Anjum Shahzad

Anjum Shahzad was born and raised in Islamabad, where he spent his childhood engaged in outdoor activities such as climbing trees, playing badminton and football, and organizing informal performances with friends during school breaks.^[1]

He initially intended to pursue a military career and applied twice to join the Pakistan Army, but was not recommended. He then considered preparing for the civil service examination (CSS) before ultimately deciding against pursuing a traditional career path. He later earned a master's degree in Economics from the University of the Punjab in Lahore.^[1]

While studying in Lahore, Shahzad developed an interest in the performing arts. He enrolled in a one-year acting course and participated in several workshops covering theatre acting, theatre direction, television direction, and screenplay writing. In 1996, he joined the Lahore Drama School, where he completed an eight-month theatre program led by prominent figures such as Shoaib Hashmi, Samina Ahmed, Salman Shahid, and Ustad Paras. During this time, he co-founded the theatre group Daastan with fellow student Zain Ahmed, the son of Samina Ahmed.^[1]