Daily Times

The 15th death anniversary of iconic film actor Muhammad Ali will be observed today (Friday). The actor who was known for his versatility played remarkable characters in more than 200 movies. His ability to deliver dialogues with emotional facial expressions earned him the title of Shahenshah-E-Jazbaat- The Emperor of Emotions.

Muhammad Ali was born to Maulana Syed Murshid Ali, an eminent religious scholar of his time in Rampur, India and after Partition, his family migrated to Pakistan and settled in Hyderabad, Sindh. He started his career from Radio Pakistan as a broadcaster in 1956. It was 1962 when he made his debut in the film industry with the movie Chirag Jalta Raha that became a hit and Ali played the villainous role in that movie.

Ali was among very few actors of his era who started his career by playing the roles of a villain in the initial few movies but later he went on to become one of the most successful heroes in Pakistan’s film history. His first movie in a lead role was Shararat in which he acted opposite Bahar begum the movie turned into a big hit and directors started casting Ali as a hero in their movies. A character role in Movie Khamosh Raho-1964 earned him his first Nigar Award.

Another memorable role Mohammad Ali played was in Aag Ka Darya. Its story and dialogues were also written by Riaz Shahid. Shamim Ara was the female lead of the film, which was directed by Humayun Mirza. It was released in 1966.

Ali was among very few actors of his era who started his career by playing the roles of a villain in the initial few movies but later he went on to become one of the most successful heroes in Pakistan’s film history

Almost all popular actresses of that era made a pair with Ali including Shabnam, Shamim Ara, Nisho, Asia, Babra Sharif but his pair with Zeba was liked most by his fans to whom he married in 1969 and remained tied in that knot till the last breath of his life.

The voice of Shahenshah-E-Ghazal Mahedi Hassan played a vital role in his success besides Ahmed Rushdi, Masood Rana, Bashir Ahmed, and A.Nayyar also lent their voice for him. Aag Ka Dariya, Khamosh Raho, Kaneez, Chirag Jalta Raha, Daman Aur Chingari, Waheshi, and Insaf Aur Kanoon are some of the movies remembered for his memorable performance.

After parting his ways with the film industry in 1989 he started a network of Social work by founding the Ali-Zeb Foundation that still works for the uplift of poor masses. He won 10 Nigar Awards and in recognition of his remarkable services the government of Pakistan bestowed him with the Pride of Performance Award in 1984.

During his lifetime an event was organized in his honor where renowned actors of Pakistan and the Indian film industry paid him glowing tributes and called him an academy of acting for coming generations. He passed away on March 19, 2006 following a cardiac arrest.