Actor Sajjad Kishwar passes away at 89

Veteran film, television and radio actor Sajjad Kishwar has passed away at the age of 89. The actor, who had been ill for some time now, breathed his last in Rawalpindi. He is survived by his son, two daughters, as well as his granddaughter. 

Speaking to a local publication, Kishwar's granddaughter explained that he had not been well since the death of one of his daughters last year. She shared that he had been suffering from multiple illnesses and passed away on Tuesday afternoon. 

The actor's funeral, which took place at Shah di Talian graveyard, was attended by a large crowd of people. 

He was born in the early 1930s in Ludhiana, Punjab in what was then known as British India. 

Kishwar, who began his career in the entertainment industry in 1976, was a recipient of the Tamgha e Imtiaz, as well as Radio Pakistan's Lifetime Achievement Award. 

One of his most prominent roles was in the drama serial Razigar, with the veteran actor having around 100 films and 1000 television drama serials to his credit. 

In a 2015 interview with a local publication, the actor lamented the deterioration of the quality of language in dramas, calling for its immediate revival to previous standards. "In the past, attention was also paid to how words were pronounced and there were departments in television and radio which would correct the pronunciations of performers. Today, the quality of language in television dramas has deteriorated," he stated. 

Kishwar also found radio dramas the most challenging, explaining how the lack of visuals in the medium leave an actor dependent solely on their tone of voice and method of dialogue delivery.