Two years after Moin Akhtar’s demise, the artistic void remains

Friends and colleagues remember Moin on his second death anniversary.

April 2011 was considered the cruelest month for Pakistan's entertainment industry when the country lost four of its most cherished entertainers and comedians. Among them was Moin Akhtar who passed away on the same date two years ago and left an artistic void behind.

On his second death anniversary, his friends, family and colleagues remember him fondly for the quality and consistency of his work.

Akhtar, who devoted 44 years of his life to entertaining audiences and promoting arts in Pakistan, was one of the most beloved comics and actors ever to grace the stage and television screens in the country and passed away at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack. He breathed his last at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) where he was shifted for treatment.

Born on December 24, 1950, Akhtar managed to achieve in the six dynamic decades of his life all one could imagine in such a small time span. He started off as a stand-up comedian in 1966-67 by impersonating Hollywood actor Anthony Quinn and John F Kennedy’s speech in which he also mimicked the voice of the former president. Akhtar was more than just a class act and that is why at a young age of 13, he played the character of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.

Be it theatre, TV, film, stand-up comedy, hosting and even singing Moin was the master of all crafts. It was his love for art and dedication to acting that made him famous not just within Pakistan but also across the border and the Middle East.

His plays like “Bakra Qiston pae” and “Buddha Ghar Pae Hae” which he performed alongside Umer Sharif are still watched across the world on DVDs and YouTube.

He had already won wide acclaim following his regular appearances on Pakistan Television. He rendered several memorable performances alongside Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari and is acknowledged as a pioneer, giving comedy in Pakistan a new look and direction.