Rauf Khalid

Abdul Rauf Khalid (Urdu: عبدالرؤف خالد‎; born 19 December 1957, Peshawar – died 24 November 2011) was a Pakistani actor, filmmaker and television writer/director. An ex-serviceman and bureaucrat, he worked in films and television plays after attending Islamia College, Peshawar.

Career

1989: he wrote and partially directed PTV's thriller, Madaar, a seven-episode serial exposing drug trafficking, telecast from Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV).

1991: he wrote Guest House, a 52-episode comedy series that turned out to be a popular comedy series for PTV.

1994: Khalid directed Angar Wadi, a 15-episode serial for which he was an actor and a producer apart from writing it.

1998: Khalid made Laag, a 27-episodes serial (written, directed, produced and acted).

2003: Khalid released his debut film Laaj as (writer, director, producer and actor), although it reportedly did poorly at the box office. Laaj won 12 Bolan Awards, 14 Graduate Awards, 4 National Film Awards and the Luxstyle Award.

2007: Khalid established a college of TV & Film Direction in Lok Virsa Shakrparian Islamabad. He was the chairman of National Institute of Cultural Studies.

2008: Khalid made his third television serial (Mishaal), for which he served as writer, director and producer.

Art

His paintings have been exhibited in the World Fineart Gallery New York and the Omma Art Gallery in Crete Greece.

Death

Rauf Khalid died on 24 November 2011, aged 53, in a traffic accident near Sheikhupura as he was coming to Islamabad from Lahore via motorway.

Awards

• The President of Pakistan award (Pride of Performance)
• The Prime Minister of Pakistan award (The Kashmir Medal)
• Bolan Award (Best Director, Best Film, Best Writer, Best Supporting Actor)
• Graduate Guild Award (Best Director, Best Writer, Best Producer, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Script) 
• National Pakistan Award (Best Director, Best Film, Best Writer, Best Original Soundtrack shared with Zille Huma)
• Lux Style Award (Best Film 2005)

Read more »

Posted in: Actors,Showbiz,Writer

Ahmed Rushdi

Ahmed Rushdi (Urdu: احمد رشدی‎; April 24, 1934 – April 11, 1983) was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in South Asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenornotes with ease. He is best known for his distinctive, melodious, powerful voice, complex and dark emotional expressions which led many critics to state his voice as the greatest and most distinctive they ever heard. Born in Hyderabad Deccan, he migrated to Pakistan and became a leading singer in the Pakistan film industry. He is considered to be one of the most versatile vocalists of the subcontinent and was capable of singing variety of songs. He is also  considered to be the first regular pop singer of south asia and credited as having sung the "first-ever South asian" pop song, "Ko-Ko-Korina."

Read more »

Posted in: Showbiz,Singer

Iqbal Bano

Iqbal Bano (Urdu: اقبال بانو‎)(1935, Delhi - 21 April 2009, Lahore) was a highly acclaimed female Ghazal singer from Pakistan. She was best known for her semi-classical Urdu ghazal songs and classical thumris, but also sang easy-listening numbers in 1950s films.

Early life

Iqbal Bano was born in Delhi, India. From a young age, she developed a love for music. It was a crucial moment of her life when her friend's father told Bano's father, "My daughters do sing reasonably well, but Iqbal is blessed in singing. She will become a big name if you begin her training." Her father allowed her to study music.

Read more »

Posted in: Showbiz,Singer

Tahira Wasti

 Tahira Wasti (1944 – March 11, 2012) (Urdu: طاہرہ واسطی‎) was a well-known Pakistani writer and TV actress. She is best known for portrayal of Isabella of Castile in the drama Shaheen.

TV career

Tahira Wasti started working on Pakistan Television Corporation 1968 from a drama serial Jaib Qutra based on a novel by Saadat Hasan Manto. She appeared in a number of dramas until 90s, most of them have become classics of PTV such as Kashkol, Jaangloos and Daldal. Her prominent personality made her renown for regal roles suitable for representing royal, feudal or upper-class families, as in plays like Garnata, Tipu Sultan, Shaheen and Aakhri Chatan.

She also wrote plays for television and showed special interest in science fiction.

Read more »

Posted in: Actors,Showbiz

Waheed Murad

Waheed Murad (Urdu: وحید مراد‎) (2 October 1938 – 23 November 1983) was a legendary Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer, famous for his charming expressions, attractive personality, tender voice and unusual talent for acting. Waheed is considered as one of the most famous and influential actors of South Asia. He is often referred to as "Chocolaty Hero" or "Chocolate Hero". Born in Karachi, Sindh, British India, did graduation from S.M. Arts College Karachi, and then masters in English literature from University of Karachi. He started his film career as cameo in 1959 in the film Saathi, when he was 21 years old. His naughty facial gestures, bold romanticism and alluring performance style during picturisation of songs made him immensely popular.

