Mustafa Qureshi

{{short description|Pakistani film and television actor (born 1938)}}

{{Infobox person

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Mustafa Qureshi

| honorific_suffix =

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| native_name = ﻣﺼﻄﻔﯽٰ قریشی

| native_name_lang = ur

| othername =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1938|05|11}}

| birth_place = Hyderabad, Sind, British India (now Pakistan)

| citizenship =

| education =

| alma_mater =

| occupation = {{flatlist|

Actor

}}

| years_active = 1957–present

| known_for = Playing Noori Natt

| works = Filmography

| spouse = {{marriage|Rubina Qureshi||2022|end=d}}

| party = PTI (2018-present)

| children = Aamir Qureshi (actor-singer)

| awards = Nigar Awards in 1979, 1981 and 1983

| honours = Pride of Performance Award in 1988

}}

Mustafa Qureshi (born 11 May 1938) is a Pakistani film and television actor.

He has acted in more than 600 movies, in Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi languages.

He is best remembered for playing the antagonist Noori Natt in Maula Jatt (1979).{{cite web |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1138375 |title=Maula Jatt: the secret history |first=Nadeem F. |last=Paracha |date=19 October 2014 |newspaper=Dawn (newspaper) |access-date=2 July 2021}}

He was born into a Sindhi family despite his later work mainly in Punjabi cinema.

Qureshi won Nigar Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Lal Aandhi (1979). He then won his first Nigar Award for Best Actor for 1981 film Sher Khan. He won his third Nigar Award and second in best actor category for his role in Rustam Te Khan (1983).

He was awarded Pride of Performance in 1988.

He has voiced Germander in the Commander Safeguard animated series.

Early life and career

Qureshi was born in Hyderabad, Sindh, on 11 May 1938,{{cite news |date=20 January 2013 |title=Interview: The actor par excellence |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/780135/interview-the-actor-par-excellence |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241221104834/https://www.dawn.com/news/780135/interview-the-actor-par-excellence |archive-date=21 December 2024 |access-date= |newspaper=Dawn News}} and received primary education in Hyderabad, combining both modern and religious studies, later on gaining a Master of Arts degree in Islamic history from Sindh University, being particularly influenced by the scholars Imdad Ali Imam Ali Kazi and Ali Muhammad Rashidi, while after his graduation he began his professional career as a host on Radio Pakistan's Sindhi programme Assan Jo Pakistan ({{Langx|sd|{{Naskh|اسان جو پاڪستان}}}}; "Our Pakistan"), in 1957.{{Cite web |date=10 January 2015 |title=Mustafa Qureshi pays rich tributes to Dr Amir for promoting education |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/17611-mustafa-qureshi-pays-rich-tributes-to-dr-amir-for-promoting-education |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241221105127/https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/17611-mustafa-qureshi-pays-rich-tributes-to-dr-amir-for-promoting-education |archive-date=21 December 2024 |website=The News International}}

One day he went to see the shooting of the film Aag Ka Darya (1966) and was spotted by cameraman and future film director Raza Mir, who asked him to act as a villain in his upcoming film, Laakhon Mein Ek (1967). Qureshi initially could not see himself becoming an actor, so he had to be convinced by Mir. Eventually Qureshi agreed to do the film, which became a box-office hit. As of 2016, his film career has spanned 45 years.

Personal life

= Family =

He met his wife Rubina Qureshi (d. 2022), a Sindhi folk singer,Nusrat Amin (2 April 2018), [https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine/instep-today/300120-cross-border-music-mergers "Cross border music mergers"], The News International. Retrieved 31 January 2019 while both were working for Radio Pakistan, as she was a prominent singer who "sang about 10,000 songs and the total recording time of her songs was more than 50 hours."[https://www.dawn.com/news/727423 Mustafa Qureshi, wife receive accolades] (17 June 2012), Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 2 July 2021

Actor and musician Aamir Qureshi is his son.Ahmed Sarym (4 August 2016), [https://www.hipinpakistan.com/news/1150376 ""I know I'm not hero-material," says Aamir Qureshi"], hip. Retrieved 1 July 2018.

= Politics =

Having been associated with the Pakistan Peoples' Party since he met Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, describing himself as an "ideological worker" and at one point even becoming head of PPP’s culture wing, over the decades, like many Bhutto loyalists, he eventually became disillusioned with how the party evolved,Sher Khan (14 April 2013), [https://tribune.com.pk/story/535469/no-hope-for-ppp-but-some-for-the-industry-says-mustafa-qureshi/ "No hope for PPP but some for the industry, says Mustafa Qureshi"] The Express Tribune. Retrieved 31 January 2019. and has since 2018 been associated with Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.[https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/323437-nawan-ayan-ae-sonhia-veteran-actor-mustafa-qureshi-to-join-pti "'Nawan Ayan Ae Sonhia': Veteran actor Mustafa Qureshi to join PTI"] (30 May 2018), The News International (newspaper). Retrieved 3 July 2021

Selected filmography

Notable films

Lakhon Mein Aik (1967). Mustafa Qureshi's debut film. He was introduced in this film by film director Raza Mir.
Andleeb (1969)
Khatarnak (1974). The movie which launched him as a major villain.
Toofan (1976)
Zindagi (1978)
Maula Jatt (1979)
Lal Aandhi (1979)
Ghulami (1985)
Jeeva (1995)
Sargam (1995)
Chief Sahib (1996)
Zill-e-Shah (2008)
Shareeka (2012)
Sultanat (2014)
Shor Sharaba (2018){{cite web |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1164666/shor-sharaba-enters-post-production/ |title='Shor Sharaba' enters post-production|newspaper= The Express Tribune (newspaper) |author=Adnan Lodhi|date=17 August 2016 |access-date=3 July 2021}}
Tere Bajre Di Rakhi (2022)

Awards and recognition

Pride of Performance Award in 1988 by the President of Pakistan

=Nigar Awards=

Won – Nigar Award for Best Supporting Actor – Lal Aandhi (1979){{cite web|url=http://www.thehotspotonline.com/moviespot/bolly/Lollywood/NigarAwards2.htm |date=5 January 2003|archive-date=25 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725090554/http://www.thehotspotonline.com/moviespot/bolly/Lollywood/NigarAwards2.htm |title=The Nigar Awards (1972 - 1986)|website=The Hot Spot Online website|access-date=2 July 2021}}
Won – Nigar Award for Best Supporting Actor – Sher Khan (1981)
Won – Nigar Award for Best Supporting Actor – Rustam Te Khan (1983)