Roohi Bano
Pakistani actress (1951–2019)
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Roohi Bano (Urdu: روحی بانو) (10 August 1951 – 25 January 2019) was a Pakistani actress who was known for her roles in television dramas Kiran Kahani, Zard Gulab, and Darwaza.[3][4][5] She along with Uzma Gillani, Tahira Naqvi and Khalida Riyasat dominated Pakistan's television screens from the 1970s, to the 1990s.[6] She was known as the Queen of Melancholy because of her portrayal of mournful and pessimistic roles in dramas and films.[1]
Roohi Bano | |
|---|---|
| روحی بانو | |
| Born | Roohi Bano 10 August 1951 |
| Died | 25 January 2019 (aged 67) |
| Other name | The Queen of Melancholy[1] |
| Education | Government College University, Lahore |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1968 – 2010 |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Alla Rakha (father) Zeenat Begum (mother) |
| Relatives | Rubina Yasmeen (sister) Taufiq Qureshi (half-brother) Zakir Hussain (half-brother) Fazal Qureshi (half-brother) Isabella Qureshi (niece) Anisa Qureshi (niece) Razia Khan (half-sister) Bilquis Hussain (step-sister) Khurshid Aulia (half-sister) Shikaar Naad Qureshi (nephew) Faryal Mehmood (grand niece) |
| Awards | Pride of Performance (1981)[2] |
Early life
Roohi Bano was born in Karachi on 10 August 1951.[7] She was the daughter of Alla Rakha, a noted tabla player of India and half-sister of Indian music virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain.[8][9][4]
Career
Roohi joined television when she was doing her Masters in Psychology from the Government College, Lahore.[10][11]
She is reported to have "witnessed the birth of the television industry in Pakistan...".[3] Bano's first major breakthrough came in 1973 with her performance as the cheerful Kiran in PTV's Kiran Kahani.[12] Her next performance was of an elite class girl in Zair, Zabar, Pesh.[12] She then portrayed Simi in the television adaptation of Altaf Fatima's Dastak Na Do, which broadcast from PTV's Lahore center.[12] Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, she appeared in nearly 150 TV dramas, including celebrated works like Zard Gulab, and Darwaza.[4] In 1981, she was conferred the Pride of Performance award by the President of Pakistan.[2][10] She also earned many PTV awards, notably Nigar Award, Graduate Award and Lux Lifetime Achievement Award.[2][13]
Personal life
Roohi married twice but both of her marriages were unsuccessful. She had one son.[4]
Later life and death
In 2005, her 20-year-old only son was murdered by unidentified killers near his residence in Gulberg III, Lahore. His body was dumped alongside a fence where a passerby spotted it. After her son's murder, Roohi had abandoned her acting career, led a lonely life in Lahore and she never fully recovered from this tragic event in her life.[3][11] In her later life, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.[4] She also spent some years at the well known rehabilitation centre Fountain House in Lahore. Her sister had her admitted to the rehabilitation centre in 2005.[4][14][11]
Roohi died in Istanbul on 25 January 2019.[15] She had had kidney disease and a mental disorder. She had been on a ventilator for 10 days before she died.[16] According to her sister, Rubina Yasmeen, her family had travelled to Istanbul, Turkey to be with her in her last days.[11][7][17]
Filmography
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Dastak Na Do | Simi | PTV |
| 1973 | Kiran Kahani | Kiran Asim | |
| 1974 | Zair, Zabar, Pesh | Sabeen | |
| 1975 | Dastan-e-Habib | Mumtaz | |
| Ishtebah-e-Nazar | Feroza | ||
| Maraat-e-Muhabbat | Shahida | ||
| 1979 | Pakki Haveli | Reshma | |
| Kacha Sheesha | Saima | ||
| 1980 | Karwan | Mina | |
| 1981 | Darwaza | Zareena Chaudhry | |
| Kaanch Ka Pul | Shahida | ||
| Dehleez | Saeeda Naseem | ||
| 1982 | Zard Gulab | Jeevni | |
| Dhund | Bella | ||
| Sarab | Nashi | ||
| 1983 | Adhay Chehray | Bushra | |
| Silver Jubilee | Herself | ||
| 1984 | Gardish | Saba | |
| 1985 | Bazgasht | Nasreen | |
| Apnay Loag | Irene | ||
| 1987 | Gardish | Begum Sahiba | |
| 1989 | Neelay Hath | Zainab | |
| 1990 | Kache Pakke Rang | Sakeena | |
| 1991 | Kala Diara | Angie | |
| 1992 | Nasheman | Parveen | |
| 1994 | Sood-o-Zea | Muneeza | |
| 1996 | Qila Kahani | Rubina | |
| 2010 | Aik Aur Aurat | Azra | Hum TV |
Telefilm
| Year | Title | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Aakhri Geet | Reshma | PTV |
Film
| Year | Film | Language |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Umang | Urdu |
| Palki | ||
| 1976 | Insan Aur Farishta | |
| Goonj Uthi Shehnai | ||
| Rastay Ka Pathar | ||
| 1977 | Tipu Sultan | |
| 1978 | Khuda Aur Mohabbat | |
| Dushman Ki Talash | Urdu / Pashto | |
| 1980 | Zamir | Urdu |
| Samjhota | ||
| Aazmaish | ||
| 1981 | Dil Ek Khilona | |
| Kiran Aur Kali | ||
| Bara Aadmi | ||
| 1983 | Kainat | |
| 1984 | Aaj Ka Insan |
Tribute and honours
In 2019 on February 3 Pakistan National Council of the Arts paid tributes to her and described her a dignified, refined and polished artist.[18] In 2021 on August 16 the Government of Pakistan named a street and intersection after her in Lahore.[19]
Awards and recognition
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | PTV Award | Best Actress | Won | Zair, Zabar, Pesh | [2] |
| 1976 | Nigar Award | Special Award | Won | Insan Aur Farishta | [20][2] |
| 1978 | Film Graduate Awards | Best Actress | Won | Khuda Aur Mohabbat | [2] |
| 1981 | Pride of Performance | Award by the President of Pakistan | Won | Herself | [2] |
| 1981 | Film Graduate Awards | Best Actress | Won | Kiran Aur Kali | [9] |
| 1982 | PTV Award | Best Actress | Nominated | Karwan | [2] |
| 1983 | Film Graduate Awards | Best Actress | Won | Kainat | [9] |
| 1983 | PTV Award | Best Actress | Won | Zard Gulab | [2] |
| 2010 | 9th Lux Style Awards | Unilever Chairman's Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | Herself | [2] |
| 2011 | 1st Hum Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | Herself | [21] |