One of his biggest successful films is Armaan, which was produced by him, made a pivotal impact on the sub-continental film industry such that the Pakistani film industry was considered as the rising star and the film made him a superstar overnight. Once, in an interview in 1967, he said that Dilip Kumar, too, was not an immortal actor. Waheed was known as a cheque which could be cashed any where in the country and is the only actor of film industry to secure the highest number of platinum, diamond, golden and silver jubilees.

Read more »

Posted in: Actors,Showbiz

Renowned actor Ghayyur Akhtar passes away

LAHORE: Renowned radio, TV and film actor Ghayyur Akhtar passed away after a protracted illness here on Friday.

The actor was suffering from paralysis for last four years. He was shifted to the Services Hospital as his condition deteriorated last night.

Akhtar started his acting career in the 1970s and became a very popular actor in the following decade.

His performances in drama serials such as 'Khawaja and Sons' and 'Sona Chandi' were widely appreciated.

Read more »

Posted in: Actors,Showbiz

Izhar Qazi

 Izhar Qazi (Urdu: 1955-December 23, 2007) was a famous two time Nigar award winning, Pakistani film and television actor and a playback singer, perhaps best known for his resemblance to the Indian film actor Amitabh Bachhan. Among his peers he was known for his modest lifestyle and honesty. His most famous movies are Love In Nepal, Aalmi Jasoos, Khazana and Sar Kata Insaan.

Entry in show business

Izhar Qazi was born in Khadda Market, Karachi. By profession he was an engineer and worked at a respectable position at Pakistan Steel Mills until he was spotted by the manager Admin of 

Read more »

Posted in: Actors,Showbiz

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (October 1948 – 16 August 1997), a Pakistani musician, was primarily a singer of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis. He possessed an extraordinary range of vocal abilities and could perform at a high level of intensity for several hours. Extending the 600-year old Qawwali tradition of his family, Khan is widely credited with introducing Qawwali music to international audiences. He is popularly known as "Shahenshah-e-Qawwali", meaning "The King of Kings of Qawwali".

Read more »

Posted in: Showbiz,Singer

Nazia Hassan

Nazia Hassan, PP (Urdu: نازیہ حسن‎) (born April 3, 1965 – August 13, 2000) was an iconic Pakistani pop singer. Her song, "Aap Jaisa Koi", from the Indian film Qurbani (1980) made her a legend and pop icon in Pakistan and all of South Asia in the 1980s, where she is admired and loved even today, years after her death. Her debut album, Disco Deewane(1981), also charted in fourteen countries worldwide and became the best-selling Asian pop record up until that time. Nazia Hassan, along with her brother Zohaib Hassan, went on to sell over 60 million records worldwide.

Read more »

Posted in: Showbiz,Singer

Malika-e-Tarannum Noor Jahan

Noor Jahan or NoorJahan (Punjabi, Urdu: نور جہاں‎) was the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai (September 21, 1926 – December 23, 2000) who was a legendary singer and actress in British India and Pakistan. Her career spanned seven decades. She was renowned as one of the greatest and most influential singers of her time in South Asia and was given the honorific title of Malika-e-Tarannum (Urdu: ملکہ ترنم‎, English: the queen of melody).

Born in a Punjabi family of musicians, Wasai was pushed by her parents to follow in their musical footsteps and become a singer but she was more interested in acting in films and graced the earliest Pakistani films with her performances. She has recorded about 10,000 songs in various languages of India and Pakistan including Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and Sindhi languages. Along with Ahmed Rushdi, she holds the highest record of film songs in the history of Pakistani cinema. She is also considered to be the first female Pakistani film director.

Read more »

Posted in: Showbiz,Singer

Muzaffar Warsi

Muzaffar Warsi (Urdu: مظفروارثی‎) (born 20 December 1933 in Meerath, India died 28 January 2011) was a prominent Urdu poet, critic, essayist, a lyricist par excellence, and scholar of Pakistan. He was one whose work never fails to surprise. A humble man with humble beginnings who is unafraid of experimenting. He began more than five decades ago comprises a rich repertoire of not just Naats, but also authoring several anthologies of Ghazals, Nazms & hycoes including his autobiography Gaye dinon ka suraagh which is considered to be a classic. He was writing quatrains every day for Pakistan's Renowned daily newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt.

Early life

Muzaffar Warsi was born as Muhammad Muzaffar ud Din siddiqui into the family of Alhaaj Muhammad Sharf ud Din Ahmad known as Sufi Warsi (Urdu: صوفی وارثی‎). It was a family of landlords of Meerath. Sufi Warsi was a scholar of Islam, a doctor and poet. He received two titles: Faseeh ul Hind & Sharaf u shu'ara. He was

Read more »

Posted in: Showbiz,Writer

Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi

Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi (Urdu: احمد ندیم قاسمی‎) born Ahmad Shah Awan on 20 November 1916 – died 10 July 2006, was an Urdu and English language Pakistani poet, journalist, literary critic, dramatist and short story author. He wrote 50 books on topics such as poetry, fiction, criticism, journalism and art, and was a major figure in contemporary Urdu literature. His poetry was distinguished by its humanism, and his Urdu afsana (novel) work is considered by some second only to Prem Chand in its depiction of rural culture. He was also editor and publisher of the literary magazine Funoon for almost half a century. He received awards such as the Pride of Performance in 1968 and Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 1980 for his literary work.

