Veteran TV director Nusrat Thakur’s 12th death anniversary observed

Nusrat Thakur (extreme right) with Tahira Wasti and Khalid Abbas Dar.–File photo

Veteran TV producer, director and radio artiste Nusrat Thakur’s 12th death anniversary was observed on Sunday (November 7).

Nusrat had passed away at Lahore’s Doctors’ Hospital on November 7, 2009, after a brief illness caused by diabetes-related complications. He was 72.

Nusrat’s was known for quality TV plays throughout his career at PTV’s Lahore Centre. Born in Lahore in 1937, Nusrat was one of the torchbearers of the golden age of the Pakistani television drama. He was the son of M.J. Thakur, also a well-known radio and TV artiste of his time.

After completing his education, Nusrat followed into his father’s footsteps and joined the Radio Pakistan. He did not achieve the iconic status of his father on the airwaves, but he definitely benefited from his experience and polished his skills as a TV director.

Nusrat joined Radio Pakistan’s Lahore Station in ’60s and served as a drama artiste for years. Later, he joined the Pakistan Television in the late ’60s as duty officer and then became an assistant producer. He also worked as an assistant to well-known TV producer Yawar Hayat. In his later years, Nusrat also served as general manager of PTV’s Lahore Station.

Nusrat became a producer in the early ’70s and he had a number of plays and serials to his credit. However, drama serial Waris, written by Amjad Islam Amjad, shot him to fame. Waqt, Ghulam Gardish, Piyas, tele-theatres Khwaish and Raat Rail aur Khat were some of other plays and serials that earned him the recognition he deserved.

Nusrat had introduced new actors like Iffat Raheem, Aaminah Haq and Adnan Siddiqui alongside Abid Ali, Rasheed Naz and Ajab Gul in the drama serial Ghulam Gardish and the drama proved a huge success.

Most of his productions featured his favourites like Abid Ali, Firdaus Jamal and Mehboob Alam and were written by playwrights like Asghar Nadeem Syed and Amjad Islam Amjad. The rise of private production and decline in PTV’s production standards made Nusrat quit after serving Pakistan’s entertainment industry for 40 long years.

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