Legendary comedian moves fans to tears

Pall off gloom descends as Sikandar Sanam loses battle with liver cancer.

KARACHI:

Laugh, and the world will laugh with you, but if you fall ill and die, you will be buried unsung - this is what happened with legendary comedian Sikandar Sanam who passed away on Monday afternoon in Nawabshah.

Diagnosed with liver cancer about nine weeks ago, Sanam was treated at Karachi’s Aga Khan University Hospital. After staying in the hospital for a few days, Sanam chose to return to his native city Nawabshah with a relative, and come under the treatment of a local healer there.

Sanam started off his career under auspices of great names like Moin Akhtar and Umar Shareef. After working as junior artist in several theatre plays, he became a popular name on stage and changed his name to ‘Sikandar Sanam’ to reflect how much audiences loved him.  Be it the character of a 60-year-old widow, an eager bachelor, a jaunty college boy or a thug from Lalukhet, Sanam knew just how to tickle the funny bone, doing justice to the change of name.

Furqan Haider, a theatre practitioner who helped pave the way for Sanam’s career said, “Sanam became a household name with hallmark play called ‘Babiya Moin Akhter’. He fell ill while performing for an Eid play at Fleet Club, and after his performance we took him to Aga Khan Hospital where he was treated for a few days.”

(WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RAFAY MAHMOOD)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2012.