Azra Sherwani
Encyclopedia
Azra Sherwani was a Pakistani television actress.
, according to family sources. She married to Nafees Sherwani, Air Commodore in the Pakistan Air Force
.
i television
actress with a career spanning over 35 years who played a variety of roles. She began her career with the Rawalpindi
Studios of PTV in the late 1960s. Amongst her most memorable roles are Apa Begum in Tanhaiyaan
, Ghazi Apa in Uncle Urfi
and Fazeelat in Dhoop Kinarey.
She worked with some of the best producers in the country including the late Mohsin Ali, late Shereen Khan, late Shehzad Khalil, Sultana Siddiqui, Zaheer Khan and Sahira Kazmi. She also worked with some of the best writers of her time including Fatima Surraiya Bajiya, Haseena Moin
and Anwar Maqsood
.
The role of Apa Begum in Haseena Moin
’s Tanhaiyaan
was undoubtedly the most famous of her entire career where Shahzad Khalil cast her as a tough taskmaster who ill-treated her employee, Buqrat, played by the late Jamshed Ansari
who also died last year. She logically argued (and winning in the end, of course) with him as to why he should get bus fare when walking cannot only improve his health but also solve the problem. Her character also wanted her brother (Qazi Wajid as Faran) to marry a dominant woman which, fortunately, does not happen.
As Ghazi Apa in Uncle Urfi
, she stood between the two love birds, quarrelled regularly with Hasnat Bhai (Jamshed Ansari
again) and was the dominant force behind the extremely funny Shaheer Bhai (the late Qurban Jilani). Azra played the selfish mother of Sitara (Atiqa Odho
) in Sitara Aur Mehr-un-nisa and also the despised mother-in-law aka Saliha Begum of Mahboob Ahmed (Shakeel) in Aangan Terha with Bushra Ansari
and Saleem Nasir as Akbar, the live-in Man Friday with a passion for classical dance.
Then she was the villainous Mai Jaina in Mera Naam Mangu in the early ’70s — a play about professional beggars — while she excelled in Haseena Moin
’s Parchaiyaan as part of a star cast comprising Rahat Kazmi, Sahira Kazmi, Shakeel
and Talat Hussain
. She also held her own in Bajiya’s Afshaan, with fellow cast members Shafi Mohammad, Shakeel
, Qazi Wajid
, Ishrat Hashmi and Begum Khurshid Mirza
. In short, her histrionic talent set the standards for character acting on Pakistan Television.
Azra Sherwani worked with actors of all generations — from Qazi Wajid
, Subhani Ba Yunus, Imtiaz Ahmed, Begum Khurshid Mirza
, Qurban Jilani, Shakeel
, Shafi Mohammad, Talat Iqbal, Anwar Maqsood
, Akbar Subhan, Behroze Sabzwari
, Shahnaz Sheikh
, Marina Khan
, Ishrat Hashmi, Jamshed Ansari
, Babar Ali, Mazhar Ali, Mishi Khan, Atiqa Odho
, Sania Saeed, Sajid Hasan and Sadia Imam.
When the advent of private productions brought about the decline of quality plays on PTV, Azra Sherwani sustained for some time, working in plays such as Kanwal, Bajiya’s Ghar Ik Nagar and Sultana Siddiqui’s Doosri Duniya. Her most memorable role during the later part of her career was that of Khala Khairan in Riffat Humayun’s serial of the same name. Her character was such that she quarrels with Qazi Wajid, a tenant in the house of Khala’s folks who refuses to either leave or pay the rent.
Remembering her, Qazi Wajid
, who worked with her the most from 1970s to 2000, said she was a sincere actress and an amazing friend with whom there was not a single moment of boredom. “We were waiting for her to pay us a visit since she was in the US with her son but instead, she bid farewell and left us all.”