Read more »

Posted in: Poet,Showbiz,Writer

Shafi Muhammad Shah

Shafi Muhammad Shah (or Shafi Mohammad)(1949–17 November 2007) was a Pakistani film and television actor. Famously knowned as Shahjee, he was born in Kandiaro, in Naushahro Feroze District, Sindh in 1949.

Career

Shafi began his career as a radio presenter from the Hyderabad radio station; he honed his acting skills by taking part in plays broadcast on the radio. Meanwhile, he obtained a postgraduate degree from the University of Sindh, Jamshoro. He later moved to Karachi and began his career as an actor.

Read more »

Posted in: Actors,Showbiz

Mehdi Hassan

Mehdi Hassan Khan (Urdu: مہدی حسن خان ‎‎; July 18, 1927 – June 13, 2012) was a Pakistani ghazal singer and a former playback singer for Lollywood. He is famously known as the "King of Ghazal". In 1979, he was awarded K. L. Saigal Sangeet Shehenshah Award by the Government of India. Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar, who has been awarded Bharat Ratna, once compared his songs to the "voice of god". He was honored with Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pride of Performance and Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan. In 1983, in the court of King Birendra he was awarded Gorkha Dakshina Bahu by the Government of Nepal. He remained a leading singer of film industry along with Ahmed Rushdi. Mehdi Hassan died on 13 June 2012 after a protracted illness, in a private hospital in Karachi. The highest civilian honor of Pakistan is conferred on him Nishan-e-Imtiaz.

Read more »

Posted in: Showbiz,Singer

Reshma (Singer)

Reshma (c.1947 – 3 November 2013), Sitara-e-Imtiaz, was a renowned folk singer of Pakistan, who was also very popular in India. She died on 3 November 2013 in Lahore, Pakistan, after suffering from throat cancer for several years.

Early life

Reshma was born in village Loha, Tehsil Ratangarh district Churu near Bikaner, Rajasthan to a Banjara (Gypsy) family around 1947. Her father Haji Mamad Mushtaq was a camel and horse trader from Malashi. She belonged to a tribe which had converted to Islam. Her tribe migrated to Karachi shortly after the Partition of India, when she was just one month old.

She did not receive any formal education and spent much of her childhood singing at the mazars (shrines) of the mystic saints of Sindh.

Read more »

Posted in: Showbiz,Singer

Rani (actress)

 Rani (Punjabi, Urdu: رانی‎; December 8, 1946 – May 27, 1993) was a Pakistani film and television actress. She gained success in late 1960s when she made a hit pair with famous actor and producer Waheed Murad. She remained one of the most successful actresses of subcontinent and was also popular for her dance performances in films. Rani died with cancer on May 27, 1993.

Read more »

Posted in: Actors,Showbiz

Asad Amanat Ali Khan

 Asad Amanat Ali Khan (25 September 1955 – 8 April 2007) was a popular classical,semi-classical and ghazal singer from Pakistan. Hailing from famous Patiala Gharana, Asad was son of famous musician Ustad Amanat Ali Khan. Asad Amanat Ali Khan died relatively young of a heart attack on 8 April 2007 in London.

Early life and background

Asad Amanat Ali Khan was born in Lahore, Dominion of Pakistan. His great-grandfather, Ali Baksh Khan, was the founder of thePatiala Gharana. His grandfather, Akhtar Hussain, was a prominent musician of his time who added to his repute by coaching two of his sons into becoming a formidable singing duo(Amanat Ali Khan and Fateh Ali Khan). Amanat Ali Khan, Asad's father, died in 1974. Asad's younger brother Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan is a popular pop and classical singer he was the lead singer of band Fuzön.

Read more »

Posted in: Showbiz,Singer

Moin Akhter

Moin Akhtar (Urdu: معین اختر‎, also spelled as, Moeen Akhtar; 24 December 1950 – 22 April 2011) was a Pakistani television, film and stage actor, as well as a humorist, comedian, impersonator, and a host. He was also a play writer, singer, film director and a producer.

Early life

Akhtar was born in Karachi to Urdu speaking parents migrated from Mumbai India, was highly dynamic and versatile performer, he made his debut for television on 6 September 1966, in a variety show held on PTV to celebrate the first defense day of Pakistan. Since then, he has performed several roles in TV plays/shows, later making a team with Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari.

He was beloved for providing humor for people of all ages, and with an etiquette that remains unmatched. His attempts to avoid vulgarity in his humor rendered him a favorite amongst family audiences. Akhtar was fluent in several languages, including English, Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Memon, Pashto, Gujarati and Urdu. He performed not only in Pakistanbut played in several stage shows like Bakra Qiston Pe and Buddha Ghar Pe Hai with Umer Sharif in India too.

Read more »

Posted in: Actors,moin akhtar,Showbiz