Roohi Bano () (10 August 1951 – 25 January 2019) was a Pakistani actress who was known for her roles in television dramas ''Kiran Kahani'', ''Zard Gulab'', and ''Darwaza''. She along with

Uzma Gillani Uzma Gillani (born 1945; ) is a veteran Pakistani television actress. She starred and made appearances in several television shows in 1970s through the 1990s. Early life Uzma was born in Meerut, British India and her parents migrated to Paki ...

Tahira Naqvi Tahira Naqvi ( Punjabi, ; 20 August 1956 – 2 June 1982) was a Pakistani actress who began her career in the 1970s and worked until her death at the age of 25. She became popular by appearing in several television series and two films in h ...

and

Khalida Riyasat Khalida Riyasat (; 7 July 1953 – 26 August 1996) was a veteran Pakistani television actress. Along with Roohi Bano and Uzma Gillani, she dominated Pakistan's television screens from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. Early life and family Khali ...

dominated Pakistan's television screens from the 1970s, to the 1990s. She was known as the ''Queen of Melancholy'' because of her portrayal of mournful and pessimistic roles in dramas and films.

Early life

Roohi Bano was born in

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 ...

on 10 August 1951. She was the daughter of

Alla Rakha Alla Rakha Qureshi (29 April 1919 – 3 February 2000) was an Indian tabla player who specialised in Hindustani classical music. Widely revered as one of history's most iconic players of the tabla, he was a frequent accompanist of sitar player ...

, a noted tabla player of India and half-sister of Indian music virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain.

Career

Roohi joined television when she was doing her Masters in Psychology from the

Government College, Lahore The Government College University (colloquially known as GCU; Punjabi, Urdu: ) is a public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded as Government College, Lahore, in 1864 under British administration, it became a university i ...

. She is reported to have "witnessed the birth of the television industry in Pakistan...". Roohi acted memorably in ''

Kiran Kahani ''Kiran Kahani'' () is a 1973 Pakistani television series written for PTV by Haseena Moin, directed by Shireen Khan and produced by Zaheer Khan. Synopsis The story revolves around a cheerful girl named Kiran (Roohi) and her family. Cast ...

'' (1973), ''Zard Gulab'', ''

Darwaza ''Darwaza'' () is a 1978 Bollywood horror film directed by Shyam Ramsay and Tulsi Ramsay. Plot Thakur Pratap Singh has lost his loved ones due to a curse put on him and his family by a widow, whose son Dharma was unintentionally killed by ...

'' and many other famous TV dramas (nearly 150 TV dramas in all) in the 1970s and 1980s. She was conferred 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 ...

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 1981. She also earned many PTV awards, notably

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 ...

, Graduate Award and Lux Lifetime Achievement Award.

Personal life

Roohi married twice but both of her marriages were unsuccessful. She had one son.

Later life and death

In 2005, her 20-year-old only son was murdered by unidentified killers near his residence in Gulberg III, Lahore. His body was dumped alongside a fence where a passerby spotted it. After her son's murder, Roohi had abandoned her acting career, led a lonely life in Lahore and she never fully recovered from this tragic event in her life. In her later life, she was diagnosed with

schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...

. She also spent some years at the well known rehabilitation centre ''Fountain House'' in Lahore. Her sister had her admitted to the rehabilitation centre in 2005. Roohi died in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

on 25 January 2019. She had had kidney disease and a mental disorder. She had been on a ventilator for 10 days before she died. According to her sister, Rubina Yasmeen, her family had travelled to

, Turkey to be with her in her last days.

Filmography

Television series

Telefilm

Film

Tribute and honours

In 2019 on February 3 Pakistan National Council of the Arts paid tributes to her and described her a dignified, refined and polished artist. In 2021 on August 16 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 ...

named a street and intersection after her in

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 ...

Awards and recognition

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bano, Roohi 1951 births 20th-century Pakistani actresses Actresses in Urdu cinema 21st-century Pakistani actresses Pakistani film actresses 2019 deaths Pakistani television actresses Actresses from Karachi Lux Style Award winners Nigar Award winners PTV Award winners Pakistani female models Recipients of the Pride of Performance Deaths from kidney failure Hum Award winners Muhajir people Actresses in Pashto cinema Government College University, Lahore alumni People with schizophrenia