Honouring Veteran Actor SOHAIL ASGHAR

  • 20 Nov - 26 Nov, 2021
  • Rubab Fatima
  • Obituary

Life has to be one of the most unpredictable phenomenons ever; every soul that has been sent on Earth must also taste the flavour of death. Let alone the disasters of the pandemic that has over powered the whole world like a curse, a difficult 2020 saw the deaths of icons from Pakistan’s entertainment industry, as well as the devastating loss of many stars to Covid-19. Furthermore, 2021 has also proven to be the most grieved years in terms of the world losing legends from the entertainment industry.

The news that once again bought grief among the artist fraternity of the country is of the passing of legendary actor Sohail Asghar. The actor recently passed away in Lahore after losing his battle with a prolonged illness. He underwent a gastric surgery one and a half years ago due to which he fell severely ill. Born in Lahore, Asghar was a prolific television, film and theatre actor. He completed his education from his hometown and then joined Radio Pakistan. He served as a Radio Jockey from 1978 to 1988 and gradually started to take part in local theatre shows. It was then that he developed his interest for acting.

He then left his job at the radio station. After a year, he again joined radio in Lahore. During that time he got noticed by Nusrat Thakur, a director at the PTV centre in Lahore. He was eventually signed for the director’s play named Raat, though he did not have the lead role; but it was marked as his first acting role on television and his talent was recognised by the big-wigs of the industry. He then did the play Khuwahish, for which he was highly appreciated. His other notable dramas include Laag, Piyaas, Chand Grehan, Kajal Ghar and Khuda Ki Basti.

He made his movie debut in 2003 with the movie Murad. He played the ever impacting role of Saima, a transgender who adopts a child named Murad. His role in this movie backed with his stellar performance bagged him an award for Outstanding Performance at the first Indus Drama Awards. After his strong debut on the big screen, he starred in Mahnoor in the year 2004, a movie about a dancer belonging form the adultery business. His last movie was Victim of an Honour Killing, which is a British movie based on the titular theme of honour killings, as the name suggests. The versatility of an actor displays with the kind of characters he/she plays on the screen and Asghar was surely a pioneer of acting and is considered to be an institution when it comes to acting.

The members of cultural departments including Pakistan National Council of the Arts and National Institute Folk and Traditional Heritage Lok Virsa expressed deep sorrow over the loss of one of the legendary and iconic actors from Pakistani cinema.


Actors from the fraternity mourn the loss of an outstanding artist and considered his passing a great loss for the industry.

Adnan Siddiqui tweeted, “Another legend bids goodbye. Sohail bhai was an inspiration for many aspiring actors, keeping his family in my prayers and thoughts.”

Humayun Saeed chimed in and wrote, “Saddened to learn about Sohail Asghar sahab's passing. May the Almighty bless his soul. My deepest condolences to his family.”

Mansha Pasha also tweeted, “Many condolences to the family, just heard the tragic news. We seem to be losing so many wonderful artists lately. May the Almighty have mercy and his soul rest in peace.”

Aijaz Aslam added, “Veteran actor Sohail Asghar is no more. May the Almighty rest his soul in heaven.”

Actor Shaan Shahid called the veteran’s demise “a great loss for Pakistan.”
He went on to commend the depth of Asghar’s craft. “Our artistic heritage and history must be preserved for the future generations to learn from,” added Shahid.

While senior actor Naumaan Ijaz also tweeted, “Ye zindagi bhi ajeeb hai na? Aik din marney kay liye poori zindagi jeena parti hai. Today we lost Sohail Asghar sahib, my teacher. Khuda darjaat buland karay.”

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