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KARACHI: Ace film actor and comedian Safirullah Lehri passed away after a prolonged illness on Thursday, DawnNews reported.

Lehri, who had won the Nigar Award for around a dozen films, and acted in approximatelt 225 films, had been suffering from ill health for about 25 years.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf expressed deep sorrow and grief over the demise of renowned comedian and actor popularly known across the country and the sub- continent as “Lehri”.

The Prime Minister in a message to his family termed his sad demise an “irreparable loss” and conveyed his deepest condolences over the demise of the veteran comedian Safir-ullah Siddique.

The Prime Minister paid rich tributes to the actor, who began his career in 1950 and won several awards. He said he brought good name to the country and the industry.

Lehri, 83, was on a ventilator in a private hospital. He was suffering from Lungs and Kidney diseases and breathed his last Thursday morning in Karachi after a prolonged illness.

The wheel-chair-ridden elderly artist suffered from diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems. He was told by doctors that three of his valves had been closed, while one of his feet had been amputated due to gangrene.

Lehri’s first film was 1956’s Anokhi, while his last production was 1986’s Dhanak.

The vast majority of his films had been in Urdu, though he did perform in a few Punjabi productions.

Also, even though he tried his hand at a few serious roles, it was Lehri’s comic roles that brought him the highest acclaim.

Central to his success had been his deadpan delivery, which would elicit peels of laughter from the audience, without the comedian having to resort to crude or sleazy humour.