Muzaffar Adeeb (1934 – 26 May 2006), known mononymously as Adeeb, was a Pakistani
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
. He appeared in 38 Indian films from 1940 to 1962, although he did not start performing in films very actively until the 1950s. In 1962, he shifted from
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
(now Mumbai),
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, to
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and resumed his film career that lasted until his death with over 500 films to his credit.
Early life and career
He was born in Bombay in a conservative
Pakhtun
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
(Pathan) family from
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
. His family moved on to Bombay before
independence of Pakistan
The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...
in 1947 and that is where the actor in him emerged, after the completion of his
Master's Degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
in
Urdu literature
Urdu literature ( ur, , ) is literature in the Urdu language. While it tends to be dominated by poetry, especially the verse forms of the ''ghazal '' غزل and ''nazm '' نظم, it has expanded into other styles of writing, including that of t ...
from
Bombay University
The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai.
The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed ...
, Maharashtra. Unlike his contemporaries, scriptwriting was the first love of Adeeb, who worked in the scriptwriting department with
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...
's father, Prithvi Raj Kapoor, in
Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It was built by Shashi Kapoor and his wife Jennifer Kapoor in memory of Prithviraj Kapoor, Shashi's father, who had dreamt of having a "home" for his repertory theatre company, Prithvi Th ...
and later with Indian National Theatre as assistant director. It is during this time in India that he got to know the basics of acting which later helped him entertain 2 generations of audience.
Although he worked in minor roles in his initial career, it was
Zia Sarhadi
Zia Sarhadi ( ur, ضیا سرحدی; born Fazl-e-Qadir Sethi 1914 in Peshawar, North West Frontier Province – 27 January 1997 in Karachi, Sindh) was a Pakistani screenwriter and director of films in the Indian Film Industry, whose career sp ...
's ''
Footpath
A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide ...
'' (1953) that gave him his first breakthrough role opposite
Dilip Kumar
Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from lat ...
,
Meena Kumari
Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Popularly known as ''The Tragedy Queen'', she was active between 1939 and 1972. Kumari is widely considered one of ...
Nargis
Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981) was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, she made her screen debut in a minor role ...
's brother). He worked in 30 films during his stay in India including ''Mehndi'', ''Pak Daman'' (1956) and ''Jung'', before migrating to Pakistan in 1962, on the insistence of director Akbar Ali Akku and actor/director Iqbal Yusuf, son of Adeeb's close friend, director S.M. Yusuf. He settled in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
and later moved on to
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
in search of roles which kept pouring in from the 1960s until his last film – Syed Noor's super-hit
Majajan
''Majajan'' is a 2006 Pakistani Punjabi drama film directed by Syed Noor which was released across theaters in Pakistan on 24 March 2006. ''Majajan'' is a love story Syed Noor says he "made most passionately". Inspired by the life of Baba Bull ...
(2006).
In an era when on-screen villainy in Pakistani films was ruled by good looking villains such as
Aslam Pervaiz
Aslam Parvez (12 February 1932 – 21 November 1984) was a Pakistani film actor.
Career
Born as Chaudhary Muhammad Aslam into a family of traders in Lahore, Punjab, British India on 12 February 1932. Aslam Parvez entered the Pakistani fil ...
, Masood Akhtar and even
Mohammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
(in his initial films), Adeeb made his entry with ''Daal Mein Kala'' (1964), which was directed by Iqbal Yusuf and featured
Syed Kamal
Syed Kamal or simply called Kamal ( ur, ; (27 April 1937 – 1 October 2009) was a Pakistani film and TV actor, producer and director. He had worked in 4 Bollywood films before migrating to Pakistan in 1956.
Early life and career
Syed K ...
and
Bahar Begum
Bahar Begum (born Kishwar Begum; ) is an actress best known for many Pakistani movies since 1956. She was first introduced to the Pakistani film industry by the renowned film director Anwar Kamal Pasha in film Chann Mahi (1956). Anwar Kamal P ...
in the lead along with late actors Nirala and Mohammad Ali.
In the coming years, he became a close friend of Mohammad Ali and the two acted in numerous successful films such as
Kaneez (1965 film)
''Kaneez'' is a 1965 Pakistani Urdu black-and-white film directed by Hassan Tariq and produced by Hassan Tariq and Ali Sufiyan Afaqi. Its cast had Waheed Murad, Zeba, Mohammad Ali, Sabiha Khanum, Lehri, Saqi, Adeeb and Talish. The film revo ...
