Karachi Man is the Most Popular Female Star on Pakistan TV

Salim’s chiffon-wearing alter ego, Begum (Mrs.) Nawazish Ali, has become an overnight star, using style and pomp to confront prickly topics with Pakistani politicians, Islamic religious figures and celebrities, posing questions that more established journalists routinely steer clear of. Born a boy, Ali Salim long prayed to God to make him a girl. Years later, he is the most famous female TV identity in this devoutly Muslim, male-dominated country, even if his physiology remains unchanged. Naimatullah Khan, a former Karachi mayor and Islamic political leader, said he did not even know Salim was a man when he went on the show. On the set of a recent show, film producer Rashid Khawaja pondered whether his host could be cast as a heroine for a future movie.