Khalid Abbas Dar

Khalid Abbas Dar
خالد عباس ڈار
Born
Khalid Abbas Dar

(1942-12-05) December 5, 1942 (age 83)
OccupationsTV Actor, Stage comedian
Years active1955–present
AwardsHilal-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) Award by the Government of Pakistan in 2013
Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) Award by the President of Pakistan in 2007
Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1999

Khalid Abbas Dar (born 1942) is an actor, playwright, director, theatre producer, entertainer, mimic, one-man show and television host in Pakistan. His career spans more than six decades.

Early life and education

Dar was born in Lahore, Punjab on 5 December 1942 into a Kashmiri family to Abdul Malik Dar, director of sports at the Islamia College Lahore, who was vehemently opposed to his son's dreams to join the entertainment industry, eventually excluding him from his social circle when he did.

Following his matriculation from Central Model School, he refused to join his father's Islamia College, opting for Government College, Lahore instead, joining as a cricketer and entertainer; after insisting with Muhammad Ajmal, the principal, he remains the only student to be awarded "GC Roll of Honour" for mimicry and one-man show, in 1966.

Career

Khalid Abbas Dar is an entertainer who performs on radio, television, and theater. He is also an actor and a mimic. He has worked for over five and a half decades and today Khalid Abbas Dar is recognized as a well-known entertainer in Pakistan.

His career spans from 1955 to date. From his earliest recordings for Radio Pakistan, he then went onto television.

In 2009, Khalid Abbas Dar was associated with Express News for the political satire and one-man comedy show Darling.

Radio

Dar started his career as a child performer on Radio Pakistan in 1955. After he continued his career with Radio Pakistan, Lahore, he was known as a well recognised adult voice in dramas and was associated with the popular radio show named Nizam Din daily for 14 years as an extempore companion and alter ego "Mehtab Din".

He was sent by Radio Pakistan, Lahore to the cities and towns to listen to the people's problems and try to resolve those problems highlighted in his radio programme.

Television

Dar began his work on television in 1964, when the first TV station was inaugurated by president Ayub Khan. He was PTV's first one-man show artist. He later played lead roles in numerous television plays and series.

Performing for Pakistan Armed Forces

After the ceasefire in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, he was asked by the Pakistan Armed Forces authorities, in concert with the All Pakistan Music Conference, to go to the front lines with singers including Mehdi Hassan, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, Bade Fateh Ali Khan, Masood Rana, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan, Tufail Niazi, Naseem Begum, Roshan Ara Begum, and Shaukat Ali to entertain the defenders of the country.

Awards and recognition

References

  1. ↑ "Khalid Abbas Dar - Director". www.sundas.org. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Foundation, Sundas. "Khalid Abbas Dar (Director)". Sundas Foundation. Archived from the original on 13 September 2026. Retrieved 13 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Sheikh, Majid (16 March 2025). "harking back: The only recipient of a mimicry 'Roll of Honour'". Dawn. Retrieved 13 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Khalid Abbas Dar – An iconic artiste for all seasons". Business Recorder. Archived from the original on 13 September 2026.
  5. ↑ Adil Najam (17 July 2010). "Khalid Abbas Dar: At His Brilliant Best". All Things Pakistan website. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  6. 1 2 Pamment, Claire (24 May 2017). Comic Performance in Pakistan: The Bhānd (illustrated ed.). Springer, 2017. pp. 137, 138 and 209 via Google Books website. ISBN 978-1137566317. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Profile of Khalid Abbas Dar Archived 6 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine Pakistan Times (newspaper), Retrieved 25 October 2021
  8. ↑ Khalid Abbas Dar's Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award info Dawn (newspaper), Published 24 March 2007, Retrieved 25 October 2021
  9. ↑ Khalid Abbas Dar's Hilal-i-Imtiaz Award info The Express Tribune (newspaper), Published 13 August 2012, Retrieved 25 October 2021
  10. ↑ "Radio Pakistan organizes colorful Diamond Jubilee Awards 2022". radio.gov.pk. Retrieved 4 July 2023.