Talat Hussain | |
|---|---|
طلعت حسین | |
| Born | Talat Hussain Warsi (1940-09-18)18 September 1940 |
| Died | 26 May 2024(2024-05-26) (aged 83) |
| Alma mater | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupation(s) | Actor Radio host Teacher |
| Years active | 1962–2024 |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Sitara-i-Imtiaz (2021) Pride of Performance (1982) |
Talat Hussain Warsi (18 September 1940 – 26 May 2024) was a Pakistani actor and radio host.
The son of Shaista Begum, who was one of the pioneering voices ofRadio Pakistan,[1] he was called "the PakistaniLaurence Olivier" for his versatility and his later role as mentor to other actors.[2]
Talat Hussain was born inDelhi,British India on 18 September 1940, his parents moving toKarachi soon after partition, where his mother Shaista Begum joined Radio Pakistan as a broadcaster.[2] His father was a civil servant.[3]
He earned hisBachelor of Arts degree fromIslamia College and in 1972 he enrolled in theLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.[2]
One of his first movies wasChiragh Jalta Raha (1962), where he played a supporting role, now considered a classic, and in 1967 he joined Radio Pakistan as a voiceover artist.[2]
He then shared the screen with some important names of Pakistan's cinema, such asWaheed Murad inIshara (1969) orMohammad Ali inInsaan Aur Admi (1970).[3]
In the 1970s and the 1980s the country witnessed the rise ofPTV television serials, Talat Hussain playing lead roles in popular serials such asBandish (1976).[3]
In the later part of his career he used to play character roles marked by maturity, like inKashkol (1993).[3]
Talat Hussain worked in several foreign films, television drama serials and long plays, including the Turkish movieMalkoçolu Ölüm Fedaileri (1971),[2]Channel Four's television serialsTraffik (1989) andFamily Pride (1991). In 2006, Hussain won theAmanda Award for the Best Supporting Role in the Norwegian filmImport-Eksport (2005).[1] He also appeared in the Indian filmSouten Ki Beti (1989) and made a guest appearance inJinnah (1998).[1]
As of 2012, he was a faculty member at theNational Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Karachi where he taught acting.[1][4]
He was also the director of theArts Council of Pakistan Karachi's theatre department.[2]
He wrote short stories, includingSanduq andTaza Bastiyan that have been theatrically enacted by his students, and was working on novels at the time of his death.[2]
He also composedprose poetry.[5]
In the 1980s he recorded a narration of a translation of theQur'an in Urdu, which remains popular.[6]
Hussain was married to Rakhshanda Hussain, a professor of psychology at theUniversity of Karachi. They had three children, two daughters and one son: Tazeen, the eldest daughter, was a television actress before quitting after her wedding, while younger daughter Roohaina, has a few television plays to her credit.[1]
In February 2012, Talat Hussain revealed that he had caught a skin allergy in 2010, which developed complications due to incorrect treatment by a local cosmetologist. He said "I couldn't even talk properly, let alone walk or sit after the treatment."[4]
Hussain died in Karachi on 26 May 2024, at the age of 83.[7]
Talat Hussain's career was recorded by the authorHuma Mir in the bookYeh Hain Talat Hussain. In 2014, tributes were paid to him at an event at theArts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, by many television personalities, including playwrightHaseena Moin, veteran TV actor/playwright ofAlif Noon (1982) fame;Kamal Ahmed Rizvi; journalistMazhar Abbas; and veteran TV actorQazi Wajid.[8]
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Channel | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Parchaiyan | Shiraz | PTV | [1][4] | ||
| Bandish | Shahzad | |||||
| Gangsters | Detox Doctor | BBC | English production, 2 episodes | |||
| 1979 | Typist | Safdar Ali | ||||
| 1980 | Rabta | Tahir | ||||
| Waiting Room | Kamal Akmal | |||||
| 1982 | Sarab | Shahid | ||||
| 1985 | Karawaan | Tofeeq Ahmed | ||||
| 1989 | Traffik | Drug lord Tariq Butt | Channel 4 | English production | [1] | |
| 1990 | Kareem Sahab Ka Ghar | Kareem | PTV | |||
| 1993 | Kashkol | Fazal Jah | NTM | [1] | ||
| 1994 | Umedon Ke Saye |  |  | PTV | ||
| 1997 | Hawain | Meer Muhammad | ||||
| 2000 | Aansoo | Doctor Ahsan | ||||
| Sath Sath Ya Alag Alag | | | ||||
| 2001 | Doordesh | Raja | ||||
| 2002 | Des Pardes | Malik Nasir | ||||
| Thori Khushi Thora Gham | Shamsheer | |||||
| The Castle: Aik Umeed | Fawad Ali Syed | |||||
| 2004 | Meharun Nisa | Yousuf | Indus TV/Zee TV | |||
| Ana | Agha Jalal Khan | ARY Digital | ||||
| 2005 | Riyasat | Qadir Jogi | ||||
| 2011 | Dolly Aunty Ka Dream Villa | Malik Nazeer | Geo TV | |||
| 2016 | Mann Mayal | Rehman | Hum TV | |||
| 2019 | Damsa | Sohail | ARY Digital | |||
| 2023 | Na Tumhain Khabar Na Humien Khabar | Mansoor | AanTV |
| Ceremony | Category | Project | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Lux Style Awards | Best Film Actor | Laaj | Nominated |
| 4th Lux Style Awards | Best TV Actor (Satellite) | Ana | |
| 5th Lux Style Awards | Yeh Bhi Kisi Ki Bayti Hai | Won | |
| Riyasat | Nominated | ||
| 8th Lux Style Awards | Best TV Actor (Terrestrial) | Kabhi Aye Na Judai | Won |
Mr Hussain also wrote prose poems.
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| National | |
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