Zaheer was educated in Johannesburg where he attended Sacred Heart College and completed his tertiary education at the University of the Witwatersrand. His love affair with entertainment began as a young boy when he used to shoot 8mm films on a home movie camera before the advent of video.

A precocious entertainer, Zaheer began performing professionally in theatre productions at the age of 12 and was quickly spotted and taken under the wing of iconic protest-theatre producer Barney Simon. Zaheer produced his first theatre show at the Market theatre under Barney’s tutelage at age 16 and has never looked back.

In 2007 Zaheer financed and produced the film of the best selling novel CONFESSIONS OF A GAMBLER that premiered in competition at the Dubai Film Festival, and played in official selection at the Miami and Dublin film festivals. Zaheer also produced the hit TV series JACOB’S CROSS with The Bomb Shelter which screened in 23 countries. In 2008 Zaheer produced a new concept TV show for TV Norge and NBC. The show was the highest rated show ever in Scandinavia and Zaheer produced season 2 in 2008/9.

In 2009, Zaheer Produced A film adaptation of the Broadway hit play by Athol Fugard. Set in South Africa in 1950 this autobiographical work is a poignant look at human relationships and the formative experiences of the man Time magazine called “The greatest living playwright in the world today”. The film is directed by Emmy Award winner Lonny Price and stars Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate factory, August Rush) and Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, Mission Impossible).

In 2005 Zaheer was employed by Ochre Media to re-conceptualize the television soap opera “Scandal”. Within the first month of flighting of his first episode, the show’s ratings more than doubled, and the show’s ratings eventually quadrupled under his tenure.
In addition to his long-form work, Zaheer also regularly produces big budget commercials. Some of his more recent clients were COCA-COLA (European campaign) and ERICSSON, SWEDEN (Worldwide campaign).

Since 2001 Zaheer has been using his extensive knowledge of financial engineering (acquired while working for some of the most prestigious banks in South Africa and Europe for nearly 10 years) to create financing solutions for the film industry. By 2003 he started his own production company to exploit his unique talents as producer.

Based on his success, the National Film and Video foundation identified Zaheer as one of the top producers in South Africa and asked him to be their representative at the prestigious Cinemart Producer’s Lab at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in February 2006. The Ontario Media Development Corporation selected Zaheer to participate in their inaugural International co-production forum at the Toronto film Festival. In the same year, two of Zaheer’s feature film projects were officially selected for the STRATEGIC PARTNERS co-production market in Halifax, Canada, and a further project was officially selected for the co-production forum at SITHENGI, Cape Town.

In March of 2005 Zaheer was selected to participate in the inaugural SEDIBA feature film development forum run by the NFVF and AVEA and funded by the SABC and the BRITISH COUNCIL. In June 2005 he was elected as Co-chair of the South African Scriptwriters Association (SASWA) and in August of the same year was elected to the board of the Cape Film Commission to represent the creative voice of independent filmmakers, and in March 2008 he was elected to the board of the Independent Producers Organization of South Africa.

The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences welcomed Zaheer as a member in 2008 and also selected him to participate as a juror in the 2008 Emmy Awards. In 2009 Zaheer participated on the jury of the BANFF Mountain festival awards.