Athar Shah Khan Jaidi

Athar Shah Khan (Urdu:اطہر شاہ خان; January 1, 1943 – May 10, 2020) was a Pakistani comedian, poet and writer. He performed in many of his plays, dramas, and films scripted for Radio Pakistan, Pakistan Television, and Lollywood. He is more popularly known by his own-created character Jaidi (جیدی). He is the recipient of the Pride of Performance Award (2001).

Ather Shah Khan
اطہر شاہ خان
Born	Ather Shah Khan (1943-01-01)1 January 1943 Rampur, Rampur State, British India
Died	10 May 2020(2020-05-10) (aged 76) Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Nationality	Pakistani
Occupations	Comedian writer poet
Years active	1970–1997
Known for	Mr. Jaedi (character)
Awards	Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan^[1]

Early life and education

Born on 1st January 1943 in the Indian city of Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, Athar Shah Khan arrived in Karachi in 1947. Later, he settled in Lahore.^[2] He gained his primary education in Lahore and secondary education in Peshawar. He completed his graduate degree from Urdu Science College, now Federal Urdu University in Karachi. Later, he gained a Masters in Journalism from University of the Punjab Lahore. In 1957, he moved back to Karachi.^[3][4][5]

Career

Khan started his career as a writer from Radio Pakistan and wrote around 700 plays.^[4] His radio play Rang Hi Rang Jedi Ke Sang (1973) aired for more than 17 years. He gained popularity by acting out his own-created character Jaidi in a PTV series "Intezar Farmaye" which was telecasted in 1975. His first film as a writer was Bazi which was released in 1970. The film presented both Muhammad Ali and Nadeem together for the first time. He also wrote story of the platinum jubilee Punjabi film Manji Kithay Dahwan (1974).^{[6][7][8][9][10]}

Notable television plays

Khan provided many dramas on Pakistan Television, including:^[11][12]

• Intezar Farmaiay
• Lakhon mein teen
• Ba adab ba mulahiza hoshiyar
• Haye jaidi
• Hello Hello
• Burger Family

Filmography

• Bazi (1970)^[13]
• Manji Kithay Dahwan (1974)^[14]

Books

• Taank Jhaank, a collection of humorous poetry.^[15]

Personal life

Khan was married and had four sons.^[10]

Death

Khan died in Karachi on 10 May 2020, at age 76. He suffered a heart attack and was also diabetic. His funeral prayer was offered at Masjid-i-Aqsa in Gulshan-i-Iqbal and he is buried in the Sakhi Hasan Graveyard, Karachi.^{[7][16][11][17]}

Awards

• Pride of Performance (2001)^[7]
• PTV Gold Medal (1989)^[10]

References

1. . Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
2. "DAWN - Features; June 26, 2008". DAWN.COM. 26 June 2008.
3. Munir, Fahad (10 May 2020). "Athar Shah Khan (Jedi) Passed away in Karachi".
4. "Veteran Pakistani actor, poet and writer Athar Shah Khan 'Jaidi' passes away in Karachi". Retrieved 10 May 2020.
5. "Athar Shah Khan, acclaimed writer and comedian, passes away in Karachi". The News Pk. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
6. Sohail, Riaz (20 May 2020). "معروف مزاح نگار، اداکار و شاعر اطہر شاہ، جیدی کیسے بنے؟". BBC Urdu (in Urdu).
7. "Popular Pakistani actor-writer Athar Shah Khan 'Jedi' passes away". Khaleej Times.
8. "All writings of Athar Shah Khan Jaidi". Rekhta.
9. "Writer, comedian Athar Shah Khan passes away - Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk.
10. Akhtar, Akhtar Ali (12 May 2020). "قہقہوں کی بارش تھم گئی! اطہر شاہ خان جیدی چلے گئے". Roznama Jang (in Urdu).
11. "Writer, Comedian and Poet Athar Shah Khan passes away". 10 May 2020.
12. Shaukat, Sarah (10 May 2020). "Industry Veteran Athar Shah Khan Passes Away | Box Office Detail".
13. "Urdu film Bazi". Pak Film Magazine. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
14. "Punjabi film Manji Kithay Dahwan". Pak Film Magazine. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
15. Jedi, Athar Shah Khan (10 May 2010). Tank Jhank. al Siddiq Publications. OCLC 769666822 – via Open WorldCat.
16. "Athar Shah Khan, acclaimed writer and comedian, passes away in Karachi". www.thenews.com.pk.
17. "Athar Shah Khan 'Jedi' passes away". The Express Tribune. 10 May 2020.