RAWALPINDI: A shaam-e-mulaqaat with Nasir Qadri was organised by the Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC), to acknowledge the work of the veteran artists as part of its campaign to pay tribute to living legends from the Rawalpindi region.

District Coordination Officer Sajid Zafar Dall, Senator Najma Hameed, MPA Lubna Pirzada, Naheed Manzoor and RAC resident director Waqar Ahmed attended the event.

Mr Qadri will receive the President’s Pride of Performance award on March 23, in recognition of his 50 year acting career. The event included screenings from many of his well known television shows, including Angar Wadi, Dukh Darya Ki Kahani, Jhok Sial, Karwan, Khwahish, Mujhe Saans Lene Do, Sumandar, Wadi and Your Obedient.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Dall said Mr Qadri was one of the best actors in the industry and a role model for newcomers. He said the actor was well known for his dialogue delivery.

He said the services of artists need to be recognised, which is something the provincial government is striving for. He said the local administration helped RAC provide a platform to such artists, so that newcomers could interact with known figures.

Ms Hameed said Mr Qadri is a diverse personality, which makes him popular with both older and younger generations. Ms Pirzada said that the characters played by Mr Qadri were remembered by all, despite how much time has passed.

Ms Manzoor said Mr Qadri was an asset to the city, while Mr Ahmed said the council was honoured to arrange an evening with him.

Renowned artists Anjum Habibi, Shabir Mirza, Masub Khawaja, Batin Farooqi, Zulqarnain Haider, producers Tariq Malik, Farooq Abbas, Khalid Saddique, Nisar Rizvi and many other personalities paid tribute to Mr Qadri. They said that he is not only an actor, but also a school of thought in the field.

Speaking at the event, Mr Qadri also shared personal and professional experiences with his audience.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2016