They say never meet your heroes in person – I met Qavi Khan and I can report that he is as much a gentleman off screen as he is on screen.
Writing about an actor whose work has captivated generations is a daunting task. Often, the actors you admired as a child are far from pleasant when you meet them in person. Mohammed Qavi Khan was a true gentleman. Not only did he inspire many with his on-screen performances, he was equally fascinating off-screen.
Born on November 13, 1942 in Peshawar, undivided India, Mohammed Qavi Khan has been around for centuries. She started her career as a child artist on Radio Pakistan Peshawar in 1952, but fate brought her to Lahore where she got a chance to work as a lead role. PTVs first game Nazrana (1964). Over the next few years, Khan shuttled back and forth between his job at a multinational bank and TV/movies. She later quit her job to pursue a full-time acting career. He was also a regular in the theater and had been performing since 1961. I had the chance to watch him play Nawab Sahab in a play at the Karachi Arts Council in 2008.
from being PTVs the first clue to the grandfather of the lead actor in the movies – his last film Tich Button In 2022 – Khan had a habit of dressing in the looks of all the characters he portrayed. Short but powerful performance as Faisal Rehman’s helpless father Nahin Abhi Nahin (1980) was quite poignant.
He played the role of Waheed Murad’s father in 1972/73. interview Just a year ago, he played his character’s counterpart. Naag Mania. He returned to play the role of his father in 1978. Parakh, where he is first seen in the role of a police officer. The age gap between Waheed Murad and Qavi Khan was only four years old, but it never felt more on screen. Khan credited Murad’s charisma for such outstanding performances – “Waheed ko acting karta dekh ke main apni lines bhool jata tha [I would forget my lines after watching Waheed act]It was a response from someone who had played all the male-oriented roles available in a feature film.
He even ventured into filmmaking, but in 1980 he had more failures than successes. its production Dhamki finally released as Paasban. It was the reign of General Zia ul-Haq as president and Pakistan became involved in America’s war with the USSR in Afghanistan. Even the title text PaasbanAppearing in bright red, red was not spared because it was associated with the left.
Tired of the movies, Khan turned to television to resume his second hits. His exposure to the world benefited him, and the ’80s brought more success than his first few years. Knowing that his lead days are over, Khan tried different roles. He was one of four brothers in PTVs long rings Mirza and Sons (1983), where the character of Rahat wants to impersonate actor Qavi Khan. The dialogues, expressions and body language of the person who wants to be an actor are still enjoyable to watch. Andhera Ujala Born after the success of the TV game Rago Beni Andhera (1983) urged the producers to turn it into a series.
With Rahat Kazmi refusing to continue, the producers turned to Qavi Khan, whose performances as DSP Tahir Ali immortalized the character. It affected many like me so much that whenever we had to address a colleague named Jaffar, the following words came out of our mouths:Jaffar Hussain, yeh sab kya ho raha hai?“
When to star in Nadeem-Shabnam Pehcan (1975) Aired on television in 1987, I was shocked to see Khan in a completely different avatar, the avatar of a smuggler. Learning about his family that he abandoned as a child, Khan is not only dealing with his boss, but also with the typical bishum bishum – but he also sets out to meet his mother. While Khan’s character is still recovering from the aftershocks of Rashid’s ‘criminal’ activities, I was devastated at the final reunion. Mehdi Hassan’s Tera pyar mere jeevan ke sang rahega still echoes in my ears.
It was Khan who recommended that I start watching Punjabi movies even as blockbusters during the reign of Sultan Rahi. He explained that there is not much difference in understanding the language and after a while it will look like an Urdu movie. I discovered Khan’s Rahisiz Sultan Punjabi cinema at his suggestion. Manji Kithe Dhawan (1974) becomes my personal favourite. The next time I met him, I asked him about the inspiration behind the climax of his movie, and his response was more of a performance.
Leaning aside like a seasoned theater actor, he transported himself to 1964 and said:Aurat ho tu tumharay jaisi, mate ho tu tumharay jaisa aur bewaqoof ho tu meray jaisa [A woman should be like you, a friend should be like you, and a fool like me],” the climax of his first film RivaageDirected by Diljeet Mirza and written by maverick Riaz Shahid.