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The
fame was soon followed by critical acclaim when Moin Akhtar joined hands
with humourist Anwar Maqsood and did a host of shows with him.
Beginning
with an episode of Angan Terha in which Moin Akhtar played the role of a
poet looking for a place to live, the duo came up with one gem after
another.
The combination resulted in classics like
Studio 2½ and Studio Poney Teen in which Moin Akhtar did the part of one
of the interviewees and Anwar Maqsood the interviewer.
Akhtar’s
zany but meaningful answers to Anwar Maqsood’s ostensibly innocuous
questions created a magic the kind of which was never witnessed on
Pakistani television. Comedienne Bushra Ansari also became part of their
group and they did some memorable shows together.
Moin
Akhtar didn’t confine his talent to comedy acts. He proved his
versatility by playing the protagonist in a long-play Rozy written by
Imran Aslam and directed by Sahira Kazmi.
Moin
Akhtar did the part of a man who assumes the garb of a woman in order to
find employment. His performance was not only appreciated in Pakistan
but even across the border it earned him a great many fans. Rozy was an
adaptation of a successful Hollywood film Tootsie.
On his
inevitable comparison with Tootsie’s star Dustin Hoffman, Moin Akhtar
often claimed that he never saw the film until after he’d done the play.
The late
actor’s another outstanding performance was witnessed in a play Half
Plate, written by Anwar Maqsood and directed by Mohsin Ali.
He
portrayed the personality of a self-obsessed poet who had a past (and a
nagging wife) that he seldom liked to remember. The acting was right out
of the top drawer and intelligently complemented the script.
Moin Akhtar and Anwar Maqsood’s duo had become so inseparable that even
after the advent of satellite TV they were asked by different channels
to work together.
Their last show as the writer-actor combo
was Loose Talk which ran for many years and Moin Akhtar assumed hundreds
of characters in it.
These days a drama serial featuring Moin
Akhtar as the main character is on air on a local private channel.
Apart from a worthy body of work on television, Moin Akhtar acted in a
few films, including Tum Sa Nahin Dekha and Mr Tabedar. His theatre
performances alongside Umar Sharif in stage dramas like Buddha Ghar Pe
Hai were also a commercial success.
In
recognition of his talent and work the government had bestowed on Moin
Akhtar the Sitara-i-Imtiaz and Pride of Performance award.
The
actor’s namaz-i-janaza was held on Saturday 23 April, 2011 after Zohr at
Masjid-i-Toheed in DHA Phase II, Malir Cantt.
Artistes in shock after Moin’s demise
LAHORE:
Artistes have expressed their deep sorrow and grief over the demise of
legendary actor Moin Akhtar.
It seemed as if along with people of this country, the artistes’
fraternity was still in shock and it was hard to believe for its members
that the always smiling face had left all his fans so suddenly.
Bushra
Ansari said that when she saw Moin in a TV show recently, he was looking
shrunk and weak.
“Just five days ago, I called Moin to inquire about his heath since he
was looking shrunk but we could not talk and I left a message with his
manager”. She said Moin was an ultimate artiste. He can’t be compared
with any other artiste because he was matchless.
Saba
Hameed said that she knew Moin for many years. He was sweet enough to
resist as a human being and whoever met him became his instant fan.
He was
the greatest actor Pakistan ever had and there could be no two opinions
about it. His programme ‘Loose Talk’ would be considered a golden
chapter in the history of entertainment, she added.
Samina
Ahmed said: “We as a nation are blessed people that we had had people
like Moin amongst us”.
Moin was simply brilliant and excelled in his work. We are not going to
see more people like him. He was an asset to this country.
Though
Samina Ahmed had not worked with Moin, she said that she and Moin and
some other artistes started their career almost simultaneously.
One of
the pleasant memories she had about Moin was when she and other artistes
in a private channel show gave Lifetime Achievement Award to Moin Akhtar.
She also said that Moin ’s ‘Loose Talk’ had its own class and such a
programme could only be done by Moin .
Irfan
Khusat said Moin did two of his stage plays – Zoja Mohtarma and Shadi
Meray Dada Ki – in Lahore at Alhamra Art Centre a decade ago. He was a
down to earth, caring and kind-hearted person.
Giving
example of Moin ’s kind heartedness, Khusat said that once a teleplay by
an artiste could not be sold to a channel since the production was not
so impressive.
When
Moin came to know about this, he phoned the channel’s managers and told
them that he was also part of the play. Later, Moin became a storyteller
of the every episode of the play as he would give a recap of the
production. He did all this to save the artiste from financial loss.
Khusat
objected to calling Moin a comedian as being aired by various TV
channels that ‘comedian and actor Moin Akhtar passes away’. He said an
artiste is an artiste; there was no comedy or tragedy actor. This
distinction should not be there, he added.
Moin Akhtar at His Best
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