KARACHI: Veteran television, stage and film artist Moin Akhtar has died here on Friday at the age of 61. Akhtar, who got a legendary status among all his fans, was under treatment at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) due to heart disease. Akhtar was a television, film and stage actor, as well as a comedian, impersonator, and a host. He was also a play writer, singer, film director and a producer. Akhtar was a highly dynamic and versatile performer from Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan. He made his debut for television on Sept. 6, 1966, in a variety show held on PTV to celebrate the first Defense Day of Pakistan. Since then, he has performed several roles in TV plays/shows, later making a team with Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari. Whether on the stage or on the screen, Moin Akhtar was one of the most sought after actors in Pakistani entertainment industry. His apparent attempts to avoid vulgarity in his humor rendered him a favorite amongst family audiences. He is an inspiration for the generations to come and was one of the few that stood out so distinguishably. Akhtar was fluent in several languages, including English, Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Memon, Pushto, Gujarati and others, while in the Urdu-speaking world, he is beloved for providing humor for people of all ages, and with an etiquette that remains unmatched. He has a following not only in Pakistan but on the other side of the border, India, too due to the stage shows, Bakra Qiston Pe and Buddha Ghar Pe Hai with Umer Sharif. It would not be wrong to say that his ardent fans are spread all around the globe. Moin Akhtar rose to the national spotlight and gathered critical acclaim for his performance in the drama Rosy /Rozy, in which he played the role of a female TV artist. Rozy was an Urdu adaptation of Hollywood movie Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman. Moreover, in a talk-show namely Loose Talk, which began in 2005 on a private television channel, he has appeared as a different disguised guest who is interviewed by Anwar Maqsood, the writer and the host of the program. Loose Talk ended after over 400 episodes, each seen with Moin disguised as a different personality.
