Bakhtiar made her television debut with a
Pakistan Television the period-drama,
Anarkali in 1988. Her melancholic romantic role in the series was widely appreciated. Bakhtiar was then offered the lead role in
Raj Kapoor's film
Henna, on
Haseena Moin's recommendation after
Shehnaz Sheikh and
Salma Agha didn't work out. She played Henna, a compassionate rural Kashmiri in the film. Upon its release in 1991, the film emerged as a major critical and commercial success. Bakhtiar's second film,
Nargis, directed and produced by
Khalid Mohamed, was completed in 1992 but remained unreleased until 2019 when the lab dues were cleared. Later, she worked in more Bollywood films like
Mohabbat Ki Arzoo (1994),
Stuntman (1994),
Jai Vikraanta (1995), and
Muqadama (1996). But her career in Bollywood didn't make any progress after
Henna. Then she came back to Pakistan and worked in the
Syed Noor-directed film
Sargam (1995). Her other Lollywood films include
Chief Sahib (1996),
Qaid (1996), and
Musalman (2001). She produced and directed film
Babu in 2001, and in 2014, she produced the spy thriller film
O21. After the big screen, Bakhtiar also appeared in television productions like
Tansan,
Laag,
Abke Hum Bichre tau Shayad and
Pehli See Mohabbat. ==Personal life==