Playwright Haseena Moin
remembers her as an irreplaceable asset who always delivered the very best when it came to acting. “She was a lively character, very sweet and full of life. On the set, she was Azra apa but when the camera rolled, she became the character she was playing and no one could say that she was the same person. All her characters in my plays had shades of positive and negative characteristics and handling them was her forte. She was one of those people who acted for their love of acting and not because of money, which is quite opposite to the acting scenario right now. Getting an actress of her calibre is not only difficult but also impossible. The best thing about her was that she had no issues about her educated background as she easily donned the character of an aaya (Fazeelat) in Dhoop Kinaray while was also the rich begum sahiba (Apa Begum) in Tanhaiyaan.”
Badar Khalil was all praise and said she knew Azra Sherwani even before her marriage to Shahzad Khalil. “To me, she was a great human being and I can’t forget the way she loved me and my husband. She was very upset when my husband passed away since she regarded him as her son and also since he was the one who introduced her on television. After his death, she refused to work for TV for sometime since she felt that she couldn’t go near the TV station without Shahzad there. I still can’t believe that she is no more among us.”
Behroze Sabzwari
became quite emotional when asked about her and said she was a great lady and learned people like her should grace acting since the art needs them. “I knew her for more than 30 years and I can’t forget the love she gave to me. She was jolly on the set, while brave and loving in real life. She treated me more like a son than a colleague as I was very young when I started acting. She was with me when we did Mera Naam Mangu and Saleem Ahmed’s Tabeer and Bajiya’s Aabginay. All those who worked with her miss her but to me, she will always remain special.”
Azra Sherwani was also associated with advertising and was part of renowned advertising agencies, churning out memorable commercials on TV and the print media as a member of the creative and client management departments.
Who among us, the viewers, can forget the pan-chewing, sari-clad and dominating Apa Begum who showed her anger by repeatedly saying: “Warna mujh se bura koi nahin hoga.” In fact, there was no one better than her when it came to character acting as she always portrayed her characters to perfection, making them memorable and lively.
Personal Life
She was born in Meerut, IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, according to family sources. She married to Nafees Sherwani, Air Commodore in the Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
.
Television career
She was a veteran PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actress with a career spanning over 35 years who played a variety of roles. She began her career with the Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
Studios of PTV in the late 1960s. Amongst her most memorable roles are Apa Begum in Tanhaiyaan
Tanhaiyaan
Tanhaiyaan is a Pakistani drama series which is considered a classic. It is the story of two sisters who lose their parents and go to live with their aunt. In one of the sisters efforts to buy back her parents' house, she realizes what makes a house a home...
, Ghazi Apa in Uncle Urfi
Uncle Urfi
Written by Hasina Moin and directed by Mohsin Ali and Shirin Vaqar Azim, Uncle Urfi was a Pakistan Television Corporation serial drama of early seventies. It was aired in 1972 and had such a powerful appeal that it turned into an instant smasher. It twenty-six 30-minute episodes used to be...
and Fazeelat in Dhoop Kinarey.
She worked with some of the best producers in the country including the late Mohsin Ali, late Shereen Khan, late Shehzad Khalil, Sultana Siddiqui, Zaheer Khan and Sahira Kazmi. She also worked with some of the best writers of her time including Fatima Surraiya Bajiya, Haseena Moin
Haseena Moin
Haseena Moin is a notable Pakistani dramatist, playwright and writer for radio and television.A native of Kanpur, the most populous city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Hassena Moin received her early education in her ancestral region and, after the partition of India, migrated...
and Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood Hameedi commonly known as Anwar Maqsood Urdu: انور مقصود) is a Pakistani playwright, poet, television host, satirist, humorist, infrequent actor and painter. He has worked in the entertainment industry for over 35 years.-Life and career:Anwar Maqsood studied at the Gulbarga trust...
.
The role of Apa Begum in Haseena Moin
Haseena Moin
Haseena Moin is a notable Pakistani dramatist, playwright and writer for radio and television.A native of Kanpur, the most populous city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Hassena Moin received her early education in her ancestral region and, after the partition of India, migrated...
