How a Presidential invitation changed Moin Akhtar’s career

The late Moin Akhtar, one of Pakistan's most beloved entertainers, faced many challenges, especially from those closest to him.

 In a recent episode of the Suno Digital podcast, veteran writer Nasir Adeeb, a close friend of Moin Akhtar's, shared a revealing moment from the superstar comedian's early career that changed everything.

"Moin Akhtar started working in the show and became famous. One day his father called him and scolded him. He said, 'I gave you life, raised you, sent you to school, and even tolerated it when you ran away from school. I tolerated all of that. But now you’ve become this comedian, this clown. What is this work? Making people laugh? What is this,'" Nasir recounted.

Despite the harsh words, Moin Akhtar took the scolding in silence.

The Maula Jatt writer explained, “Moin Akhtar silently took the scolding. He had great tolerance. The thing about big people is that they have great tolerance; they listen to everything. They think deeply about everything. If you want to see tolerance, listen to some of their speeches.”

 “When they used to give speeches, there was a storm inside them. But when they spoke in front of people, they were so calm that no one could tell what was going on inside. Big people are like the ocean. Their surface is calm, but beneath the surface, there are storms that move fish, stones, and trees from one place to another. But the surface remains calm,” Nasir said while reminiscing about his friend.

The turning point in Moin’s life came when someone invited him to host a show for former President and Army chief Pervez Musharraf.

“Then when Moin Akhtar was invited to host a show for Pervez Musharraf, his father said, 'Okay, now you can do this work.' He then asked, 'Take me to the show.' So, they took him to the show, and Moin Akhtar’s journey from there to the Pervez Musharraf show proved one thing, sometimes, Moin Akhtar had to prove that he was the son of Abbas Ibrahim, and then, Abbas Ibrahim proudly said, 'I am the father of Moin Akhtar.' That was his journey.

The host asked, “What were the other famous plays and dramas Moin Akhtar did?”

Nasir Adeeb replied, “All the plays that came on TV, you can’t just say one was good. Every play he did was a superhit. I told you, whatever he did was remarkable, and no one could do it like he did. One of his stage plays was Bakra Qiston Pay. Another one was Budha Ghar Par Hai. Believe me, in Bakra Qiston Pay, I laughed so much that I had to stop watching because I couldn’t laugh anymore.