, ''Aadil (1966)'' and ''Baghi Sardar'' (1966), ''Hatim Tai'' (1967), ''Mahal'' (1968), ''Naaz'' (1969), ''Aansoo Ban Gaye Moti'' (1970), ''Dushman'' (1974), ''Shirin Farhad'' (1975), ''Haider Ali'' (1979), ''Josh'', ''Sangram'' (1981), ''Zanjeer'' (1986) with ''Rocky Dada'' being their last film together in 1987.
He was at ease in both
Punjabi films, playing memorable roles in countless films opposite other actors such as
Sultan Rahi
Sultan Rahi ( ur, ﺳﻠﻄﺎﻥ ﺭﺍﮨﯽ ; June 24, 1938 – January 9, 1996) was a Pakistani actor, producer and screenwriter.
He established himself as one of the leading and most successful actors of Pakistani and Punjabi cinema, and ...
in ''
Maula Jatt
''Maula Jatt'' ( pnb, ), is a 1979 Pakistani Punjabi language action, musical film directed by Younis Malik and produced by ''Sarwar Bhatti''. The film is an unofficial sequel to the 1975's ''Wehshi Jatt'', starring Sultan Rahi as Maula Jat ...
(1979)'' and ''Andaata'',
Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad ( ur, ; 2 October 1938 – 23 November 1983), also known as Chocolate Hero, was a Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Famous for his charming expressions, attractive personality, tender voice and unusual talent for a ...
in ''Eid Mubarak (1965)'' and Kaneez, ''Saaz Aur Awaaz'' (1965), '' Rishta Hai Pyar Ka'' (1967), ''Aik Nagina'' (1969), ''Afsana'' (1970) and ''Dushman'' (1974),
Syed Kamal
Syed Kamal or simply called Kamal ( ur, ; (27 April 1937 – 1 October 2009) was a Pakistani film and TV actor, producer and director. He had worked in 4 Bollywood films before migrating to Pakistan in 1956.
Early life and career
Syed K ...
in ''Daal Main Kaala'' (1962) and ''Shab Bakhair'' and Nadeem in ''Talaash'' (1986), ''Ustadon Kay Ustad'' (1990) and ''Khazana'' (1995). Late directors – Rangeela's '' Diya Aur Toofan'' and
Riaz Shahid
Riaz Shahid (1927 – 1 October 1972) was a Pakistani filmmaker, film writer, and a journalist.
Early life and career
Riaz Shahid was born in 1927 in Quetta, British India. He belonged to a Punjabi Kashmiri family. He was the father of a ...
's ''Gharnata and
Yeh Aman
''Yeh Aman'' is a 1971 Pakistani film directed by Riaz Shahid who also wrote the screenplay. The film is produced by his wife and actress Neelo. The film stars Nisho, Sangeeta, Adeeb, Jameel and Allauddin.
The film revolves around the Kashmi ...
'' (both 1971) – gave Adeeb tailor-made roles in their films to show his true potential. He was one of the few actors to work with actor Shaan's father,
Riaz Shahid
Riaz Shahid (1927 – 1 October 1972) was a Pakistani filmmaker, film writer, and a journalist.
Early life and career
Riaz Shahid was born in 1927 in Quetta, British India. He belonged to a Punjabi Kashmiri family. He was the father of a ...
, and portray the character of his on-screen father.
During his last years, he was more active on stage than in films and depicted the role of Sir
Syed Ahmed Khan
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan KCSI (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898; also Sayyid Ahmad Khan) was an Indian Muslim reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British India. Though initially espousing Hindu-Muslim unity, he ...
in one of his last TV plays. In a career spanning over 50 years, Adeeb featured in more than 500 films, depicting villainous roles in different shades such as a deceiving brother, cruel father, nasty husband, dishonest friend and brutal landlord.
Death
Adeeb died on March 26, 2006, at the
Punjab Institute of Cardiology
Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), located in Lahore, Pakistan, is a 347-bed tertiary care hospital providing nationwide comprehensive cardiac care services.
Services provided
This hospital services include cardiac emergency, OPD, diagnostic ...
,
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
, where he was admitted after suffering a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
the previous week.
Filmography
See also
*
List of Lollywood actors
Lists of Pakistani actors are split by gender.
* List of Pakistani actresses
* List of Pakistani male actors
This is an alphabetical list of notable Pakistani male film and television actors:
A
* Aagha Ali
* Abdullah Ejaz
* Abdullah Kad ...