’s Tanhaiyaan
Tanhaiyaan
Tanhaiyaan is a Pakistani drama series which is considered a classic. It is the story of two sisters who lose their parents and go to live with their aunt. In one of the sisters efforts to buy back her parents' house, she realizes what makes a house a home...
was undoubtedly the most famous of her entire career where Shahzad Khalil cast her as a tough taskmaster who ill-treated her employee, Buqrat, played by the late Jamshed Ansari
Jamshed Ansari
Jamsheed Ansari was a Pakistani film, television and radio actor.-Death:Ansari died of a brain tumour on August 24, 2005. Prayers were held at Baitul Mukarram Mosque, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi followed by burial at Khurshidpura Graveyard in Hub, Balochistan.-External links:...
who also died last year. She logically argued (and winning in the end, of course) with him as to why he should get bus fare when walking cannot only improve his health but also solve the problem. Her character also wanted her brother (Qazi Wajid as Faran) to marry a dominant woman which, fortunately, does not happen.
As Ghazi Apa in Uncle Urfi
Uncle Urfi
Written by Hasina Moin and directed by Mohsin Ali and Shirin Vaqar Azim, Uncle Urfi was a Pakistan Television Corporation serial drama of early seventies. It was aired in 1972 and had such a powerful appeal that it turned into an instant smasher. It twenty-six 30-minute episodes used to be...
, she stood between the two love birds, quarrelled regularly with Hasnat Bhai (Jamshed Ansari
Jamshed Ansari
Jamsheed Ansari was a Pakistani film, television and radio actor.-Death:Ansari died of a brain tumour on August 24, 2005. Prayers were held at Baitul Mukarram Mosque, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi followed by burial at Khurshidpura Graveyard in Hub, Balochistan.-External links:...
again) and was the dominant force behind the extremely funny Shaheer Bhai (the late Qurban Jilani). Azra played the selfish mother of Sitara (Atiqa Odho
Atiqa Odho
Atiqa Odho is a Pakistani television and film actress and television host. She debuted in Anwar Maqsood's TV series Sitara aur Mehrunissa and later starred in a string of successful films, including Jo Darr Gya Woh Marr Gya, Mummy and Mujhe Chand Chahiye.-Biography:Odho was born in Karachi,...
) in Sitara Aur Mehr-un-nisa and also the despised mother-in-law aka Saliha Begum of Mahboob Ahmed (Shakeel) in Aangan Terha with Bushra Ansari
Bushra Ansari
-Early Life, education and family:Born in Karachi, Ansari is the daughter of eminent journalist and writer Ahmad Bashir. Bushra studied in Lahore at Lady Griffin School and then she did intermediate from famous Lahore College for Women University, completed her BA in 1977 from Waqarunnisa College...
and Saleem Nasir as Akbar, the live-in Man Friday with a passion for classical dance.
Then she was the villainous Mai Jaina in Mera Naam Mangu in the early ’70s — a play about professional beggars — while she excelled in Haseena Moin
Haseena Moin
Haseena Moin is a notable Pakistani dramatist, playwright and writer for radio and television.A native of Kanpur, the most populous city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Hassena Moin received her early education in her ancestral region and, after the partition of India, migrated...
’s Parchaiyaan as part of a star cast comprising Rahat Kazmi, Sahira Kazmi, Shakeel
Shakeel
Shakeel, born Yusuff Kamal , is a Pakistani television actor best known for his roles in Uncle Urfi and Mehboob Ahmed in Aangan Terha. He has also acted in a number of local films as well as an English film, Butterflies are Free...
and Talat Hussain
Talat Hussain
Syed Talat Hussain was executive director of AAJ Television and hosts the famous show Live with Talat. He writes for Newsline, Daily Dawn, Time Magazine, Daily Times , Daily Express and occasionally contributes to India Today.currently he is presenting program on dawn tv titled "news night with...
