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Unsung legend: Renowned Pakistani comedian Fareed Khan passes away

Dunya News

His famous serials include "Nayi Dunya", "Tana Bana", "Khuda Ki Basti" and "Fifty Fifty".

LAHORE (WebDesk) – Pakistan’s renowned comedian, TV and stage actor Fareed Khan passed away on Saturday. Khan had been suffering from throat cancer and kidney disease for the past few years. He was being treated at a local hospital for his illnesses. Fareed Khan had played legendary comic roles in TV plays and dramas, some of them, like “Ap Apney Daam Mai”, being extremely popular back in their days. Khan had also bagged many awards for his brilliant comedic performances. His famous serials include “Nayi Dunya”, “Tana Bana”, “Khuda Ki Basti” and “Fifty Fifty”.

Khan, born Fareed-ur-Rehman Khan, came from a prosperous family and was first from his family to join the entertainment industry. His elder brother was a chartered accountant. As with most legends, Khan stumbled into the world of showbiz by chance. An artist from an early age, Khan grew bore of the monotonous cycle of studies. Upon this realization, his father chose to send his son to live with his aunt in Hyderabad in 1966.

But his artistic dreams lay elsewhere and Khan couldn’t help but knock at the doors of Radio Pakistan Hyderabad. Khan got admitted as a singer after his audition. He recorded a ghazal of Altaf Hussain Haali. His father upon hearing of his son’s voice on the radio lamented over his decision to enter the entertainment industry while his brothers and sisters listened with admiration. A future as an entertainment artist was still frowned upon in those days and was not seen as a respectable profession due to which Khan received a great deal of criticism from his family especially his father.

A drama festival known as “Jashan-e-Tamseel” was held at Radio Pakistan which caught Khan’s eye. Forever the artist, Khan decided to try out for a role. He was selected for the “Ap Apnay Daam Mai” play in which he initially had a minor role. However, as luck would have it, the producer was not happy with the lead actor’s performance which Khan bagged after he impressed everyone with his talent during his audition. The show went on to become a great success with Khan winning an award for his performance and a major breakthrough for his career.

Khan’s witty humor and distinguished comic style was extremely adored by the public. His keen observation and wit in the TV program “Jawaan Fikar” received favorable reviews. He was then cast as “Raffo” in the serial program “Khuda Ki Basti”.
Khan was offered a role in “Fifty-Fifty” directed by Shoaib Mansoor which he initially declined but accepted later and was seen in some of the later episodes of the program. Khan also went with the “Fifty Fifty” team to the US in 1985. The show went on to become one of the defining programs of Pakistan’s comedic genre.

As an artist, Khan enjoyed good relations with a lot of his co-stars like Moin Akhter and Umer Sharif and met with famous personalities including Mehdi Hassan, Noor Jehan, Munni Begum and Dilip Kumar. Khan was also appreciated by political leaders like Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain and General (R) Pervaiz Musharraf.
Being a true artist, Khan had many hidden talents one of which was his love for poetry. His poetry was also appreciated by many poets.

Khan’s greatly admired the silent humor of Charlie Chaplin and the comedy of Pakistan’s legend Lehri.

Khan’s recent performance was in Hum TV’s serial “Lo Maikay Chali Main” even though he suffered from diabetes at that time, but never performed in theater again as he believed that it had become sub-standard.

Khan’s widowed wife expressed her dissatisfaction with the government, who had promised to help him during his illness but failed to do so.

Khan is survived by 4 children, 2 daughters and 2 sons.

Heres how some of his fans reacted to the news of his departure:

 

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