''Uncle Urfi'' was a

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 ...

serial drama In television and radio programming, a serial is a show that has a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode-by-episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the complete run of ...

which first aired in 1972. It had such a powerful appeal for the people of all age-groups that it turned into an instant hit. The serial has 26 episodes (each with a running time of 30-minutes) and it used to be telecast weekly by

.Uncle Urfi TV drama serial on Dawn (newspaper)
Published 24 November 2014, Retrieved 15 January 2020 Written by

Hasina Moin Haseena Moin (20 November 1941 – 26 March 2021) was a Pakistani dramatist, playwright and scriptwriter. She wrote several plays for stage, radio programming, radio, and television programming, television. She was the recipient of the Pride of ...

and directed by ''Mohsin Ali'' and Shirin Vaqar Azim. The lead role was played by

Shakeel Yousuf Kamal (born 29 May 1938), better known as Shakeel Yousuf, is a Pakistani actor best known for his roles in PTV drama serial Uncle Urfi (1972), as 'Mehboob Ahmed' in PTV's Aangan Terha (1984) and as ''Taimoor Ahmad'' in Ankahi (1982). H ...

as Uncle Urfi — a Pakistani expatriate in Canada who returns to Pakistan — and the character of Beena, the heroine, was performed by Shahla Ahmad. The supporting character of Hasnat, played by

Jamshed Ansari Jamshed Ansari ( ur, ) (31 December 1942 in Saharanpur – 24 August 2005 in Karachi) was a Pakistani film, television and radio actor. He is remembered for his numerous performances on both radio and television including Safdar in '' Hamid ...

, with his penknife, soon was the talk of the town and echoes of which could be heard even today. In fact, the whole serial was supported by a strong talented cast. All in all, good acting, powerful script and skilled direction helped accomplish one of the most celebrated productions of PTV.Uncle Urfi: A PTV Blockbuster (Detailed profile) on pakistaniat.com website
Published 15 January 2011, Retrieved 15 January 2020

Synopsis

As the story goes, Shakeel, who is smartly dubbed as Uncle Urfi, takes interest in Beena. In reality, Uncle Urfi wishes to make Beena happy. Logically, Urfi should have taken Beena into confidence before doing her a favor. Instead, he kept her in the dark. The final moments of the last episode are fraught with pain and pathos. Urfi tells Beena with certitude, ''hamari shadi hogi to sara zamana deikhey ga''. To which poor Beena replies, ''kuchh shadiyaan dil kay weerano mein bhi to ho jaati hain, sirif khuda gawah hota hai''. The emotionally charged conclusion of Uncle Urfi, was so unexpected that literally nobody was prepared for it. Indeed, Haseena Moin had instilled so much despair in its dialogues that thirty-two years later in 2004, it still stands as a classic in its bittersweet illustration of the unbreakable bond of family.

Cast

as Irfanuddin Ahmed also known as Uncle Urfi (Guardian of Afsheen) * Shahla Ahmad as Beena, Uncle Urfi's love interest * Nahid Rafique as Afsheen (Uncle Urfi's friend's daughter) *

Azra Sherwani Azra Sherwani (1940–2005) was a Pakistani television actress with a career spanning over 35 years who played a variety of roles. Amongst her most memorable roles are Ghazi Apa in ''Uncle Urfi'', Saliha Begum in '' Aangan Terha'', Apa Begum in ...

as Ghazi Aapa, sister of Uncle Urfi *

Khursheed Shahid Begum Khursheed Shahid (1 January 1926 – 27 June 2021) was a Pakistani actress and singer. She was also the mother of actor Salman Shahid. Early life Khursheed Shahid was born in 1926 in Delhi, where her father was a government official a ...

as Flight attendant *

Qurban Jillani ''Qurbanī'' ( ar, قربانى), ''Qurban'', or ''uḍḥiyah'' () as referred to in Islamic law, is a ritual animal sacrifice of a livestock animal during Eid al-Adha. The concept and definition of the word is derived from the Qur'an, the s ...

as Manzoor Uncle/Shaheed Bhai, brother-in-law of Uncle Urfi *

as Hasnat Ahmed, cousin of Afsheen *

Begum Khurshid Mirza Begum Khurshid Mirza (Urdu: بیگم خورشید مرزا ), also known by her screen name as Renuka Devi (1918 – 1989), was a Pakistani television actress and a film actress in the pre-partition era. Early life, Family and Educa ...

as Amma Bi, the mother of Manzoor Uncle *

Akbar Subhani Akbar Subhani is a Pakistani veteran actor of film and television. Known for his supporting roles, he is best recognized in PTV most acclaimed serials such as ''Sitara Aur Mehrunissa'' and ''Uncle Urfi'' and has worked in critically acclaimed fil ...

as Mansoor, the son of Ghazi Apa and Shaheed Bhai * Rehana Parveen as Azra, the daughter of Ghazi Apa and Shaheed Bhai *

Ishrat Hashmi Ishrat Hashmi was a Pakistani actress. Ishrat acted in numerous television dramas. She was known for her roles in dramas in '' Dhoop Kinare'', '' Ana'', ''Shehzori'' and ''Uncle Urfi''. Early life Ishrat was born in 1948 in Karachi, Pakistan. ...

as Afsheen's aunt *

Subhani ba Yunus Subhani ba Yunus (1931–2006) was an accomplished Pakistani actor and television and radio personality whose distinct voice quality earned him a special place in Radio Pakistan. Younis was an Urdu-speaking Hyderabadi Muslim of Hadhrami Chaus ...

as Afsheen's uncle * Imtiaz Ahmed as Beena's father, Abrar *

Qaiser Naqvi Qaiser Naqvi is a Pakistani actress. She is known for her roles in dramas ''Main Chand Si'', '' Humsafar'', '' Shikwa'' and ''Ek Tamanna Lahasil Si''. Early life Qaiser was born in 1958 on December 8th in Karachi, Pakistan. She completed her stu ...

as Beena's mother *

Khalid Nizami Khalid Nizami is a Pakistani comedian actor and music composer. He is primarily known for playing a comedy role in Haseena Moin's play Ankahi. He has played several comedy characters in PTV dramas since 1970. He composed a song "''Tum Sung Nain ...

as head of Uncle Urfi's household * Syed Zahid Ali as Uncle Urfi's secretary * Raju Jamil (Zulqarnain Jamil Aali son of

Jamiluddin Aali Nawabzada Mirza Jamiluddin Ahmed Khan PP, HI (20 January 1925 – 23 November 2015), also known as Jamiluddin Aali or Aaliji, was a Pakistani poet, critic, playwright, essayist, columnist, and scholar. Early life and career Nawabzada Mir ...

in real life) as Police Inspector in episode 2 and as Zafar in episode 5/6 * Mushtaq Ahmed as Zuby's Daddy * Salma Aziz as Zuby * S. M. Saleem as Baray Mian * Khurshid Talat as Ambreen * Khurshed Ahmad as Jimmy * Ghazala Malik as Air Hostess 1 * Naseem Aziz as Air Hostess 2 * Rafat Jamil as Flight Steward * Tayyab Ali as Doctor * Rafiq Ahmad as officer * Sikandar Hayat as the mulaazim * Shehnaz Ismail as Fazeelat/Fuzzy (who Uncle Urfi referred to as "khatoon" * Mehboob as Dada Jaan

References

External links

Uncle Urfi (PTV drama - episode 1) on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uncle Urfi 1970s Pakistani television series 1972 Pakistani television series debuts Pakistan Television Corporation original programming Pakistani drama television series