Prominent TV actor, director, and producer Tanveer Jamal, who was battling cancer for a long time passed away in Japan on Wednesday at the age of 62.

The veteran performer who had been part of the TV industry for more than three decades was considered an icon for his perfect diction, his conduct, and his ability to befriend actors from all age groups.

He was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2016 but recovered from the disease to make a comeback to TV. However, the recurrence of cancer a couple of months back took him back to Japan where he was being treated until where he lost the battle with cancer.

Tanveer Jamal was amongst the better-looking actors of his generation and his distinctly colored eyes made him prominent amongst the rest. He not only won PTV’s coveted Best Actor award once but was instrumental in the launch of a satellite TV channel in the country.

The now-defunct Shaheen Pay TV (SPTV) was his brainchild and had he kept working on the idea, Private TV channels would have entered Pakistan a long time before they eventually did.

Tanveer Jamal began his career in the late 1980s for PTV but turned to production and direction in the early 1990s when Network Television Marketing (NTM) began its transmission on Shalimar Television Network (STN). Since he was more into action thrillers, he was the first director to shoot a chase on the water in a TV drama, and later expanded it to colliding cars in his home production Godfather.

He leaves behind his Japanese wife and children beside the many fans who loved his performances in dramas like Teri Raza, Tasweer, and Godfather to name a few. He even acted in a couple of films, the last of which – Rangreza – was released a few years back.

The Japanese Connection would have been his entry into the world of film direction but his sudden death has left a question mark regarding the release of the movie. One hopes that Tanveer Jamal’s production sees the light of the day so that his countless fans out there could say goodbye to their favorite actor.

Famous Sindhi singer Rubeena Qureshi passes away

If you have listened to the famous Sindhi folk song Mor Toh Tille Rana, then you must have heard of Rubeena Qureshi. The veteran singer lost her life to cancer at the age of 81 and left her fans around the world saddened with her final exit.

She was not just a popular singer but also the mother of TV and film actor Aamir Qureshi, and the wife of legendary film star Mustafa Qureshi. Her son Aamir inherited the music genes from her mother and before turning to act, began his career as a rapper in the 1990s.

Born on October 19, 1940 in Hyderabad (Sindh), she began her singing career when Radio Pakistan started its operation in her hometown in 1955. For two decades she kept dominating the airwaves and played an integral part in the success of TV as well since she appeared regularly on the medium.

Her famous songs included Aaee Mund Malhari, Dachi Waliya, Mor Tho Tille Rana, Sajjan Karay Seengar, and Yar Sajan Jay Firaq to name a few. She didn’t restrict herself to just the Sindhi language and even recorded songs in Urdu, Seraki, Punjabi, Pashto, and even the Chinese language.

She shifted to Lahore once her husband became a popular film actor in the 1970s but didn’t quit music because she was known as ‘Nightingale of Sindh’ for her sweet voice and wanted to do justice to the title.

Rubeena Qureshi who won many national and international awards was due to receive her Tamgha-e-Imtiaz from the President of Pakistan earlier this year but couldn’t manage it because of her ill health. She had been suffering from cancer since 2020 and was in a coma for the last two months.

She was laid to rest in the compound of Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine in Karachi and was mourned by her fans which included the former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, the current foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari amongst others.