Anwar Maqsood Hameedi (born 7 September 1939; ), popularly known as Anwar Maqsood, is a Pakistani

scriptwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism. They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. Early satirical authors *Aes ...

humorist A humorist is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking. A raconteur is one who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way. Henri Bergson writes that a humorist's work grows from viewing the morals of society ...

, and infrequent

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. He is well known for his drama write-ups for PTV in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Early life and family

Anwar Maqsood was born on 7 September 1939 in

Hyderabad State Hyderabad State () was a princely state in the Deccan region of south-central India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the ...

. He studied at the

Gulbarga Kalaburagi, formerly known as Gulbarga, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka, It is headquarters of eponymous Kalaburagi district and Kalaburagi division, Kalaburagi city is governed by a Municipal Corporation, It is called a Sufi c ...

Trust School in

Aurangabad Aurangabad (), officially renamed as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in 2023, is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Aurangabad district and is the largest city in the Marathwada region. Located on a ...

. His large family migrated to

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

in 1948, after the

creation of Pakistan The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation th ...

in 1947. His childhood years were spent in PIB Colony, Karachi with his siblings and family. Maqsood belongs to a prominent family of Pakistan and some of his siblings are well known in their own right; his sister,

Fatima Surayya Bajia Fatima Surayya Bajia (; 1 September 1930 – 10 February 2016) was an Urdu novelist, playwright and drama writer from Pakistan. She was awarded various awards at home and abroad, including Japan's highest civil award, in recognition of her work ...

was a well-known writer in Pakistan and South Asia whose marriage ended early in divorce. She then chose to play a key role in the upbringing of her nine young brothers and sisters and became a maternal figure to them. Another sister

Zehra Nigah Zehra Nigah () is a prominent Urdu poet and scriptwriter from Pakistan, affectionately known as 'Zehra Apa'. As one of the pioneers of Urdu poetry by women, Nigah was one of the first female poets to gain recognition in a male-dominated field. ...

, is a relatively well-known poet. One of his brothers, Ahmed Maqsood, is a former Chief Secretary Sindh; and his sister Zubaida Tariq was a cooking expert and chef. His wife, Imrana Maqsood, is a known novelist and his son,

Bilal Maqsood Bilal Maqsood () is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, composer, music video director and painter, better known for being a founding member of the pop-rock band Strings (1988–2021). Early life and education Bilal Maqsood is the son of the popula ...

is a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

artist, lead guitarist and vocalist of former rock band '' Strings''. He has one daughter. A book on the life and work of Anwar Maqsood titled ''Uljhey Suljhey Anwar'' (الجھے سلجھے انور) was written by his wife, Imrana Maqsood.

Career

Anwar Maqsood has been associated for many years with PTV where he served as a Television presenter for a variety of Television programs including ''Studio Dhai'' and then ''Studio Ponay Teen'' along with ''Show Sha'' and various other shows''.''

Works

Maqsood is often regarded as one of the leading Pakistani satirists/writers as well as highly respected in social and showbiz industry of Pakistan. Anwar Maqsood is often given credit for encouraging talented television actors like

Bushra Ansari Bushra Ansari () is a Pakistani actress, comedian, singer, and playwright in Punjabi and Urdu cinema, who started her career as a child performer in the 1960s. Ansari won numerous awards during her career, including the Presidential Pride of Per ...

and

Moin Akhter Moin Akhter (Urdu: معین اختر), (24 December 1950 – 22 April 2011) was a Pakistani television, film and stage artist, humorist, comedian, impersonator, host, writer, singer, director and producer who rose to fame in the era of Radio P ...

. He wrote various successful plays for the television industry, including: He also wrote the lyrics of Nestlé Nido Young Stars theme, "Meri Pyari Ammi Jaan" (میری امی میری جان; English: My Dear Mother).

Education

Anwar Maqsood received his education in Pakistan. He completed his matriculation from St. Patrick's High School, Karachi. He then went on to study at the Sindh Muslim Government Law College, also in Karachi. He graduated with a degree in Law and began his career as a lawyer. However, he soon realized that his true passion was in the field of creative writing and entertainment, and he transitioned into the field of scriptwriting, television hosting, and comedy.

Awards

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

Award by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

in 1994 *

Hilal-e-Imtiaz The ''Hilal-e-Imtiaz'' (; ), also spelled as ''Hilal-i-Imtiaz,'' is the second-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") Awards and decorations of the Pakistan military, civilian award and honour given to both civilians and military Officer (armed fo ...

(Crescent of Excellence) Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

in 2013 * PTV Superstar award at

PTV Awards PTV National Awards () was an awards ceremony annually held by the Pakistan Television Corporation. The awards were first introduced in the late 1970s to encourage talented people in Pakistan. History The PTV awards is the largest awards cerem ...

in 2000 * Lifetime Achievement Honour at 4th Pakistan Media Awards * Lifetime Achievement Award at the

3rd Hum Awards The 3rd Hum Awards ceremony, presented by the Hum Television Network and Entertainment Channel (HTNEC), sponsored by Servis and Telenor, honored the best in fashion, music and Hum Television Dramas of 2014 and took place on 9 April 2015, at t ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maqsood, Anwar 1939 births Living people Pakistani humorists Pakistani lyricists Pakistani dramatists and playwrights Pakistani television writers Pakistani male television actors Pakistani television hosts Urdu-language humorists Urdu-language writers 1935 births Muhajir people Hum Award winners Muslim male comedians Writers from Karachi Male actors from Karachi PTV Award winners Pakistani Muslims Pakistani people of Hyderabadi descent Anwar Pakistani male television writers Recipients of the Pride of Performance Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz People from Hyderabad, India Pakistani satirists Indian emigrants to Pakistan