Badar Munir, The legendary hero of Pashto movies

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Third death anniversary of Badar Munir, the legendary hero of Pashto movies, is being observed today (Tuesday).

Born in 1942 in Shagram, a small village of Madyan area in Swat district, he was the son of Maulvi Yaqoot Khan, a prayer leader of his village.

Badar Munir died after a protracted illness in Lahore at the age of 68 on October 11, 2008.

The legend in Pashto cinema had suffered paralysis attack and was admitted to a hospital in a precarious condition, but the heart attack later proved fatal for him.

The Culture Directorate Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Cultural Journalists Forum have arranged a programme at Nishtar Hall today to pay tribute to the late legendary artiste.

Beginning his career as a rickshaw driver, Badar Munir ended up as lights-man with Waheed Murad, the chocolate hero of Urdu films in Karachi, way back in the early 70s.

He played a minor character in Waheed Murad s Urdu film Jahan Tum Wahan Hum from which he developed a taste for acting and shot to an unprecedented fame when he was cast in the first Pashto movie Yousaf Khan Sher Bano based on a folk tale.

The 70s and early 80s are considered the golden era of Pashto cinema.

Badar Munir scaled the heights of success through his natural way of expression and produced a large number of quality films that helped promote the Pakhtun culture to a great extent. Many Pashto movies, having come out in that Black & White era when Badar played lead roles, are still fondly remembered by the Pashto movie buffs as it portrays a real picture of the Pakhtun society.

Badar Munir, though not well educated, could display difficult moves, dialogue delivery and beautiful facial expression with great ease and natural bend. He acted in more than 675 films, including 31 Urdu and Punjabi movies, during his 35-year film industry career and gained a widespread popularity among cinegoers for his natural style and simple Pakhtun stunt.

Khayal Mohammad s voice as play singer would rightly fit to Badar Munir on the silver screen.

His hits Pashto films include Adam Khan Durkhanai, Orbal, Deedan, Dehkaan, Topak Zama Qanoon, Darra Khyber, Kochwaan, Khana Badosh and Mairanai Ror.

Two of his sons, Dilbar Munir and Aqal Munir, tried their luck on the big screen but could not carve a niche for themselves like their legendary father.

Badar Munir passed away on October 11, 2008 at a local hospital in Lahore after a protracted illness and was laid to rest there. Due to his long and unmatched contribution, he was decorated with the Pride of Performance award. He will always be remembered as a great icon of Pashto cinema.