Moin Akhter


Moin Akhter was a Pakistani television, film and stage artist, humorist, comedian, impersonator, host, writer, singer, director and producer who rose to fame in the era of Radio Pakistan along with his co-actors Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari. He became an icon through his screen persona Rozi and is considered to be a one-of-a-kind parodist and the king of Urdu comedy. His career spanned more than 45 years, from childhood in the Radio Pakistan era to work of great renown on television, film and stage until a year before his death in 2011.

Early life

Akhter was born in Karachi, Pakistan on 24 December 1950.
His father Muhammad Ibrahim Mehboob, who died at the age of 92, a few months following Akhter's death, was born in Muradabad and, following the 1947 partition, settled in Karachi, where he "passed his life in his own printing press and as a contractor in the garments business."
Akhter was fluent in several languages, including English, Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Memoni, Pashto, Gujarati apart from his native Urdu.
Before joining the performing arts, Akhter worked as a mechanic.

Career

Early career

Akhter started his acting career as child actor at the age of 13. He played the character of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in theatre.
Akhter's sense of humour was highly dynamic and versatile. He made his television debut on 6 September 1966, in a variety show on Pakistan Television to celebrate the first Defence Day of Pakistan. He started as a comedian in 1966 by impersonating the Hollywood actor Anthony Quinn and mimicked one of the former USA's president John F Kennedy’s speeches. He has performed several roles in television stage shows, later teamed with Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari.

Television

Akhter acted in several films, sitcoms and dramas, and hosted many TV talk shows, including:
TelevisionTitleGenre
PTVRoziTelefilm
PTVEid TrainTheatrical film
PTVStudio DhaiSketches
PTVStudio Pony TeenSketches
NTMStudio Char BeesSketches
PTVShow TimeTV drama
PTVShow ShaTV drama
PTVYes Sir No SirTalk show
PTVApka Anwer MaqsoodStage show
PTVMoin Akhter ShowTalk show
PTVSuch MuchSitcom
ARY DigitalLoose TalkTalk show
PTVHalf PlateTV show
PTVFamily-93TV show
PTVFifty FiftySketch comedy
TV OneMirza Aur HameedaTV drama
PTVHello HelloTV show
PTVIntezar FarmayeTV show
PTVDollar ManTV show
PTVMakan No 47TV drama
PTVBandar Road Sey KemariTV drama
PTVAangan TerhaSitcom
PTVBabyTV drama
PTVRafta RaftaTV drama
PTVGuumTV drama
TV OneHariyale BanneyTV drama
Geo TvKuch Kuch Such MuchSitcom
Geo TvSuch Much Ki EidSitcom telefilm
Geo TvSuch Much Ka ElectionSitcom telefilm
ARY DigitalKya Aap Banaingay Crorepati?Game show
NTMNokar Key Agey ChaakerTV drama
PTVChoun Chan AhooTV drama
PTVKia Bane BaatTV drama
PTVBakra Qiston PeTV comedy show

''Rozi''

Akhter rose to the national spotlight and gathered critical acclaim for his performance in the drama Rozi in which he played the role of a female TV artist. Rozi was an Urdu adaptation of the Hollywood movie Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman. He called it one of his favourite on-screen characters that he had played. Rozi was written by Imran Aslam and directed by Saira Kazmi.

Talk shows

In the talk-show Loose Talk, which began in 2002 on ARY Digital, he appeared as a different character in each episode with a total of over 400 episodes interviewed by the TV host Anwar Maqsood, who was also the writer of the programme. Akhter also briefly hosted the game show Kya Aap Banaingay Crorepati?, the Pakistani version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. He hosted shows involving major personalities and performed on stage alongside Indian legends including Dilip Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Madhuri Dixit.

Host

He hosted shows with invited dignitaries including King Husain of Jordan, Prime Minister of Gambia Dawoodi Al-Joza, Presidents Zia-ul-Haq, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, General Yahya Khan and Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the legendary Indian film actor Dilip Kumar.

Films

Akhter made his film debut with Tum Sa Nahi Dekha and had lead roles in movies such as Mr. Tabedar and Mr. K-2, which didn't do well at the box-office, whereas Raaz, where he had a supporting role, did well. Actor Mustafa Qureshi has argued that, unlike most comedians, Akhter never aimed for a film career as his brand of comedy was different from that shown in the movies back then.

Music

Akhter was also a singer, having released an album where he reprised the classical songs of his life long friend Ahmed Rushdi.

Album – ''Tera Dil Bhi Yun Hi Tadpe''

  • Chhorr Ke Jaane Wale
  • Choat Jigar Pe Khai Hai
  • Ro-Ro Ke De Raha Hai
  • Tera Dil Bhi Yun Hi Tadpe
  • Dard Hi Sirf Dil Ko Mila
  • Dil Ro Raha Hai
  • ''Hoten Hai Bewafa''

    Death and legacy

Akhter died on 22 April 2011 at about 4:30 pm in Karachi after suffering a heart attack. He was survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons. Funeral prayers for Akhter were offered in Tauheed Masjid near his residence. Thousands of people attended the funeral prayer which was led by Junaid Jamshed. Many Bollywood actors paid tribute to Akhter including Johnny Lever, Javed Akhtar, Javed Jaffrey and Shatrughan Sinha. Sinha was an old admirer of Akhter, even becoming a supplier of his audio cassettes in Mumbai.
The world-famous wax museum Madame Tussauds has expressed a wish to include a waxwork of Moin Akhter in its London museum. If the statue is made, it will be the first for any Pakistani entertainer at Madame Tussauds.

Autobiography

One Man Show is an autobiographical Urdu book mostly written by Akhter himself before his death in 2011. The book was posthumously completed and published in 2025 by Oxford University Press. It chronicles his life and career, from his early stage performances to his acclaimed television and film roles, and includes personal reflections, rare photographs, and tributes from colleagues and family members. The book features a preface by his longtime collaborator Anwar Maqsood and a foreword by Zia Mohyeddin.

Awards and nominations