KARACHI: Renowned television and theatre actress Nyla Jaffri passed away here on Saturday. She was 56.

She was battling cancer for quite a few years. In order to recuperate she stayed in Gilgit for some time but returned to Karachi where she breathed her last.

Nyla Jaffri received her early education in Rawalpindi. She began working in plays from Rawalpindi Television Station but in the 1980s her family shifted to Karachi. She worked in a decent number of TV plays the first of which was Hadison ka muntazar. She went on to do other television projects including Mujh Ko Sulana, Aks, Ik kasak reh gai, Desi Girls and Thori si khushian. She also worked in playwright Ashfaq Ahmed’s famous TV series Aik muhabbat sau afsaney.

Talking to Dawn, actor and musician Khaled Anam said, “She was a good artist and a dedicated actress. Actors come and work for television on a regular basis, but the world of theatre has suffered a great loss. She was a wonderful human being. She was close to my family. Everyone has to go. But in her death, we’ve lost a quality theatre artist.”

Actress Azra Mohyeddin said, “I remember we once shot a drama at her house. She was so courteous and took tremendous care of the entire crew. She was a good artist but as a host she was fabulous.

“She came across as a sad individual. She seemed very hurt,” Ms Mohyeddin added.

Actor Behroz Sabzwari said, “She was a warrior. She fought with the disease valiantly. We worked together in a few plays. We were together for 30 years. It’s a sad day for us.”

Ms Jaffri’s funeral prayers were to be held at Tooba Masjid in Defence after Isha. She was laid to rest in the Military Graveyard.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2021