Written by: Hurmat Majid
Posted on: November 16, 2021 | 
| 中文
Sohail Asghar as Janian Shah in 'Chand Grehn', which won him many laurels
The year 2021 has taken away several understated gems from our media industry. A recent addition to this unfortunate list is the veteran actor, Sohail Asghar. The senior actor passed away on 13th November 2021, after spending a year and a half battling gastric ailments. His funeral prayers were held in Lahore’s Bahria Town.
Sohail Asghar shared this photo on Facebook in 2020 when he was first hospitalized for gastric ailments
Sohail Asghar was born in Multan in 1954. After completing his education in Lahore, he joined Radio Pakistan as a radio jockey in 1978 and spent the next ten years working there. The enthusiasm and passion to reach new heights ignited new aspirations in Asghar’s mind, due to which he was unable to settle in one place.
Sohail Asghar with Shahid Ashraf and Shahid Saleem at the Radio Pakistan
After quitting the radio in 1988, Asghar joined the stage for a brief period. He left the stage as well, to kick off a career as a full-time actor with the Pakistan Television Network (PTV). He was introduced in a PTV drama titled Raat by Nusrat Thakur, a director at the PTV Lahore center. Asghar, who began his career with Raat, never had to look back. He starred in various dramas, produced by PTV and private production houses, including Khafa Khafa Zindagi, Teri Meri Love Story, Laag, Aap ki Kaneez, Manchalay kaa Sauda and Aashti. He also acted in TV dramas such as Chand Girhan, Kajal Ghar and Piyas, which are all considered as TV classics. His role as a landlord in ‘Shahjee’ in Chand Girhan enabled him to reach new heights of popularity and made him a household name. He received the Best Actor Award in the year 2002 at the 12th PTV Awards Show for his drama Chaudwin Raat.
Shafi Muhammad and Sohail Asghar shaking hands. They played father and son in famous drama 'Chand Grehn'
Asghar made his film debut later in life, when he starred in a film titled ‘Murad’ in 2003, for which he received Outstanding Performance Award at the Indus 1st Drama Awards. His performance in the film Mah-i-Noor received critical acclaim and won laurels for the actor.
Sohail Asghar and Qazi Wajid as transgenders in 'Murad'
The showbiz fraternity, along with the political leadership of the country, joined hands to acknowledge Asghar’s services to the showbiz industry and mourned his loss. The Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Usman Buzdar, and the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhary, and others offered condolences to the grieved family and mourned the loss of the late actor. In his condolence message, the CM of Punjab, Usman Buzdar, stated that the “Late Sohail Asghar was a versatile artist. The dramas of Sohail Asghar are still alive in the memories of his fans. Beautiful chapter of acting has come to an end.” Actors Ahsan Khan, Hamayun Saeed, Sana Javed, Asad Siddiqui, Rabia Butt, Faysal Quraishi, Feroze Khan, Ghana Ali, and model Sadaf Kanwal all took to social media to express their grief over the demise of the veteran actor and sent out their thoughts and prayers to the bereaved family.
Sohail Asghar, Ahsan Khan and Huma Nawab
I had a brief encounter with the late actor as a young child. When I was around 8–10 years old, my sister and I were standing at a DVD rental shop when Asghar Sahab walked into the store. My jaw dropped at seeing someone whom I had only seen on TV in real life. I stuttered and stammered and tried to get my sister to acknowledge that it was the ‘uncle’ that I had seen on TV. She, being the adult, tried to get me to quiet down so he could go about his business in peace. He smiled at my wide-eyed amazement and said “ji mai wohi hoon” (Yes, I am that one), before giving me a friendly pat on the head and walking out of the store.
Sohail Asghar with Abid Ali
Asghar Sahab was kind to a little child who had his first encounter with a TV celebrity, and that child still remembers and prays that the heavens are being kind to him.
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