Pakistan’s famous TV, Radio and Film artist Shafi Muhammad Shahpassed away on Saturday, November 17, 2007. He was 57. He was suffering from many ailments. After a severe pain attack on saturday he was rushed to the hospital but he couldn’t survive. Quoting the Daily Times:
Shafi featured in more than 50 drama serials and over 100 long plays on PTV and other channels.
Shafi started his career as a broadcaster at Radio Pakistan Karachi. Later he moved to Lahore and lived at the home of Mohammad Ali and Zeba for few years. There he started his movie career. He became famous after doing few leading roles in Ashfaq Ahmed’s series ‘ek haqeeqat sau afsaane’. In early 80s Shafi worked in a very famous serial ‘deewareN’.
His other famous performances include those in ‘chand grahan’, ‘aanch’, ‘nasal’ and ‘jungle’. Shafi Muhammad also took part in many Sindhi plays at PTV. His movie career was not very long. He worked in 4 movies. Three of them were ‘talaash’, ‘Rubi’ and ‘biwi ho to aisi’.
Shafi also tried politics and contested the 2002 elections for the National Assembly from Karachi on the ticket of Pakistan Peoples Party but lost.
The picture posted above was taken from famous drama serial “Aanch”- Late Shafi Muhammad was at peak in that drama. His soft accent was so “heavy” above all performances.
Offcourse performance of Sohail Asghar as Jehaniah Shah and shafi as Dad was outstanding in “Chand Girhan”.
Since Nayyra Sang famous nazm of Noon.M.Rashid in Chand Girhan, I think Shafi might have same feelings?
mujhe vida kar
ai meri zaat, phir mujhe vida kar
woh log kya kaheNge , meri zaat
log, jo hazaar saal se
mere kalaam ko taras gaye
mujhe vida kar
maiN tere saath apne aap ke syaah gHaar meN
bahut panaah le chuka
maiN apne haath paaoN apne dil ki aag meN
tapa chuka
mujhe vida kar
ke aab-o-gul ke aansooN ke aayinoN
ki be-sadaai sun sakooN
hayaat-o-marg ka salaam-e-roostaai sun sakooN [ hayaat= life; marg= death
maiN roz-o-shab ke dast-o-pa ki narsaai sun sakooN [ narsaai= failure ]
mujhe vida kar
bahut hi der — der jaise der ho gayi
ke ab ghaRhi meN beesveeN sadi ki raat baj chuki
shajar hajar woh janwar [ shajar= trees; hajar= stones]
wo taayiraan-e-kHastapar [ taayir = bird ]
hazaar saal se jo haal meN , zameeN par
makalme meN jama haiN
wo kya kaheNge, maiN khudaaaoN ki tarah
azl ke be-vafaaoN ki tarah
phir apne ahad-e-mansabi se phir gaya
mujhe vida kar, ai meri zaat
tu apne rozanoN ke paas aake dekh le [ rozan= window]
ke zahan-e-na tamaam ki masahatoN meN phir
har uss ki kHizaaN ke barg-e-kHushk yuN bikhar gaye
ke jaise shahar hast meN
ye nesti ki gard ki pukaar hooN
lahoo ke daldaloN meN hadsoN ke zamhareer atar gaye [ zamhareer= intense cold ]
tu apne rauzanoN ke paas aake dekh le
ke mashraqi ufaq pe aareefoN ke kHwaab———– kHwaab-e-qahwa rang meN
umeed ka guzar nahiN
ke magHrabi ufaq pe, marg noor pe kissi ki aankh tar nahi
mujhe vida kar, magar na apne zeenoN se utar [ zeena = stairs]
ke zeene jal rahe haiN be-hushi ki aag meN
mujhe vida kar, magar na saans le
ke shayaraan-e-nau tiri sada ke saham se dubak na jaayeN
ke tu sada rasaalatoN ka baar unn peH Daalti rahi [ rasaalat= prophethood]
ye baar inn ka haul hai
woH dekh roshni ki doosri taraf
kHyaal, kaagHzoN ki baaliyaaN bane hue
haroof bhaagte hue
tamaam apne aap hi ko chaaT-te hue
jahaaN zamana tez tez gaam-zan
wahiN zmana baaz apne khel meN magan
jahaaN peH baam-o-dar lapak rahe haiN baaarishoN ki simt
aarzoo ki tishnagi liye
wahiN gumaaN ke faasle haiN raah-zan
mujhe vidar kar
ke shahar ki faseel ke tamaam dar haiN va abhi
kahiN wo log so na jaayeN boriyoN meN rait ki tarah [ rait= sand]
mujhe ai meri zaat, apne aap se
nikal ke jaane de
ke iss zabaaN boorida ki pukaar, iss ki ha va hoo
gali gali sunaai de
ke shahar-e-nau ke log jaante haiN ( kaasa-e-gursanagi liye) [ kaasa-e-gursanagi= bowl of hunger]
ke unn ke tashtah baaghchoN meN
apne vaqt ke dhulaaye haath se
nay darakht ugaaooNga
maiN unn ke seem-o-zar se , unn ke jism -o-jaaN se
koltaar ke taheN haTaaooNga
tamaam sang parah haai baraf
unn ke aastaaN se maiN uThaaooNga
ke unn ke shahar-e-nau ke raaste tamaam band haiN
mujhe vida kar ke apne aap meN, maiN itne kHwaab ji chuka
ke hausla nahi
maiN itni baar aap apne zakHm si chuka
ke hausla nahiN
via Urdustan
it is a great loss
Inna lillah-e-Wa Inna Ilaihe Rajion
Pakistan industry has lost one of the best human being, voice, actor and the pillar of industry. This is an unrecoverable loss.
May God bless him with Jannah (AMEEN).
Please pray for his soul and the family’s consolation during this time of grief. May Allah the Allmighty forgive him and give him janna’h (ameen) mai … aap sab se request hai k Shafi Muhammad k liye dua-e-maghfirat karain.
No doubt he was a great actor and great person.
Thats indeed a sad news. Shafi Muhammad was undoubtedly one of the best actors Pakistan Television has ever produced. I had always been his big fan. Shafi Muhammad had his own very special style which was calm yet impressive and ofcourse very naturalistic.
Owais, the long play you mentioned was one of my favorite too but I guess its name was “your obedient servant”.
May Allah rest his soul in peace, Ameen.
Allah bless him with Jannah!
I liked him from the beginning. He had a very nice voice.
Surely he will be missed.
The picture reminds of his glory days. This is Aanch right? He had lost a lot of weight in recent years. Bilkul changed?
Inna lillah-e-Wa Inna Illehe Rajioon
My favorite drama in which Shafi took part as the lead character was ‘Officer on Special Duty’. It was a PTV long play and Shafi acts as a honest civil servant who goes to a rural area on special assignment. It was interesting to see how he had to deal with ’sifarish’, ‘rishwat’, ‘aqarba-parwari’ etc of local feudals who try to buy him to their side.
Chand Garahn was ofcourse his most famous play.