Adieu to Pakistan’s greatest funnyman, Moin Akhtar

A reporter reminisces on her interview and resulting contact with the legend.

KARACHI:

It was a repeated request from my editor of the Life & Style pages that I should, somehow be able to, get some time with this comedian and gear up for an interview. My persistent calls, in the hope of tracking him down, three in number, finally made the comedian realise that I was here for some real business! Business, indeed! On the third and final call, when he permitted me to pay a visit and interview him, was a Sunday. It was my day off for the week and I met him at his residence, a place tucked away in the suburbs of Karachi.

The interview which was supposed to last a mere half-an-hour lasted for two hours and I for one, came across a personality, so sombre, so humble and so down-to-earth. This guy made us all laugh, the entire nation laughed as he cracked jokes aloud, he was indeed a serious man. This was Moin Akhtar for me.

The interview being the first one for the publication, The Express Tribune, was the first one that I did with Moin Akhtar and probably his last, if I am not mistaken. The printed version of this interview got published in mid -January 2011. I am deeply honoured to have met a person of his stature.

On that particular day being face to face with him, my first and yes sadly the last, impression is somewhat imprinted in my mind. I saw a very different man, from the reel life to the real life. It was he who was completely hesitant in giving out the interview and from a call away seemed like a very arrogant man, which was not the case. He was hesitant, yes, because he said that he feared being misquoted, and arrogance there was none. Humility was so immense that when my photographer could not venture inside the cantonment compound he sent his chauffeur in his car to fetch him from the check post!

Over tea and biscuits, what started was an on-the-record and off-the-record talk. He was paid rich tributes by the successive governments in Pakistan and was a patriotic man as he had earned applause and recognition the world over. Moin’s talent was respected by Indian superstars and he was considered a gem of a person by the Pakistani television fraternity.

But what I saw was a different person, a man so humble, so true to this soil, he said he owed much to it, for whatever he was he was because of Pakistan. Again, another side to the man was his literary leanings, I saw him seated on the sofa and besides him a table entirely filled with books, some in Urdu but mostly in English. He told me he was fond of reading in English and was currently busy penning down his memoir, of which there was but a chapter of which was left unfinished concerning his mother, whom he truly loved and she had died a year ago during Ramadan.

Our casual conversations came out in the form of an interview which I conducted with him. And the suggestive title was the same, as he had planned for his book. We called it the “One Man Show”.

As our talk continued he realised it was time, we had lunch, and was all set on the fact that I should have some fish with him, which I refused. Finally, the time came for me to leave, I somehow misplaced my cell phone in my large handbag and more than my concern, it was he, who was concerned and said, “You have so many things in your bag, how would you be able to find it?” Eventually, as I was leaving he took my number down and said to me: “I have saved your phone number, I don’t save other people cell numbers, but remember one thing, I am just a call away from you, if I can ever be of any help to you. Please call me.”

This man who was hesitant in giving out an interview, had finally said those words and I just smiled back, thinking to myself: “He would never attend my call, why would he?”

But I could never be more wrong, after the interview I called him up twice, once was to inform him that his interview had been published and just a few weeks later to take a comment for the ‘Side Bar’. My editor thought he would never attend the call. But both times, he just did that, he attended it. At the former call he was exceedingly happy about the fact that he was not misreported anywhere, but deep down, he said he felt that something was amiss, which till today I wonder what it was, his final interview call, he might have wanted to say something but words didn’t fall in place. Probably, yes, that is the case.

The last time I called himwas a few weeks ago. He was busy at a shoot, that’s what he said, but nevertheless answered the query which I put forth. That was my final adieu to the master comedian of Pakistan.

Dear sir, I bid final adieu.You will be greatly missed, but more so will be your humble nature and down-to-earth personality, which shall be fondly cherished by your one true fan.

As far as a call is concerned, I don’t make that anymore for I can’t hear you at the other end! But I must tell you sir, I was eagerly waiting to be at your book launch ceremony.

Lastly! Thank you for entertaining us and making us laugh for such a long time. May your soul rest in eternal peace. Amen.



Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2011.