Amanullah Khan (1946 – 6 March 2020), known (The king of comedy), professionally as Amanullah, was a Pakistani Punjabi theatre performer, comedian and TV artist regarded as one of the best comedians in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

. He is cited as one of the world's best observational comedians as he learned through his surroundings and everyday happenings. He influenced many artists as well as people. Khan has a world record of 860-day night theatre plays. According to famous Pakistani comedian

Sohail Ahmed Sohail Ahmed ( pa, ), (born 1 May 1963), also known as Azizi ( ur, ), is a Pakistani comedian, stage and TV actor. He appears in comedy stage and TV dramas based in Lahore.Khabarzar with

Aftab Iqbal Aftab Iqbal is a Pakistani television host, journalist and Businessperson, businessman who founded Aap Media Group. He is a former host of TV programs ''Hasb-e-Haal'' on Dunya News (2009-2010), ''Khabarnaak'' on Geo News (2010-2015), ''Khabard ...

on Aap News''.

Early life and career

Amanullah was born in Chak Ramdas village of Gujranwala in 1946 to a common man. His father and ancestors used to sing at weddings and small functions and his family had a musical background. Due to his mother's death and his father falling ill when he was very young Amanullah spent his childhood in poverty doing daily labour work and selling eatable items near Data Darbaar Lahore where he used to earn 5–10 Rs. at that time. He was the only son of his parents and has one sister. Amanullah started his career with stage comedy where he got a chance to show his talent at a very young age. He was introduced to the entertainment industry by the famous Pakistani singer of that time,

Tufail Niazi Tufail Niazi (Punjabi, ur, طفیل نیازی) (1916 – 21 September 1990) was a Pakistani folk singer whose songs include "Saada Chirryan Da Chamba Ae," "Akhiyaan Lagiyaan Jawaab Na Daindian," "Layee Beqadran Naal Yaari, Tay Tut Gai Tarak K ...

. Tufail Niazi was his neighbour who discovered his talent and gave Amanullah a chance to show his comedic skills to the whole world. He quickly rose to prominence and made a name for himself in the industry. He has been a part of various stage dramas and has taken on the roles of various characters. He remains one of the senior-most stage actors who always made people laugh with his witty jokes and unique sense of humor. Over the years Amanullah earned huge respect and love in the Pakistani society. He always stole the spotlight whenever he got the chance to perform in a drama or do stand up comedy. His dedication to the field of comedy earned him a place among the most renowned comedians in the Indian subcontinent. A few of his most well known pieces of work include stage dramas such as 'Khirki ke peechay,' Disco Deewanay,' and many others. He has been termed as the most remarkable comedian whose comedy and energy on stage was unmatchable. Amanullah has made a record of doing 860 shows in his career and also been honored with the

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

award in 2018 for his unparalleled quality of work in the Pakistani entertainment industry throughout his career. He has been attached to various television shows, including Khabarnaak and Mazaaq Raat, and has performed various characters. In 2010, Amanullah joined

GEO News Geo News is a Rank Number 1 Pakistani news channel owned by the Jang Media Group. History The Geo Television Network started out with the launch of its flagship channel Geo TV in October 2002 but has since launched several other channels whic ...

for its then new program

Khabarnaak ''Khabarnaak'' (Urdu/ Punjabi :خبرناک) is an Urdu and Punjabi comedy television show hosted by Ayesha Jahanzeb alongside Mir Mohammad Ali With Replace Irshad Bhatti Journalist that airs on GEO News. Concept The news series, which is sty ...

. He portrayed a simple, blind village man named Hakeem Sahab. The rest of the characters were bent on disparaging Hakeem Sahab. Khan left this TV show in August 2013. He also played the role of Chacha Bashir in ''

Mazaaq Raat Mazaaq Raat (Urdu/Punjabi : ) is a Pakistani television stand-up comedy and talk show hosted by Vasay Chaudhry on Dunya TV. Vasay Chaudhry hosts the show, with the ''Mazaaq Raati'' team consisting of Qaiser Pia, Akram Udaas, Iftikhar Thakur, ...

''. Some fellow comedians have reportedly said that Amanullah was their teacher, and they learnt comedy from him and from his comedy shows. He had a great sense of humor. His comedy acts were based on regular habits and daily lives of common people. Another famous Pakistani comedian

Shakeel Siddiqui Shakeel Siddiqui ( ur, شکیل صدیقی; born 26 May 1964) is a Pakistani television stand-up comedian also known as 'Teeli' in Pakistan. He is regarded as one of the greatest comedian Pakistan has ever produced. He rose to prominence in Boll ...

also reportedly showed a lot of respect for his work. Amanullah Khan was also known to occasionally deliver impromptu dialogue. He had also toured

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 ...

and many famous Indian comedians including

Kapil Sharma Kapil Sharma (born Kapil Punj; 2 April 1981) is an Indian Stand up comedian, stand-up comedian, television host from Punjab, India, Punjab, India, Primarily known for hosting ''The Kapil Sharma Show''. He won the stand-up comedy reality show, ...

and

Chandan Prabhakar Chandan Prabhakar (born 29 September 1981), often informally referred to as Chandu, is an Indian comedian and actor. Life and career Chandan completed his graduation in mechanical engineering from Hindu College in Amritsar. He has been married ...

regard him as their teacher and inspiration. Amanullah Khan was also known as "The King of Comedy" in Pakistan. In 2018, he reunited with

in ''Khabarzar'' on Aap News channel.

Selected television

Filmography

Reality Shows

* ''

'' (2010–2013) * ''

'' (2013–17) * '' Khabarzar'' (2018–2020) * ''

The Great Indian Laughter Challenge ''The Great Indian Laughter Challenge'' is an Indian reality stand-up comedy series produced by Endemol India. The first four seasons aired on STAR One from 15 June 2005 to 26 September 2008. The show's fifth season premiered on 30 September 201 ...

'' (2005)

Stage-o-graphy

Amanullah Khan had appeared in many stage dramas. Some of them are listed below: * ''Begum Dish Antenna'' *''Disco Deewanay'' *''Khirki Ke Peechay'' * ''Muhabbat CNG'' * ''UPS'' * ''

Shartiya Mithay ''Shartiya Mithay'' (شرطیہ مٹھے) (English: Guaranteed Sweet) is a famous and hit Punjabi comedy stage play. Cast includes Amanullah, Sohail Ahmed, Babu Baral, Zarqa Butt, Khalid Abbas Dar, Ashraf Rahi, Sohnia Abbas, Abid Khan and Sah ...

'' * ''Sohni Chan Wargi'' * ''Bara Maza Aye Ga'' * ''Ketchup'' * ''Chan Makhna'' *''Ghar Ghar Bashira'' *''Sawa Sair'' *''Solah Baras Ke''

Death

Amanullah Khan was hospitalized in January 2018. He was treated in the intensive care unit of a local hospital in

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. ...

but was discharged later. He was reportedly suffering from a common cold and then developed some complications. He died on 6 March 2020 due to kidney failure in a local hospital in Lahore.

Awards and recognition

Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.President Mamnoon confers civil awards on Yaum-i-Pakistan (Pakistan Day)
Dawn (newspaper), Published 23 March 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2021

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amanullah 1950 births 2020 deaths Actors from Lahore Actors in Urdu cinema Pakistani male stage actors Pakistani male television actors Pakistani stand-up comedians Pakistani male comedians Punjabi people People from Lahore Recipients of the Pride of Performance