Remembering the Legendary Artists of Pakistan

Published in Pakistan Observer (21 May 2011)
Sana Jamal

Moeen Akhtar.

ISLAMABAD - To mark the services and contribution of great artists who left us recently, a unique ceremony was arranged on Friday evening in Islamabad at Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA). ‘Yaad e Raftagan’ – a condolence reference to pay tribute to the legendary artists, Moeen Akhtar, Baboo Bral, Khayam Sarhadi, Mastana and Liaquat Soljar was attended by eminent artists of the country.

Khayam Sarhadi.

To recall the memories and excellent performances of the late artists, glimpses of their works was screened on the occasion and were well-received by the audience. The short collection of Baboo Bral, Mastana and Liaquat Soljar brought smile to the face, while the works of Khayam Sarhadi and Moeen Akhtar portrayed a golden era of Urdu drama.

Liaqat Soldier.

Speaking on the occasion, Tauqir Nasir, Director General of PNCA said that “the artists fill the colours to our life and environment and deserve great honour not only after death but also in their lifetime.”

Kanwal Naseer, an eminent TV artist observed that the artists bring smiles to the faces of the people and rightly deserve due respect before they leave us.”

Mastana.

Aftab Anwar, a theatre artist recollected his observations about the great artists Moeen Akhtar and said that “it was him who introduced the ‘civilized humour’ in Pakistan.” Recalling the loss of a great artist, Mastana, he said that “it was most unfortunate that theatre artist Mastana had to leave the theatre industry and died in isolation due to the fear of repeated police raids on theatres.”

Baboo Bral.

Masood Khwaja recalled the time he spent with those great artists and urged PNCA to dedicate “at least one drama a week to each deceased artist.”

The memorial ceremony concluded with distribution of certificates to ten directors of ten comedy theatre staged during the 10-day drama festival at PNCA.