew attention, and viewers began sharing memes and their own versions of the song. The response also brought him television interviews.
He returned with Angel in 2016, appearing with angel wings in the video. The song quickly became a Twitter trend. In 2025, he shared Peace, an animated video project featuring his spoken message against war.
Muhammad Shiraz
People began following Muhammad Shiraz in 2024 for his videos of village life in Gilgit-Baltistan. On Shirazi Village Vlogs, he filmed snowy paths and mountains and chatted with people he met. His younger sister, Muskan, often joined him in the videos.
Shiraz talked about the problems people faced in his village, including poor internet service and the lack of basic facilities. His videos later brought him an invitation to Shan-e-Ramazan in 2024, where television viewers got to know him too.