Adeeb

Adeeb (1934 - March 26, 2006) was a Pakistani film actor. He was born in 1934 to Pashtun parents in Kashmir. His family moved on to Bombay before Partition and that is where the actor in him emerged, after the completion of his Master Degree in Urdu Literature from the University in Maharashtra. Unlike his contemporaries, scriptwriting was the first love of Adeeb, who worked in the scriptwriting department with Raj Kapoor’s father, Prithviraj Kapoor, in Prithvi Theatre and later with Indian National Theatre as assistant director. It is during this time in India that he got to know the basics of acting which later helped him enthrall generations of audience

Although he worked in minor roles in his initial career, it was Zia Sarhadi’s Footpath (1953) that gave him his first breakthrough role opposite Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari and Anwar Hussain (Nargis’s brother). He worked in 30 films during his stay in India including Mehndi, Pak Daman and Jung, before migrating to Pakistan in 1962, on the insistence of director Akbar Ali Akku and actor/director Iqbal Yusuf, son of Adeeb’s close friend, director S.M. Yusuf. He settled in Karachi and later moved on to Lahore in search of roles which kept pouring in from the ‘60s until his very last film — Syed Noor’s super-hit Majajan.

In an era when on-screen villainy in Pakistani films was ruled by good looking villains such as Aslam Pervez, Masood Akhtar and even Mohammad Ali (in his initial films), Adeeb made his entry with Daal Mein Kala (1964), which was directed by Iqbal Yusuf and featured Syed Kamal and Bahar in the lead along with late actors Nirala and Mohammad Ali. In the coming years, he became close to Mohammad Ali and the two acted in numerous successful films like Kaneez (1965), Aadil and Baghi Sardar (1966), Hatim Tai (1967), Mahal (1968), Naaz (1969), Aansoo Ban Gaye Moti (1970), Dushman (1974), Shirin Farhad (1975), Haider Ali (1978), Josh (1979), Sangram (1981), Zanjeer (1986) with Rocky Dada being their last film together in 1987.

He was at ease in both Urdu and Punjabi films, playing memorable roles in countless films opposite other actors such as Sultan Rahi in the epic Maula Jat and Andaata, Waheed Murad in Eid Mubarak and Kaneez (1965), Saaz Aur Awaaz (1965), Rishta Hai Pyar Ka (1967), Aik Nagina (1969), Afsana (1970) and Dushman (1974), Syed Kamal in Daal Main Kaala (1962) and Shab Bakhair and Nadeem in Talaash (1986), Ustadon Kay Ustad (1990) and Khazana (1995). Late directors in their films — Rangeela’s Diya Aur Toofan (1969) and Riaz Shahid’s Gharnata and Yeh Aman (both 1971) — gave Adeeb tailor-made roles to show his true potential. Interestingly, he was one of the few actors to work with actor Shaan’s father ,Riaz Shahid ,and portray the character of his father on-screen, lastly in Majajan.

From Dilip Kumar to Shaan, actors of all generations played hero to the 72-year-old legend who sent shivers down the spine of both heroes and heroines with his larger than life on-screen presence. During his last days, he was more active on stage than in films and depicted the role of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in one of his last TV plays. In a career spanning over 50 years, Adeeb featured in more than 600 films, depicting villainous roles in different shades such as a deceiving brother, cruel father, nasty husband, dishonest friend and brutal landlord. He will truly be remembered for his thunderous dialogues, devious plots and sometimes malicious acts on screen where life always ends with a final ‘Cut’.

Adeeb died on March 26, 2006 at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, where he was admitted after suffering a heart attack. His death comes a couple of weeks after that of screen legend Mohammed Ali, with whom he starred with in more than 30 films.

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