Muhammad Qavi Khan (; 13 November 1942 – 5 March 2023) was a Pakistani film, radio, theatre and television actor, director and playwright. Khan acted in over 200 films and some 1,000 television plays. Khan is best known for his police drama serial ''

Andhera Ujala Andhera Ujala (, English: ''Darkness, Brightness'') was a popular Pakistani crime investigation television series aired on Pakistan Television ( PTV) during the 1984–85 season, written by Younis Javed and directed by Rashid Dar. It also had ...

'', which launched him to stardom alongside his fellow actors

Irfan Khoosat Irfan Khoosat (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) (born 9 June 1952) is a Pakistani actor, director, producer and comedian. He is famous for his comic role as ''Hawaldar Karamdad'' in the TV series ''Andhera Ujala'' (1984–1985) in which he portraye ...

and

Jameel Fakhri Jamil Fakhri (Urdu: ; 15 September 1946 – 9 June 2011) was a veteran Pakistani film, TV and stage artist. He gained popularity from Pakistan Television Corporation's TV drama serial ''Andhera Ujala'', in which he played the police inspector Ja ...

. Some of his other notable works in television include roles in ''

Khaani ''Khaani'' ('', feminine version of Khan'') is a 2017 Pakistani drama television series that premiered on 6 November 2017 on Geo Entertainment. It is directed by Anjum Shahzad, produced by Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi under 7th Sky Entert ...

'' (2017) and ''

Meri Shehzadi ''Meri Shehzadi'' (transl. My Princess) is a 2022 Pakistani drama television series written by Zanjabeel Asim Shah, directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and produced by Momina Duraid. It is loosely based on the life story of Princess Diana, ex-wife of ...

'' (2022–2023). He was also a playwright, having written the autobiographical one-man stage play ''Action and Reaction'' in 2011. In March 2011, Qavi Khan's achievements were honored at an event at the

Pakistan National Council of the Arts Pakistan National Council of the Arts (, or PNCA) was established through an Act of Parliament in 1973 with the mandate to lead the development of arts in Pakistan. PNCA policies are framed by its Board of Governors which reports to the Federa ...

auditorium in

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

. 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 ...

honoured Khan with the

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 ...

in 1980 and

Sitara-e-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

in 2012 for his contribution to the field of arts.Investiture Ceremony: 67 to receive national awards today
The Express Tribune (newspaper), Published 23 March 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2019

Early and personal life

Khan was born in a

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

family, to a father who was in the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

. Following the 1947 Partition of India, the family moved to Pakistan, settling down in Khokropar,

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

, before moving to

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

, where they would live opposite the

Mahabat Khan mosque The Mahabat Khan Mosque (Hindko and ) (), sometimes spelt Mohabbat Khan Mosque, is a 17th-century Mughal-era mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan. The mosque was built in 1630, and named after the Mughal governor of Peshawar, Mahabat Khān. The mosque's ...

. Khan would get his early education there and later work as a front desk officer in a

Grindlays Bank The historic overseas bank was established in London in 1828 as Leslie & Grindlay, agents and bankers to the British Army and business community in India. Banking operations expanded to include the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and eleme ...

branch before going to

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

to pursue his passion of acting more seriously. Khan belonged to a

family of the

Yusufzai The Yusufzai or Yousafzai (, ), also referred to as the Esapzai (, ), or Yusufzai Afghans historically, are one of the largest tribes of Pashtuns. They are natively based in the northern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( Malakand, Dir, Swat, Shangl ...

tribe. He married in 1968 and had four children.

Career

Radio

In 1952, he began his career as a child artist by joining

Radio Pakistan The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (); also known as ''Radio Pakistan'', serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in P ...

Peshawar.

Theatre

In 1961, he was cast in ''Dagha Baz'', a play written by Envar Sajjad and directed by

Kamal Ahmed Rizvi Syed Kamal Ahmed Rizvi (1 May 1930 – 17 December 2015) was a Pakistani television actor and playwright. He was born in Bihar, British India and died in Karachi, Pakistan. Rizvi wrote and starred in the comedy series '' Alif Noon'' (1981-82 TV ...

Television

In 1964, he started his television career by being the lead in PTV's first-ever play, ''Nazrana'', in his career being part of some 1,000 serials. In 1966, he appeared in PTV's black-and-white hit drama ''Lakhon Main Teen'' (transl. Three in a million) along with

Ali Ejaz Ali Ejaz (21 October 1941 – 18 December 2018) was a Pakistani film and television actor known for his film roles in ''FBI Operation Pakistan'' (1971), ''Sona Chandi'' (1983), and ''Chor Machaye Shor'' (1996). He was given the Pride of Perform ...

and Athar Shah Khan Jaidi.

Films

In 1964, he worked in his first movie, Diljeet Mirza's ''Riwaj''. In 1971, he started producing films, ''Mr Buddhu'' being the first of some 13 film productions, while he would eventually act in over 200 films.

Death

Khan died of cancer on 5 March 2023, at the age of 80 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and was laid to rest at Meadowvale Cemetery,

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

Selected filmography

Films

Television series

Awards and recognition

* 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award by

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

by the

* PTV Award for Best Actor * Lifetime Achievement Award by PTV in 2007 *1978

Nigar Award The Nigar Awards () were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema, after having been revived in 2017 following a 15-year absence. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The ...

for Best Supporting Actor- Film 'Parakh' *

Nishan-i-Imtiaz The Nishan-e-Imtiaz (; ) is one of the state organized Civil decorations of Pakistan, civil decorations of Pakistan. It is awarded for achievements towards world recognition for Pakistan or outstanding service for the country. However, the awa ...

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 2023.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Qavi 1942 births 2023 deaths Muhajir people Pakistani radio personalities Pakistani male stage actors Pakistani theatre directors Pakistani dramatists and playwrights Pakistani male television actors Pakistani male film actors 20th-century Pakistani male actors Male actors from Lahore Male actors in Urdu cinema Nigar Award winners Recipients of the Pride of Performance Hum Award winners Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Deaths from cancer in Ontario Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz People from Budaun