It was the tail-end of 1991 when the then captain of the Pakistan cricket crew, Imran Khan, got here to our faculty to gather funds for his Shaukat Khanum Hospital. College and faculties performed an enormous function within the preliminary funding for the hospital Imran had visualised for most cancers sufferers. The World Cup down beneath was simply across the nook and he was set to depart for Australia in a few weeks. An ‘eligible bachelor’, he was the centre of consideration for each cricket loopy boys like us in addition to the educating employees who have been largely feminine.
All of the lecturers who often got here to highschool with the lightest of make-up have been decked out with semi bridal make-up. Nonetheless, there was just one trainer who was unmoved and unchanged. The top of the humanities part, identified to all as Mrs Shakeel, not solely launched Imran to the viewers but in addition remained calm all through. It was later revealed that she had a far larger star at residence who had been charming audiences since earlier than Imran was making his Check debut as a teen.
Shakeel, the veteran actor, was showing in Fatima Surayya Bajiya’s Uroosa and Haseena Moin’s Kohar on the time of Imran’s arrival, and had mesmerised generations together with his work and persona.
Shakeel was not solely an actor, however a real illustration of what a hero ought to be. Dressed immaculately, he had a way of almost the whole lot that made a person look dashing. He was a product of the period when “chocolate heroes” — a younger, fresh-faced hero specialising in romantic roles — have been all the trend.
Born Yousuf Kamal in Bhopal, India 9 years earlier than Partition, he migrated to Pakistan by the early 50s. By 1965, he was working at an advert company in Karachi and would quench his thirst for creativity by showing in theatre productions. It was right here he was noticed by movie director SM Yusuf, who provided him the function of Waheed Murad’s youthful brother in Honehar.
Poet Fayyaz Hashmi and SM Yusuf selected Shakeel as his stage identify and he was launched to the world. Within the presence of actors Syed Kamal and Yousuf Khan, administrators SM Yuusuf and Iqbal Yusuf, a mixture of Yusuf and Kamal wouldn’t have survived. Although hailed for his uncanny resemblance to Hollywood star Tony Curtis, Shakeel sailed whereas Honehar sank on the box-office. By 1970, Shakeel had numerous provides and he continued with movies, however inside a number of years he realised that movies weren’t his cup of tea.
After a number of flops and watching actors with unconventional seems to be dominate, Shakeel moved to TV. Not like Talat Hussain, who reverted from his movie identify Farooq Jalal when choosing TV, Shakeel didn’t shed his.
It was within the early 70s, Shakeel bought observed with Haseena Moin’s lengthy play Comfortable Eid Mubarak. His pairing with Neelofer Aleem turned widespread and was instrumental within the success of Shehzori, one other of Moin’s earliest hits on PTV. Quickly afterwards, he performed the titular function of Uncle Urfi, the place he had no qualms about taking part in a middle-aged particular person, regardless of being in his mid-30s on the time. Since then, Shakeel by no means appeared again.
Like Moin, Shakeel additionally turned a necessity for the dramas by veteran playwright Fatima Surayya Bajjiya, with Afshan, Ana and Uroosa being prime examples. Bajjiya’s youthful brother Anwar Maqsood additionally used Shakeel to perfection as Mehboob Ahmed within the 1984 traditional Aangan Terha. As a retired civil servant who used to work within the Meteorological division, he enacted the function with perfection. He used to tease his on-screen spouse Jahan Ara (performed by Bushra Ansari) and revel in one-liners from his dancer-turned-servant Akbar, one in every of Saleem Nasir’s finest roles to this point.
Shakeel continued to enthral audiences for over half a century. Be it as Taimur Ahmed within the 1982 Ankahi, King Abu Abdullah from 1983’s Shaheen, Taufiq within the 1991 magnum-opus Uroosa, Babar sahab in Chand Girhan (1992), Ehsaan of Tum Se Mil Kar (1999) or later dramas like Meri Zaat Zara Bay-nishaan (2009) and Mujhe Mere Khuda Pe Yaqeen Hai (2013), Shakeel was a person who made the viewer imagine the character he was. He even portrayed the primary prime minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, in Jamil Dehlvi’s movie Jinnah within the late 90s.
He was additionally awarded the Presidential Pleasure of Efficiency award for his contributions within the subject of performing in 1992.
Shakeel had a singular document — he was the primary actor from movies to excel on TV in each serials and lengthy performs, he appeared within the first colored TV drama Parchaiyan, labored on youngsters’s sci-fi present Tick Tick Firm, appeared within the first serial shot overseas by PTV and was the primary of many actors who appeared within the blockbuster Chand Girhan, the massive budgeted serial from Pakistan’s first non-public channel NTM.
Shakeel began out in radio when he went over as a part of the college broadcast programme. Resulting from his glorious English, he did some exhibits on radio however couldn’t sustain with it. Theatre appeared extra acceptable for him, however he settled for TV. Identical to his debut on TV, which was on Eid within the early 70s, the curtain was lowered on his life on one other Eid day.
Shakeel lived like a hero and identical to his dramas, bowed out within the presence of his family members.
