KARACHI: Veteran writer, comedian, actor, and poet Athar Shah Khan passed away on Sunday morning. He was 77.
Khan had been ill for some time and passed away after suffering from a stroke, according to the family.
Athar Shah Khan’s legendary role as ‘Jaidi’ in Intizar Farmaiye on PTV made him a household name in the country. He continued to play the role of ‘Jaidi’ in many other subsequent television plays.
Khan was born in Rampur, in present-day Uttar Pradesh, and migrated to
Pakistan with his family in 1947. They moved to Lahore at the time of Partition. He received his early education from Peshawar and Lahore. The Pakistan People’s Party’s central leader Farhatullah Babar in a tweet said that in the early 50s, he and Khan had studied in the same class and same school in Peshawar.
The late actor had a graduation degree from Karachi’s Urdu Science College and completed his Master’s degree in Journalism from the Punjab University. In 1975, he moved to Karachi to write a PTV serial. Khan started his career as a writer some six decades back from Radio Pakistan and wrote around 700 plays for 20 years. ‘Jedi ke sang’ was his hit serial on the radio.
He performed in numerous plays and drama serials and entertained television audiences for several years both as an artist, poet, and writer.
His other popular work includes Hello Hello, Intezar Farmaiay, Lakhon Mein Teen, Ba Adab Ba Mulahiza Hoshiyar, Haye Haidi, Burger Family, Jaidi in Trouble and Problem House among others.
Khan used to say that Ziaul Haq Qasmi, a renowned poet and columnist persuaded him to write humorous poetry. Not only did he pen down dramas, but he also wrote stories and dialogues for a number of popular films, including Baazi, Maan bani dulhan, Goonj uthi shehnai and Manji kithay danhwan (Punjabi).
Besides a weekly column that he contributed to an Urdu newspaper, his short stories and serious poetry have appeared in almost all literary magazines and won him appreciation both from critics and readers. In 2001, he was awarded the Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan. The Pakistan Television (PTV) also awarded him a gold medal on its silver jubilee celebration. A few years ago, Athar Shah Khan had suffered a major heart attack. He had since reduced his activities to the minimal. But a chain smoker he remained. He is survived by his wife and four sons.
His funeral prayers were held in Karachi on Sunday afternoon in Gulshan-e-Iqbal’s Masjid Aqsa. He was laid to rest in Sakhi Hassan graveyard.
On his death, eminent writers, broadcasters and personalities talked on social media on the merits of Khan’s versatile talents and his loving personality. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz expressed deep grief and sorrow over the sad demise of famous actor Athar Shah Khan Jaidi. In a tweet, he said that the deceased as a comedian spread happiness in the lives of viewers and gave a new dimension to humour. The minister said that the characters played by Athar Shah Khan would be remembered for a long time.
The Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi President Ahmed Shah also lamented his demise. He remembered the late writer and actor as a great artiste who knew how to spread laughter. He added that artistes like Jaidi were needed in today’s period as people were frustrated and they wanted someone to cheer them up.