Habib-ur-Rehman

Habib-ur-Rehman, known professionally as Habib, was a prominent Pakistani film actor, director, producer and television actor. He maintained a career spanning 60 years and appeared in almost 600 movies.

Early life and education

Habib-ur-Rehman was born on 26 November 1940 into a Punjabi Arain family. His birthplace was Basi village, which is located near Sirhind-Fategarh in the Patiala State of British India. Because his father worked for the railways, the family relocated to Gujranwala following the independence of Pakistan in 1947. He pursued higher education at Govt. M.A.O College Lahore. He eventually earned three master's degrees in English literature, Urdu and Persian.

Career

The actor entered the film industry after encountering Pancholi Studios by chance. He made his debut in the film Lakht-e-Jigar in 1958. While some of his initial films failed, he achieved a breakthrough with the movie Aadmi in 1958. This role helped him escape obscurity and established him as a well-known performer.

He performed in many Urdu language hits throughout his career. These included Ayyaz in 1960, Surayya in 1961 and Aulad in 1962. He also appeared in films such as Zehr-e-Ishq, Saperan, Ashiana and Eid Mubarak. His filmography contains a wide variety of titles including Dil Ke Tukrey and Waqt.

Habib was also a highly successful star in Punjabi cinema. The 1963 musical Mouj Mela became a super-hit Golden Jubilee film. He played a side-hero in the Platinum Jubilee film Jeedar in 1965. Other notable Punjabi works include Dil Da Jani, Chann Makhna and Zaildar. He also appeared in Malanga in 1986.

Beyond cinema, he transitioned into television acting. His most famous television role was in the PTV drama Rahain in 1998. He worked on the drama Tawan in 1996 and Pooray Chaand Ki Raat in 2004. Later, he appeared in the series Vanee which aired on Geo Entertainment.

He attempted work as a director and producer. He directed two Sindhi films titled Baaghi and Allah Bachayo, though these did not find much success. His efforts as a film producer were also largely unsuccessful. While Pardes and Haar Gaya Insaan achieved average box office results, other produced films flopped.

Personal life

Habib married the actress Naghma in 1972. The couple eventually separated and they divorced in 1988. He was the father of two sons and four daughters from his first wife, who had passed away several years prior. He also had a daughter with Naghma. Later, he married Shaheen Habib. They lived together for 36 years until his death in 2016.

The actor died on 25 February 2016 at Ittefaq Hospital in Lahore. He had suffered a brain haemorrhage one week before his passing. He was laid to rest at Airline Society. He left behind seven children, consisting of five daughters and two sons.

Awards and recognition

He received several prestigious honors during his lifetime. He won the Nigar Award for Best Actor in 1958 for the film Aadmi. He secured another Nigar Award for Best Actor in 1961 for Surayya. In 2002, he was honored with a Nigar Award Lifetime Achievement Award.

His television work earned him recognition as well. He won the Lux Style Award for Best TV Actor (Satellite) in 2009 for Nautankee. The President of Pakistan awarded him the Pride of Performance in 2011. These honors reflected his long impact on Pakistani entertainment.