Pakistani Cricket Players: Moin Akhtar

Moin Akhtar Biography
Moeen Akhtar, a young skinny man from Karachi, started his career in 1966 with a variety show, and before long became a face familiar across the nation for acting on TV, movies, stage and theatre, hosting of variety shows, and humorous impersonations of famous personalities (including actors Muhammad Ali, Waheed Murad, Dilip Kumar, and singers Mehdi Hasan and Ahmad Rushdi). Moeen Akhtar, to my generation, is what Zia Mohiuddin was to the generation before me. In the past 40 or so years Moeen Akhtar has performed in, and hosted, thousands of shows in Pakistan and abroad, and is arguably the finest actor/comedian/host that Pakistan has produced.

To the Karachi based audience, especially those who watched stage shows with the Omar Sharif & Moeen Akhtar duo in the mid-eighties, he is a legend. I still watch reruns of Buddha Ghar per hewhenever I can. The stage shows have simply not been the same since he left the circuit to pursue other aspirations. Over his career, Moeen Akhtar starred in many television dramas and live comedy events (including the special televised programs 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. One of his favorite producers was Shoaib Mansoor, about whom ATP has already written before. One of Moeen Akhtar’s more memorable roles was as Rozi, where he cross-dressed and played the counterpart of Dustin Hoffman (from American movie Tootsie(1982)). Not to be left behin, Moeen Akhtar also did films (e.g. Taaj Daar) and songs. For some of the unitiated, the image of Mehdi Hasan engraved on their minds is actually that of impersonating Moeen Akhtar twisting his mouth and rolling his eyes to make the notes come out! He has parodied in several languages, including english, sindhi, Punjabi, Memon, Pushto, Gujrati, bengali and others, while in the Urdu-speaking world, he is beloved for providing great humor for people of all ages, and with an etiquette that remains unmatched.

A few years ago, he suffered a heart attack and was admitted into the hospital. His fan base, equally divided between India and Pakistan, and now spread all over the world as well, was gravely concerned for his health. Thankfully, he has recovered and from what I can see, he is back in action on the variety show circuit as well as TV. He has been working again with Anwar Maqsood on a satiric talk-show called Loose Talk on ARY TV.

Interview

In an interview, veteran actor Moin Akhtar talks about his journey from theatre to films...
Legends never die, and very likewise, "I want to stay alive in the hearts and minds of the people, even after I am gone", says an ever yearning and ambitious Moin Akhtar.

Moin Akhtar coming from a simple, educated family; one can certainly cut the educated part out for him, which he readily regrets as lacking. Half his family pursued careers in teaching and most of Moin's young life spent in frustration and struggle as his family pushed him to obtain education to undertake the burgeoning responsibilities of his next in kin.

Thus, he put aside his dreams which he again wished would become true one day, "it's not in the hands of the human being to realize his dreams without any bases, and therefore I turned to education."

In the end, that's what paid to him, in 1967 while acting 'Shylock' for the school play of 'Merchant of Venice', he achieved the first prize and hence that was the beginning. "It all came accidentally to me, I had never dreamt of acting". His first entertaining performance was at a Dow Medical College function. Whether it was good on his pocket wasn't the question then, because that's where he gained his confidence.

What has he not done is the question? He has been the backbone of the entertainment media in Pakistan to say the least. This man is an innovative genius, a lovable character from all aspects of life. Moin himself is a very composed personality, very distinct from others in his lot: spends most of his time in serenity, reading, philosophizing, and in spiritual enhancement.

His popularity ranges from a five year old to an octogenarian, not much needs to be written as a lot is already known. In early days, it was staunchly believed and I still believe that an artiste should not be praised to the extent that he becomes victim to over-confidence or pride. All due respect and honor should be beset upon him after his death. I would still go on to say that if Moin were material, I would call him 'priceless'.

Soon he started doing stage dramas, and the transition to television didn't take very long. An actress Santosh Rasal introduced Moin Akhtar to the people whom he would soon become very familiar with or in other words the people working for the tube. Moin recorded his first television programme called 'Chor' under the production of Ameer Imam.

The bells tolled for him in 1972, his wife happened to be his maternal cousin who also bore him three daughters and two sons.

It was the other way round for him, most pioneers of television came down from the radio, for him it was the descent, radio did not recognize his efforts as soon as television did. Moin Akhtar was a household name before he even knew it, gained a vast experience of working on radio, television, stage, and theatre.

Life not slowly but drastically changed to be soft on him. Moin gets very cross when I asked him whether he was a self-made man, "no one is a self-made person. Allah makes and breaks everyone", a very stern Moin replied.

With every project he rose to newer heights, accomplished excellence in every field of entertainment, he also was one of the pioneers of theatre, worked with personalities like Zia Mohiuddin who introduced the true concept of theatre in Pakistan. Moin tries to avoid any questions on theatre because for a pioneer, the present state of affairs of the theatre is a crying shame.

Television churned out the real Moin Akhtar when it opted him for talk shows. When asked for the reason Moin replied, "no artiste individually can make a production a success. It's always a team effort. But, in my talk shows, it's a one man show, and I control it, no hassle, no intervention".

Soon Moin was seen at numerous occasions as a compare. Due to his great comic sense, he proved to be a blast. And now, he is a renowned entertainer the world over, recognized by personalities like Dilip Kumar, Mithun, Govinda.

Perfection is not a very rational term to be used for humans, which certainly means that Moin Akhtar has even faltered, yes and in the field of movies. He appeared as a hero in 'Mr K2'. the movie miserably failed not because Moin looked world apart from the original 'T2' but as he puts it, he succumbed to his obligations and courtesy to friends.

As a senior artiste, Moin speaks out against the stubbornness and lethargic attitude of the younger generation, reluctance against the will to learn from their seniors, to understand the concept, to culture their minds. Moin very proudly says that he credits Anwar Maqsood, Naeem Bukhari, Zia Mohiuddin for the dignity he has attained to date.

According to him, acting is a God gifted talent, not many would have survived without it, and this he backs up with expressing his favorite actor in Nana Patekar.

"They pay us in peanuts", was the reply to an inquiry about remunerations, followed by an expression of disgust. A devoted servant of PTV speaking in such disgust is a sign of disgrace for the concerned authorities; earnings go up in millions whereas the salary structure stands very poorly this is not the complain of one but many artistes.

Moin possess magic, a trace that he spells over the audience while acting, we certainly were very anxious to know more about it. According to him, he first studies the character, the atmosphere, environment surrounding the particular character, visualizes the scenario, all this and more helps him in the true enactment of that character.

This man has changed the meaning of the word 'ambitious'. He is a born entertainer. In the field of entertainment, only one aspect was left out and that was the tuning of the vocal chords.

He is at it again, already recorded 80 songs, quality of which has been validated by the great maestro Mehdi Hasan Sahib.

Moin Akthar is certainly a very changed person now from what he had initially emerged as, a lot more spiritually enhanced, well composed, and now has more substance of content.

The turning point in his life came amidst his beaming career as an entertainer.

"I was lost in the obscurity of popularity when Allah showed me the right way," this was the sign through which he feels that the Almighty accepted his performance of Hajj. The last thing he would yearn for is a mark of prostration on his forehead.

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Moin Akhtar