. She also held her own in Bajiya’s Afshaan, with fellow cast members Shafi Mohammad, Shakeel
Shakeel
Shakeel, born Yusuff Kamal , is a Pakistani television actor best known for his roles in Uncle Urfi and Mehboob Ahmed in Aangan Terha. He has also acted in a number of local films as well as an English film, Butterflies are Free...
, Qazi Wajid
Qazi Wajid
Qazi Wajid is a famous Pakistani actor.-References:...
, Ishrat Hashmi and Begum Khurshid Mirza
Begum Khurshid Mirza
Begum Khurshid Mirza was a Pakistani television actress and film actress in the pre-partition era.-Early life:...
. In short, her histrionic talent set the standards for character acting on Pakistan Television.
Azra Sherwani worked with actors of all generations — from Qazi Wajid
Qazi Wajid
Qazi Wajid is a famous Pakistani actor.-References:...
, Subhani Ba Yunus, Imtiaz Ahmed, Begum Khurshid Mirza
Begum Khurshid Mirza
Begum Khurshid Mirza was a Pakistani television actress and film actress in the pre-partition era.-Early life:...
, Qurban Jilani, Shakeel
Shakeel
Shakeel, born Yusuff Kamal , is a Pakistani television actor best known for his roles in Uncle Urfi and Mehboob Ahmed in Aangan Terha. He has also acted in a number of local films as well as an English film, Butterflies are Free...
, Shafi Mohammad, Talat Iqbal, Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood Hameedi commonly known as Anwar Maqsood Urdu: انور مقصود) is a Pakistani playwright, poet, television host, satirist, humorist, infrequent actor and painter. He has worked in the entertainment industry for over 35 years.-Life and career:Anwar Maqsood studied at the Gulbarga trust...
, Akbar Subhan, Behroze Sabzwari
Behroze Sabzwari
Behroze Sabzwari is a Pakistani Film / Television actor.Behroze began his career from Radio Pakistan as a Radio presenter, In the late 1970s, he started his acting career by starring in a "Live" television children's play Dadajan Nanajan. Behroze has appeared in a number of television commercials...
, Shahnaz Sheikh
Shahnaz Sheikh
Shahnaz Sheikh is a famous hockey player from Pakistan. He was born at Sialkot, Pakistan.A forward, Shahnaz Sheikh played between 1969 and 1978, he was capped 68 times and scored 45 goals. He won Silver in the 1972 Olympics and Bronze in the 1976 Olympics . Shahnaz won 1971 World Cup and was...
, Marina Khan
Marina Khan
For the lawn bowler see Marina Khan Marina Khan is an actress born in Peshawar, Pakistan. She has appeared in drama serials, such as Tanhaiyaan, Dhoop Kinare and Nijaat...
, Ishrat Hashmi, Jamshed Ansari
Jamshed Ansari
Jamsheed Ansari was a Pakistani film, television and radio actor.-Death:Ansari died of a brain tumour on August 24, 2005. Prayers were held at Baitul Mukarram Mosque, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi followed by burial at Khurshidpura Graveyard in Hub, Balochistan.-External links:...
, Babar Ali, Mazhar Ali, Mishi Khan, Atiqa Odho
Atiqa Odho
Atiqa Odho is a Pakistani television and film actress and television host. She debuted in Anwar Maqsood's TV series Sitara aur Mehrunissa and later starred in a string of successful films, including Jo Darr Gya Woh Marr Gya, Mummy and Mujhe Chand Chahiye.-Biography:Odho was born in Karachi,...
, Sania Saeed, Sajid Hasan and Sadia Imam.
When the advent of private productions brought about the decline of quality plays on PTV, Azra Sherwani sustained for some time, working in plays such as Kanwal, Bajiya’s Ghar Ik Nagar and Sultana Siddiqui’s Doosri Duniya. Her most memorable role during the later part of her career was that of Khala Khairan in Riffat Humayun’s serial of the same name. Her character was such that she quarrels with Qazi Wajid, a tenant in the house of Khala’s folks who refuses to either leave or pay the rent.
