The death anniversary of legendary Pakistani Film Artist, Sultan Rahi, was observed today (Thursday), as fans, personalities from the film industry and admirers of this legendary artist were remembering his immense contributions in Pakistani cinema across the country.
Born on June 24th, 1938, Sultan Rahi was one of the most influential and successful actors in the history of Punjabi Cinema. In a career that spanned almost four decades, he worked in over 800 Punjabi and Urdu movies and started garnering a reputation as someone with a lot of power on-screen and a cultural icon. Due to his tough roles and commanding performances, he was commonly known as Pakistan’s ‘Clint Eastwood’.
Sultan Rahi made his film debut as a guest actor in the flick Baghi (in 1956) in the Urdu language when he was only 18 years of age. The film also has historical significance as the first Pakistani film to be screened in China. Although his career was going well, he only achieved his goal of becoming a star with the release of Maula Jatt in 1979, which made him a household name and changed the face of Punjabi cinema forever. His performance in the wild character Maula Jatt is his best remembered role.
During the course of his career, Sultan Rahi worked with many leading actresses, but his screen coupling with actress Anjuman was particularly popular with audiences. Their final movie together was Khoon da Hisab (1995). He also gave appreciable performances in movies like Basheera, Sher Khan, Wehshi Jatt, Sharif Badmash and Kaley Chore.
Sultan Rahi won several awards in his career, two prestigious Nigar Awards for Babul (1971) and Basheera (1972) and a third for Wehshi Jatt (1975). He also had his name in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most prolific actor.
Sultan Rahi was tragically shot and killed on January 9, 1996, in Gujranwala. Even decades after his passing, his legacy remains present through his films, and he continues to be a towering figure in the cinematic history of Pakistan.
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