PESHAWAR: Noted radio and TV artiste Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah died in a Peshawar hospital after protracted illness on late Friday night. He was 94.

He was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard in Speena Wrhai here on Saturday. A large number of local artistes, notables of the area and fans attended his funeral prayer.

According to family sources, he had been bedridden since long due to multiple health complications. On Friday night, he was rushed to a local hospital due to short breath but he breathed his last. Radio and PTV Peshawar Centre officials also turned up at his funeral.

Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah left behind his lone son, four daughters and extended family members to mourn his death. The participants of his funreal, heads of literary and cultural organisations in Peshawar termed his death an irreparable loss to Pashto performing arts.

Born in 1930, Syed Mumtaz Ali aka Bacha Ji passed his matriculation examination from the historic Islamia Collegiate School in 1948. He loved performing in radio play so one of his close relatives took him to Radio Pakistan Peshawar the same year where he performed in a Pashto play and he never looked back since then.

He also joined communication and works department and got superannuation from it in 1990 but remained with the performing art as he had become a household when it came to dialogue delivery, facial expression and control over voice range.

His memorable radio plays included Da Asman Banjaree and Jarandagarhay by Samandar Khan and Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari and TV play Namoos both in Pashto and Urdu by Prof Mohammad Azam Azam.

Mr Shah performed in more than 1,500 radio, TV and stage plays. Radio and TV plays were his strong forte and he remained stick to it for more than seven decades. He acted out memorable roles both in Pashto and Urdu dramas.

The veteran artist was also a poet but never made it public. He was known for good sense of humour and mastery over radio, stage and TV performances.

He received numerous commendation certificates including President’s Pride of Performance award, Tamagh-i-Imtiaz and public appreciation from his fans and art lovers.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2024