Remembering her, Qazi Wajid
Qazi Wajid
Qazi Wajid is a famous Pakistani actor.-References:...
, who worked with her the most from 1970s to 2000, said she was a sincere actress and an amazing friend with whom there was not a single moment of boredom. “We were waiting for her to pay us a visit since she was in the US with her son but instead, she bid farewell and left us all.”
Playwright Haseena Moin
Haseena Moin
Haseena Moin is a notable Pakistani dramatist, playwright and writer for radio and television.A native of Kanpur, the most populous city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Hassena Moin received her early education in her ancestral region and, after the partition of India, migrated...
remembers her as an irreplaceable asset who always delivered the very best when it came to acting. “She was a lively character, very sweet and full of life. On the set, she was Azra apa but when the camera rolled, she became the character she was playing and no one could say that she was the same person. All her characters in my plays had shades of positive and negative characteristics and handling them was her forte. She was one of those people who acted for their love of acting and not because of money, which is quite opposite to the acting scenario right now. Getting an actress of her calibre is not only difficult but also impossible. The best thing about her was that she had no issues about her educated background as she easily donned the character of an aaya (Fazeelat) in Dhoop Kinaray while was also the rich begum sahiba (Apa Begum) in Tanhaiyaan.”
Badar Khalil was all praise and said she knew Azra Sherwani even before her marriage to Shahzad Khalil. “To me, she was a great human being and I can’t forget the way she loved me and my husband. She was very upset when my husband passed away since she regarded him as her son and also since he was the one who introduced her on television. After his death, she refused to work for TV for sometime since she felt that she couldn’t go near the TV station without Shahzad there. I still can’t believe that she is no more among us.”
Behroze Sabzwari
Behroze Sabzwari
Behroze Sabzwari is a Pakistani Film / Television actor.Behroze began his career from Radio Pakistan as a Radio presenter, In the late 1970s, he started his acting career by starring in a "Live" television children's play Dadajan Nanajan. Behroze has appeared in a number of television commercials...
became quite emotional when asked about her and said she was a great lady and learned people like her should grace acting since the art needs them. “I knew her for more than 30 years and I can’t forget the love she gave to me. She was jolly on the set, while brave and loving in real life. She treated me more like a son than a colleague as I was very young when I started acting. She was with me when we did Mera Naam Mangu and Saleem Ahmed’s Tabeer and Bajiya’s Aabginay. All those who worked with her miss her but to me, she will always remain special.”
Azra Sherwani was also associated with advertising and was part of renowned advertising agencies, churning out memorable commercials on TV and the print media as a member of the creative and client management departments.
Who among us, the viewers, can forget the pan-chewing, sari-clad and dominating Apa Begum who showed her anger by repeatedly saying: “Warna mujh se bura koi nahin hoga.” In fact, there was no one better than her when it came to character acting as she always portrayed her characters to perfection, making them memorable and lively.
Dramas
- Dhoop Kinarey (1987)
- TanhaiyaanTanhaiyaanTanhaiyaan is a Pakistani drama series which is considered a classic. It is the story of two sisters who lose their parents and go to live with their aunt. In one of the sisters efforts to buy back her parents' house, she realizes what makes a house a home...
(1986) - Uncle UrfiUncle UrfiWritten by Hasina Moin and directed by Mohsin Ali and Shirin Vaqar Azim, Uncle Urfi was a Pakistan Television Corporation serial drama of early seventies. It was aired in 1972 and had such a powerful appeal that it turned into an instant smasher. It twenty-six 30-minute episodes used to be...
(1972) - Aangan TerhaAangan TerhaAangan Terha was a satirical Pakistani television serial presented by the PTV network in the late 1980s. The show starred Salim Nasir, Shakeel, Arshad Mehmood, Durdana Butt and Bushra Ansari in lead roles, was directed by Qaiser Farooq and written by Anwar Maqsood.- Ideology:The Drama is based on...
- Sitara aur Mehr-un-nisa