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Versatile actor Moin Akhtar passes away

Moin was under treatment for heart ailments for sometime at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) and died of a heart attack.

Besides being a television, film and stage actor, as well as a comedian, impersonator and a host, Moin was also a playwright, singer, film director and a producer.

Born on December 24, 1950, Moin made his debut for television on September 6, 1966, in a variety show held on PTV to celebrate the first Defence of Pakistan Day and became a legend in the country’s entertainment industry.

Since then, the versatile actor had performed several roles in the TV plays/shows, later making a team with Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari. He was most sought after actor on the stage as well as on the big screen of the Pakistani entertainment industry.

Moin Akhtar starred in many television dramas and live comedy events (including the special televised programmes during marathon election night broadcasts and the annual television awards shows).

The TV audience from the 80’s and 90’s will distinctly, and fondly, remember the trio of Moeen Akhtar, Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari that brought laughters to many households.

During his illustrious career as an actor, Moin won numerous awards at home and aberoad including Pakistan’s Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz.

Fluent in several languages, including English, Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Memon, Pushto and Gujarati, Moin had a following not only in Pakistan but on the other side of the border, India, too due to his stage shows Bakra Qiston Pe and Buddha Ghar Pe Hai along with Umer Sharif.

Moin Akhtar rose to the national spotlight and gathered critical acclaim for his performance in the TV play Rozy, in which he played the role of a female TV artiste.

Rozy was an Urdu adaptation of Hollywood movie Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman. Moreover, in a talk show namely Loose Talk, which began in 2005 Moin appeared in different roles interviewed by Anwar Maqsood, the writer and the host of the programme. Loose Talk ended after over 400 episodes, each seen with Moin disguised as a different personality.

Moin was one of the most familiar, versatile and widely acclaimed performers in South Asia and among Indian and Pakistani Diaspora across the world for whom he conducted some memorable shows.

His fan base, equally divided between India and Pakistan, was also spread over in the Gulf region, Europe, North America and elsewhere.

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