Dawn Images

Nameer Khan wears a lot of hats in life — and no, we’re not talking about his characters’ wardrobes. The actor, hailed most recently for his performance in Aik Aur Pakeezah, is also a model and an IT professional.

The star appeared on Tabish Hashmi’s Hasna Mana Hai on April 23, where the host asked him if it was difficult to live his life shuttling between Pakistan and Canada — yes, he lives ‘here and there as well’.

Khan said it did take a toll on him both personally and financially. “Commercially, it’s heavy on the pocket, travelling is expensive and it affects you physically as well.”

He also said it has a price in terms of his career here in entertainment. “In our industry, you need to stay relevant. If you want work, you need to stay visible. But if you leave for three to four months, you miss out on a lot of commercials, fashion shows.”

That’s when the actor dropped the bombshell about his secret life in Canada. Calling it a blessing in disguise, he said, “I go there, I work there too, I make money there and my exposure helps me in the industry too.”

Hashmi asked Khan if he’s a model in Canada as well and he said, “No, my work is IT related.” He went on to reveal he had a background in software engineering and worked in the field full-time for four years.

Interestingly, he wasn’t the only engineer on stage — the host also has a degree in electrical engineering along with an MBA.

Later in the programme, when the host took questions from the audience, one man asked both him and Khan how they used artificial intelligence in their work.

The actor said he uses ChatGPT when he’s preparing for his scenes. He feeds the scene and any instructions he has into the chatbot and asks for instructions on how to act it out.

Hashmi, intrigued by the idea, fed an acting prompt he had given an audience member earlier into his own phone, which told him to deliver his dialogue “in an absolutely serious and dramatic way” with “attitude… and seriousness in your eyes”.

Upon hearing the bot tell him to be serious for the third time, the host told his phone the audience member did a better job and promptly put it away.