Dubai: Legendary Pakistani film, television and stage artist Moin Akhtar passed away yesterday in Karachi at the age of 61.
Akhtar, who had a heart ailment, could not bear the intensity of his second heart attack which proved fatal. He was under treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Karachi.
Akhtar was also a stand-up comedian, impersonator and a host. He was a versatile personality as he also wrote a number of television and stage plays, and sang songs. He also produced and directed plays and films. He served the entertainment industry for more than 42 years.
Shows in Dubai
Akhtar was popular in Pakistan and India as well other Urdu- and Hindi- speaking communities in the world. He held a number of big shows in Dubai and was famous among the expatriate community here.
"It is shocking news as we have lost not only a great artist but a kind person," said Tahir Mahmoud, a Pakistani resident in Dubai.
A versatile performer from Karachi, Akhtar made his debut appearance on PTV on September 6, 1966, in a variety show telecast on the occasion of the first Defence Day of Pakistan. Since then, he performed numerous roles in television plays and shows, and later teamed up with Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari to produce some memorable television programmes.
Akhtar was one of the most sought-after actors in the Pakistani entertainment industry. His apparent attempts to avoid vulgarity in his humour rendered him a favourite among family audiences.
Akhtar was fluent in several languages, including English, Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Memon, Pushto, and Gujarati.
Akhtar gained critical acclaim for his performance in the drama Rosy Rozy, in which he played the role of a female TV artist. Rozy was an Urdu adaptation of Hollywood movie Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman.
His most popular talk-show Loose Talk was one of the most watched television shows in Pakistan.
