Qavi Khan

Muhammad Qavi Khan (; 13 November 1942 – 5 March 2023) was a Pakistani film, radio, theatre and television actor, director, producer and playwright.

Khan acted in over 200 films and some 1,000 television plays.

Khan is best known for his police drama serial Andhera Ujala (1984), which launched him to stardom alongside his fellow actors Irfan Khoosat and Jameel Fakhri. His other starring roles include Durr-e-Shehwar (2012), Alif Allah Aur Insaan and Aangan (both 2017–18), the latter of which earned him Lux Style Award for Best TV Actor (critics' and viewers') nominations at the 18th Lux Style Awards.

In March 2011, Pakistan National Council of the Arts honored his achievements in an event. He was honoured with the Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 1980 and 2012 respectively by the government of Pakistan for his contribution to arts.

Early and personal life Khan was born in an Urdu-speaking family of ancestral Pashtun (Yousufzai) roots to a father who served in the British Indian Army. Following the 1947 Partition of India, the family moved to Pakistan, settling down in Khokropar, Sindh, before moving to Peshawar, where they would live opposite the Mahabat Khan Mosque. Khan would get his early education there and later work as a front desk officer at a Grindlays Bank branch before going to Lahore to pursue his passion for acting more seriously. His sons Adnan Qavi and Mehran Qavi have also been actors.

Career Radio In 1952, he began his career as a child artist by joining Radio Pakistan Peshawar.

Theatre In 1961, he was cast in Dagha Baz, a play written by Envar Sajjad and directed by Kamal Ahmed Rizvi.

In 2021, he played Muhammad Boota, a Punjabi authoritative older man who has a legacy in the catering business, in Ishq Jalebi, a role written especially for him.

Films In 1964, he worked in his first movie, Diljeet Mirza's Riwaj.

Literature He was also a playwright, having written the autobiographical one-man stage play Action and Reaction in 2011.

Selected filmography Films

Television series

Awards and recognition 2012 Sitara-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan PTV Award for Best Actor Lux Style Award for Best TV Actor (Critics' & Viewers') at the 18th Lux Style Awards for Aangan