Veteran actor and comedian Umer Sharif passed away following prolonged heart and kidney-related illnesses on Saturday afternoon, aged 66.
He died at a hospital in Nuremberg, where the air ambulance carrying him and his wife Zareen Ghazal made an emergency landing in Germany as his condition deteriorated further.
Sharif's travel to and treatment in the United States — his intended destination — faced extensive delays until the federal and provincial governments intervened to arrange logistics.
Pakistan legend Umer Sharif passes away in Germany
Born in Karachi on April 19, 1955, Sharif began a five-decade long career as a stage performer in 1974.
To date, his most memorable works remain 1989’s Bakra Qistoon Pe and Buddha Ghar Pe Hai, starring alongside Moin Akhter in both. Though his plays on stage were successful, he gained wider recognition and popularity after his decision to record the shows and distribute the videotapes. As the videotapes crossed the border, Sharif gained fame in India as well.
Yes Sir Eid, No Sir Eid and Bakra Qistoon Pe were among the first such stage shows to be recorded and distributed, exposing a far wider audience to a medium that it otherwise may not necessarily have reached.
Sharif’s stand-up and style of stage shows and straight-faced delivery also changed the trajectory of Pakistani theatre with the sequels, spinoffs and knockoffs they inspired, moving from classic song-and-dance affairs to those based around satire, comedy and improv, as well as characterisation that often leaned into stereotype.
Apart from theatre, he also had a career in film in the late 1980s and early 1990s (Mr. 420, Khandan and Laat Sahab) as an actor, producer and director. He also composed and wrote music for film, such as Mr. Charlie.
Umer Sharif: air ambulance makes emergency landing in Germany
In the early days of mushrooming Pakistani TV channels in the 2000s, he landed the The Sharif Show on Geo TV, in which he interviewed an array of celebrities and entertainers in the industry with characteristic flair and which still draw wide viewership on YouTube.
On the other side of the border, he also served as a judge on The Great Indian Laughter Challenge alongside Shekhar Suman and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu, and his previous work — particularly plays and The Shareef Show — received widespread viewership and praise.
His final tour — in the United States — was cut short as the pandemic picked up pace in February 2020.
His multi-faceted act and contribution to cinema, television and theatre earned him a Tamgha-e-Imtiaz as well as 10 Nigar awards.