Rest in peace: Lahore loses acting veteran

Film, stage artist Munir Nadir breathed his last on Friday night

LAHORE: Renowned film, television and stage artist Munir Nadir passed away in Lahore on Friday night, after battling Hepatitis C for several months. He was 70 years of age.

With a career spanning over 50 years and 500 films to his credit, Nadir had become well- known by the entertainment industry. Talking to The Express Tribune, many of his fellow industry insiders spoke of his  death and significant contributions to Pakistani cinema.

Famously known as a voice-over artist, Nadir worked with multiple Lollywood bigwigs such as Sultan Rahi, Asad Bukhari and Afzal Ahmad. Besides Punjabi, he also dubbed Urdu, Bengali, Sanhali and Turkish dramas. “Munir was a hard worker who struggled his entire life. His services were wonderful, especially in the field of dubbing,” said script writer Suraj Baba. Director Pervaiz Kaleem echoed Baba’s sentiments, saying, “He was a humble man who always worked hard, whether it was dubbing or performing. We are now missing a legend.”

A versatile actor, Nadir performed different roles throughout his career, in film ranging from Laila and Kinara  of the yesteryears recent ones such as Khuda Kay Liye and Bol. He spent the last thirty years of his career appearing in various PTV stage plays like Mirza Ghalib Bunder Road Per and Andhera Ujala and even radio programmes such as Sohni Dharti. “I had been seeing his work in films, TV and stage plays. He was the beauty of Lahore’s artist community, famous for intellectual discussions among friends,” said artist Shiba Butt.

While Nadir’s services were often overlooked in Pakistan, his work was profoundly acknowledged across the border. At different points in his journey, the Indian government rewarded him with five prizes, including the Baba Guru Nanak Award and Babbar Khalsa Award. “It is not fair that this great actor was not given the President’s Pride of Performance Award in Pakistan. He complained several times about it but was content receiving several accolades from the Indian government,” added Baba.

Kaleem also agreed that Nadir was an asset to our country. “People who learned from him received many awards as well. He did wonderful work and made significant contributions to the country,” he noted.

According to Baba, no one from the industry visited Nadir during his last few days. “It is painful that when he was admitted in the hospital, no one inquired about his health,” stated Baba.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2016.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.