The book Moin Akhtar – One Man Show, written by Moin Akhtar himself, comes as a pleasant surprise to the hundreds of thousands of fans of this remarkable television and stage artiste. To call Moin Akhtar Pakistan’s most versatile actor would not be an exaggeration. His ability to convincingly portray characters from every segment of society was perhaps his most remarkable quality, and few, if any, other performers could match him in this regard. But when Moin Akhtar is seen beyond the characters he played and in his real life, he also emerges as a truly remarkable human being.
As the book reveals, Moin, unlike many television celebrities, was a down-to-earth person who remained humble to the core and never shied away from his lower-middle-class roots. He paid for the Hajj and Umrah of several people from his own pocket. According to one of his fellow supporting artistes, “I never saw Moin miss a prayer.” No matter how important the scene was or how difficult the situation on the set might have been, if it was time for prayer, Moin would leave everything aside and offer his prayers. Notably, Moin, unlike many other well-known artistes, was never seen or heard of flirting with an actress on any occasion. During a live stage show, a young actress once tried to flirt with Moin Akhtar. He replied, “I have a daughter your age.”
Among the many characters portrayed by Moin Akhtar, the role of Rozi, a female character, is perhaps one of his most timeless performances. His portrayal of a traditional and unsuccessful poet in Half Plate, meanwhile, can be regarded as one of the high points of his artistic career. Moin’s hallmark was his ability to completely immerse himself in a character. He was particularly exceptional in adapting his speech, tone and manner of delivery to suit the character’s background and social position. Whether he was playing a thug, a Memon moneylender, a government officer, a Hindu priest, a hot-tempered uncle or a Bangladeshi cricketer, Moin brought remarkable authenticity and individuality to every role.
On the flip side, Moin Akhtar – One Man Show could be considered a rather late arrival, since a book of this nature would ideally have been published during his lifetime. The book contains dedicated chapters on different television, film and stage artistes with whom Moin worked during his showbiz career. Moin’s detailed account of his experiences with various showbiz personalities reveals much about his people-pleasing nature. What was supposed to be his autobiography, however, devotes much of its content to the people he worked with rather than to his own life and journey. Though he does not shy away from sharing his bitter experiences with the likes of Umar Sharif, the way the book is written suggests that Moin either wrote, or asked someone else to write, each line with care so as not to offend others. Thus, one can find the real, people-pleasing soul of Moin lurking behind the words he uses to describe his fellow artistes.
The material appears to have been compiled over time, with the book being published posthumously by his family. Nevertheless, its publication provides fans and admirers with an opportunity to gain further insight into the life, personality and remarkable career of one of Pakistan’s most celebrated performers.
An unsolicited piece of advice to the publisher: an authoritative and comprehensive account of Moin Akhtar’s journey in showbiz deserves to be written by an accomplished Urdu writer. Moin Akhtar deserves a better book than this.
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