SABZ-It’s Blowing In The Wind, Tribute to Legend Moin Akhtar

The 3^rd day at the Karachi Arts Council, the showcasing of the play Sabz- It’s blowing in the wind, written by Abdullah Farhatullah, it was not a routine play as it went for the past two days but it was a very special day as it commemorate the memory of the late Moin Akhtar and a very special tribute was paid to him by all the actors acting in the play and the ones invited to pay tribute to their teacher, philosopher, friend the late Moin Akhtar. According to the executive producer of Sabz, Mr. Umer Hameed, Moin Akhtar (late) had promised him to attend the play at the 24^th of April, but only after a couple of hours, the sad news arrived that he is no more left in this world to entertain us all. Therefore, a seat was especially reserved for him in the front row of the theatre and thus was kept empty throughout the show and as on the first day, here as well a minute silence was observed.

Now, talking about the play itself, it had a couple of edited dialogues as to remember the one of the finest artists in our country, where I remember in one of the scenes, one of the two leading actors in the play, Naveed played by Yasir Hussain, an actor asks his director Kamran played by Abdullah Farhatullah (writer & director of the play) whether should he replicate the style of Moin Akhtar but the director asks him that can you??? So, Naveed says embarrassingly and with a little shy, no, I can’t.

Also throughout the whole play, a framed photograph of the talented Moin Akhtar ( late ) was kept on the set at a place from where it can be easily be seen to all.

At the end of the show, the man brought as an alternative to him as told by himself, Mr. Faisal Qazi, the student and preacher of Moin Akhtar, and one of the most humorous and finest comedians of our country at present said a lot about his ‘ Guru ‘. He shared that, 17 years earlier from today, when the first time he approached his inspiration, obviously Mr. Moin Akhtar, then he taught him a few lessons to be like him, on which applying it he ( Faisal Qazi ) has been so successful in the Pakistani entertainment industry. One of the lesson, Moin Akhtar taught Faisal Qazi was to read and just read whatever he can and is interested in to read, therefore he read a lot of authors, poets, writers both national and international and thus both of them used to share their books and exchange their knowledge with each other, and on a couple of occasions steal a few of the books of each other too; such was the hunger of knowledge in both of them.

Just about two weeks earlier the two performed in the same theatre of the Karachi arts council in front of a large audience for a private school and received a thunderous clapping and a standing ovation for their excellent showcasing of talents and both of them had to go to Norway as well at the 16^th of May 2011, but a halt in between, the disastrous event for not only Faisal Qazi but also for whole of the Pakistani nation, the death of Moin Akhtar did not put a halt in the proceedings of the show and the show is still on.

Mr. Faisal Qazi did not want the large audience to cry, but instead wanted the audience to pay their respects to the legend that Moin Akhtar is and give him the same clapping and standing ovation he used to receive when he used to perform to packed audiences at the Karachi Arts Council and where ever he performed in this world and literally, he has left his mark everywhere in this world for his undoubted talent showcased on radio. Stage, television and Film industry and the same happened, a thunderous clapping and standing ovation was given to him which he richly deserved. It is true that Moin Akhtar is no more left amongst us but it is also true that he will always stay alive in our hearts.

Event Review By: Adil Ahmed Taj (PMR)

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