Veteran actor Anwar Iqbal Baloch passes away due to illness

The senior artist played a number of memorable characters in Urdu and Sindhi dramas.  Ahmed Iqbal, Anwar’s brother and the owner of Wash TV; told that Anwar had been suffering from multiple diseases. He was diabetic and had stomach issues. Another relative said the actor was battling cancer. His health deteriorated recently and he was admitted to a private hospital in Karachi where he breathed his last. A few months ago, Anwar’s wife had also passed away; a close relative said. The actor has left behind four daughters. His funeral prayers will be offered at Baitul Mukarram mosque in Gulshan-i-Iqbal after Isha prayers; he will be laid to rest at the Mewa Shah graveyard.

Who was Anwar Iqbal?

According to Ahmed, his brother had done his Master’s from the University of Karachi and began his career in TV dramas in the 1970s. He worked in several PTV dramas and films;  made Pakistan’s first Balochi film ‘Hammal O Mahganj’; about the Baloch hero Hammal Mahganj who defeated Portuguese invaders in the coastal belt of Balochistan including Gwadar.

Moreover, Ramzan Baloch, a veteran writer from Lyari; told that Anwar was born in Baghdadi; Lyari, and his family subsequently shifted to Muslimabad. His father Haji Iqbal was a politician and businessman who had started a travel agency when PIA launched a service between Karachi and Makran in the 1960s. About Hammal O Mahganj; Ramzan said Anwar made the film in 1974 at the Eastern Studio and performed Mahganj’s role himself.

National Awami Party (NAP):

Furthermore, The order for its release in cinemas was passed; however, workers of the then National Awami Party (NAP) launched a massive protest against the film, contending that it might destroy the Baloch culture “on the pattern of the Pakhtun culture” which was allegedly harmed by Pashto films. The protesters allegedly resorted to violence and attacked cinemas, due to which the film could not be screened for up to 30-40 years.

Sad demise of legendary actor Anwar Iqbal Baloch, who produced 1st Balochi movie “Hammal o Mahganj ” back in 1976. A very fine actor and a kind soul, a big loss to the Pakistan film/drama industry. May his soul rest in peace. 🤲 pic.twitter.com/7yyObOQH8a

— Naz Baloch (@NazBaloch_) July 1, 2021

The writer opined that the controversy over the film was basically the outcome of a conflict between PPP and NAP workers, and that had it been released at the time, the film might have opened avenues for more Balochi films and created more actors and stories.