Rafi Khawar ( Punjabi, ur, رفیع خاور) (4 August 1942 – 2 June 1986), popularly known as Nanha (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

. He started his film career in 1966 and earned several awards including 3

Nigar award The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards a ...

s.Death anniversary of film, TV actor Rafi Khawar (Nanha) today
Samaa TV News website, Published 2 June 2016, Retrieved 1 February 2022

Career

His first

Urdu language Urdu (;"Urdu"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ur, , link=no, ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, In ...

film was ''Watan Ka Sipahi'', released in 1966. Nanha got a breakthrough from film ''Noukar'' in 1976. He played the lead role in film ''Tehka Pehlwan'' in 1979, and in the same year his film ''Dubai Chalo'' was a super hit at the box office. His pairing with fellow comedian

Ali Ejaz Ali Ejaz (21 October 1942 – 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 Perfo ...

was popular since film

Insaniyat (1967 film) ''Insaniyat'' () is a 1967 Pakistani Urdu language black-and-white film produced by A. Hameed, directed by Shabab Kiranvi who also wrote the screenplay. The film starred Waheed Murad, Zeba, Tariq Aziz, Firdous and Nanna. The film revolves aro ...

. Ali Ejaz and Nanha, as popular pair of comedians, were seen together in more than 50 films. He was regarded as an exceptional comedy talent and for many years was the star of the widely popular

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical co ...

's TV show

Alif Noon ''Alif Noon'' (Urdu: الف نون) is a 1965 comedy television series from Pakistan Television written by Kamal Ahmed Rizvi. The cast consisted of Rafi Khawar known as Nanha and Kamal Ahmed Rizvi known as ''Allan''. Plot Each episode follow ...

that ran for three television seasons during the early 1980s. He was a familiar face, well-known and loved by all. Nanha acted in ''Alif Noon'' with his fellow comedian

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 ...

better known as ''Allan'' in the TV show. A supporting actress and a then popular film dancer named Nazli usually appeared with Nanha as his love interest in those movies. They were also often seen together in public and became romantically involved in real life. Nanha's success in films and celebrity status was at an all-time high. So money was never an issue with Nanha during his love affair with Nazli. He even pressured his film producers to cast Nazli with him in many films and the pair became inseparable in the early 1980s. This was not to last after Nanha's films started to flop and he fell on hard times financially. Then Nazli also started to lose interest in him.

Death

Nannha (Muhammad Rafi Khawar) (14834565971)

Certain mysterious circumstances reportedly and allegedly drove Nanha to commit suicide by shooting himself with a shotgun on 2 June 1986. His final resting place is in a cemetery located in Karim Block, Allama Iqbal Town,

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.

Filmography

Awards

References

External links