ISLAMABAD: Famous film and television actor Mustafa Qureshi turned 80 on Friday. He was born in Hyderabad on May 11, 1938, before the independence of Pakistan in 1947.
He gained popularity from Punjabi movies. His iconic role as the villain Noori Nat in the movie Maula Jatt (1979) became his trademark and he went on to adapt similar roles for many years to come.
Qureshi had acted in more than 500 movies, in Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi languages. He started his professional career by first working for Radio Pakistan, Hyderabad in the early 1960s.
One day he went to see a film shooting of film Aag Ka Darya (1966) and was spotted by Pakistani film cameraman and future film director Raza Mir and asked to act as a villain in his upcoming film Laakhon Mein Ek (1967) which he accepted reluctantly.
His notable films include Laakhon Mein Ek (1967), Andleeb (1969), Maula Jatt (1979),Lal Aandhi (1979),Ghulami (1985),Jeeva (1995),Sargam (1995), Chief Sahib (1996),Zill-e-Shah (2008), Wohti Ley Ke Jaani Ay (2010),Shareeka (2012),Sultanat (2014), Two+Two (2016), and under production Shor Sharaba.
Mustafa Qureshi won Pride of Performance Award in 1988 and Nigar Award for Best Supporting Actor in film Lal Aandhi in 1979.