Moin Akhter: The Best Humorist of Pakistan

From Radio Pakistan's era of modern film making, Moin Akhter (also known as "Moin Akhtar"), a Pakistani television, film and stage artist, humourist, comedian, impersonator, host, writer, singer, director, and producer, achieved popularity as one of the country's best-known and most popular characters, "Rozi". He is regarded as a one-of-a-kind parodist and a king of Urdu comedy. His career, which spanned over 45 years, started as a child in Radio Pakistan's era of modern film making and lasted until his death in 2011. Moin Akhter (also known as Moin Akhtar), a Pakistani television, film, and stage artist, comic, comedian, impersonator, host, writer, singer, director, and producer, achieved fame in the Radio Pakistan era. He became a popular icon through his screen persona "Rozi" and is regarded as a unique parodist and the king of Urdu humor. He worked for more than 45 years, from the Radio Pakistan era to one year before his death in 2011, in films made with modern movie making techniques. Akhtar was born in Karachi, Pakistan. His father, Muhammad Ibrahim Mehboob, who died a few months after Akhtar died, at the age of 92, was born in Muradabad, India, and settled in Karachi as a result of the Partition, "spent his life in his own printing press and in the clothing business."[5] Akhtar was fluent in English, Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Memoni, Pashto, Gujarati, and Urdu.

Career

At the age of 13, Akhter began his acting career as a child actor. He played the role of Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice in theatre. In September 1966, Akhter made his television debut on Pakistan Television (PTV) to celebrate the country's first Defence Day. He began his television career as a comedian in 1966 by performing impersonations of Hollywood actor Anthony Quinn and imitating one of former USA president John F. Kennedy's speeches. Aside from working with Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari as a television stage cast duo, Akhter has played various roles in television programs. Akhter rose to fame as a result of his breakthrough performance in Rozi, a television drama based on a Hollywood adaptation of Tootsie. Rozi was an Urdu adaptation of Dustin Hoffman's Tootsie. He regarded it as one of his favourite on-screen characters he had portrayed. The film was written and directed by Imran Saleem.

Talk shows

In 2005, ARY Digital began the talk show Loose Talk, in which he played up to 400 different characters in interviews with TV host Anwar Maqsood. In addition to appearing as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Pakistani knock-offs such as Kya Aap Banaingay Crorepati?, Akhter hosted game shows in which he interviewed Anwar Maqsood's other characters. He also hosted shows involving big personalities, appeared on stage with Indian legends Dilip Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Madhuri Dixit and performed.

Television serial dramas

Akhter acted in a variety of films, sitcoms, and dramas, and participated in many television programmes. Invited leaders including King Husain of Jordan, Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, General Yahya Khan of Pakistan, Zia-ul-Haq of Pakistan, Ghulam Ishaq Khan of Pakistan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan, Dilip Kumar of India, and Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan (Akhter imitated the president's presence) were among the guests on his TV programmes.

Death and legacy

Akhter died on April 22, 2011 at about 4:30 pm in Karachi after suffering a heart attack. He was survived by his wife, three children, and two sons. Thousands of people attended the funeral prayer for Akhter, which was led by Junaid Jamshed. Many Bollywood actors paid tribute to him, including Johnny Lever, Javed Akhtar, and Shatrughan Sinha. Madame Tussauds, a renowned wax museum, would like to display a wax statue of Moin Akhtar in its London museum if it is ever created, the AFP reported. The statue would be the first of its kind for any Pakistani performer if it is crafted. Moin Akhter is one of the most prominent and versatile writers, playwrights and humorists in Pakistan. Apart from being a writer, he has also appeared on television and radio as an actor, interviewer and an MC. Although his works have been received with mixed feelings, they have still made a mark on Pakistani literature. Moin Akhter is often referred to as the best humorist of Pakistan due to his witty wit that can make any audience laugh until it hurts. He has also been called the personification of laughter because of his infectious nature and ability to make people feel lighter even when things do not seem so bright. Moin Akhter was born in November 24, 1950 in Gujrat district of Pakistan’s Punjab province. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Punjab Lahore and a bachelor’s degree from Islamia College Bahawalpur. Moin Akhter is married with children and lives in Lahore. He spends most of his time out of his home writing or at home reading or listening to music or watching television shows or movies that have some form of entertainment value. His hobbies include reading novels, watching old black-and-white movies and playing chess.

Why is Moin Akhtar Called the Best Humorist of Pakistan?

Humor is essential in life if we are to have a healthy relationship with our environment. Humor is the ability to laugh when things are not so funny, but just those moments when we find ourselves between humor and being defeated are the moments when we are most human. And if we succumb to defeat, we are not just defeated but all of us lose a little bit in the process. Humor is the ability to laugh and thereby recover. It’s the right of every human being to laugh, it’s not rude or unrefined. It’s the beauty of humanity. Humor is a very important aspect of life. People who do not laugh die sooner. Humor is the ability to laugh when we are in pain, between ourselves and our surroundings, between life and death, and between ourselves and death. It is the act of laughing that makes life worth living. It is the ability to see the funny side of everything in life, even when things are not so funny. It is to see the beauty in the humor of life.