Mustafa Qureshi | |
---|---|
Born |
Mustafa Qureshi 11 May 1938 Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan |
Occupation | film actor |
Years active | 1967- present |
Spouse(s) | Rubina Qureshi |
Children | Aamir Qureshi |
Relatives | Aijaz Qureshi (nephew) |
Mustafa Qureshi (Urdu: مصطفی قریشی, Sindhi: مُصطفي قريشي) is a film and television actor from Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan.
Mustafa Qureshi was born in Hyderabad (now in Pakistan) on 11 May, 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.
He did regret being typecast as he wished to show his versatility in acting. He has 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). Mustafa Qureshi initially could not see himself becoming an actor. So he had to be convinced by Raza Mir. Finally Qureshi reluctantly agreed to do the film. His film career has lasted 45 years so far in 2016.
"The world may see him as the quintessential villain but the veteran actor Mustafa Qureshi is down-to-earth, extremely unpretentious and quite accessible. Unlike his on-screen persona, the actor speaks his mind on a variety of issues....," This is a direct quote from a newspaper columnist who interviewed him, from a major English language newspaper in Pakistan.