Stars pay tribute to the ‘institution’ that was veteran actor Qavi Khan

Veteran actor Qavi Khan, who was under treatment in Canada for a kidney-related disease, passed away at the age of 80 on Sunday.

Social media saw an outpouring of grief as news broke of the Pride of Performance and Sitara-i-Imtiaz recipient’s death.

In a statement, Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed grief over the demise of the veteran actor.

Former prime minister Imran Khan also expressed condolences on his death. “Saddened to learn of the passing of famous actor Qavi Khan. My prayers and condolences go to his family,” the PTI chairman tweeted after learning about the actor’s death.

The death of Khan has created a void that cannot be filled, senior theatre producer Qaiser Javed said.

Actors Imran Ashraf Awan, Sami Khan, Farhan Saeed and Ali Zafar paid tribute to the legendary artist.

Actors Zara Tareen and Imran Abbas bid the “father-like figure” goodbye, saying he was among the last of the legends.

Actor Adnan Siddiqui said that there will be no other like him.

Fahad Mustafa and Sajal Aly consider themselves “blessed” and “fortunate” to have gotten the chance to work next to the “maestro”.

Arslan Naseer feels blessed to have acted alongside him.

Indian singer Adnan Sami also paid tribute to Khan and offered his condolences to his family.

Host Shaista Lodhi and former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar talked about the “beautiful people from our childhood” leaving the world “one after the other”.

Actors Usman Mukhtar and Yasir Hussain also paid tribute to the late actor.

Arts councils have also announced holding condolence references in Khan’s memory.

Khan started his career as a child star from Radio Pakistan, Peshawar — his birth city. In 1964, he started working at Pakistan Television, becoming one of its early stars.

He started his professional career with a play, Lakhon Mein Aik, however, it was Andhera Ujala that earned him immense fame across Pakistan. His other TV plays include Fishaar, Lahori Gate, Muthi Bhar Matti, Bait­yaan, Cinderella, and Durr-i-Shahwar.

In 1965, Qavi joined the film industry. Some of his films include Mauhabbat Zindagi Hai, Chand Suraj, Sarfarosh, Kalay Chor, and Zameen Asman.