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We went to the beach looking for Gulls and were approached by this Eunuch for money. They don't have many options to look after themselves as people do not give them jobs so easily so they resort to begging or prostitution.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_(South_Asia)
Hijra (for translations, see [n 1]) is a term used in South Asia – particularly in India and Pakistan – to refer to trans women (male-to-female transgender individuals).[1][2] In different areas of Pakistan and India, transgender people are also known as Aravani, Aruvani or Jagappa.[3]
In Pakistan and Bangladesh, the hijras are officially recognized as third gender by the government,[4][5] being neither completely male nor female. In India also, transgender people have been given the status of third gender and are protected as per the law despite the social ostracism. The term more commonly advocated by social workers and transgender community members themselves is khwaja sira (Urdu: خواجہ سرا) and can identify the individual as a transsexual person, transgender person (khusras), cross-dresser (zenanas) or eunuch (narnbans).[6][7]
Hijras have a recorded history in the Indian subcontinent from antiquity onwards as suggested by the Kama Sutra period. This history features a number of well-known roles within subcontinental cultures, part gender-liminal, part spiritual and part survival.
In South Asia, many hijras live in well-defined and organised all-hijra communities, led by a guru.[8][9] These communities have sustained themselves over generations by "adopting" boys who are in abject poverty, rejected by, or flee, their family of origin.[10] Many work as sex workers for survival.[11]
The word "hijra" is an Urdu word derived from the Semitic Arabic root hjr in its sense of "leaving one's tribe,"[12] and has been borrowed into Hindi. The Indian usage has traditionally been translated into English as "eunuch" or "hermaphrodite," where "the irregularity of the male genitalia is central to the definition."[13] However, in general hijras are born with typically male physiology, only a few having been born with intersex variations.[14] Some Hijras undergo an initiation rite into the hijra community called nirwaan, which refers to the removal of the penis, scrotum and testicles.[11]
Since the late 20th century, some hijra activists and Western non-government organizations (NGOs) have lobbied for official recognition of the hijra as a kind of "third sex" or "third gender," as neither man nor woman.[15] Hijras have successfully gained this recognition in Bangladesh and are eligible for priority in education.[16] In India, the Supreme Court in April 2014 recognised hijra and transgender people as a 'third gender' in law.[17][18][19]
Nepal, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh have all legally recognized the existence of a third gender, including on passports and other official documents.
Terminology
The Urdu and Hindi word hijra may alternately be romanized as hijira, hijda, hijada, hijara, hijrah and is pronounced [ˈɦɪdʒɽaː]. This term is generally considered derogatory in Urdu and the word Khwaja Sara is used instead. Another such term is khasuaa (खसुआ) or khusaraa (खुसरा). In Bengali hijra is called হিজড়া, hijra, hijla, hijre, hizra, or hizre.
A number of terms across the culturally and linguistically diverse Indian subcontinent represent similar sex or gender categories. While these are rough synonyms, they may be better understood as separate identities due to regional cultural differences. In Odia, a hijra is referred to as hinjida, hinjda or napunsaka, in Telugu, as napunsakudu (నపుంసకుడు), kojja (కొజ్జ) or maada (మాడ), in Tamil Nadu, Thiru nangai (mister woman), Ali, aravanni, aravani, or aruvani, in Punjabi, khusra and jankha, in Sindhi khadra, in Gujarati, pavaiyaa (પાવૈયા).
In North India, the goddess Bahuchara Mata is worshipped by Pavaiyaa (પાવૈયા). In South India, the goddess Renuka is believed to have the power to change one's sex. Male devotees in female clothing are known as Jogappa. They perform similar roles to hijra, such as dancing and singing at birth ceremonies and weddings.[21]
The word kothi (or koti) is common across India, similar to the Kathoey of Thailand, although kothis are often distinguished from hijras. Kothis are regarded as feminine men or boys who take a feminine role in sex with men, but do not live in the kind of intentional communities that hijras usually live in. Additionally, not all kothis have undergone initiation rites or the body modification steps to become a hijra.[22] Local equivalents include durani (Kolkata), menaka (Cochin),[23] meti (Nepal), and zenana (Pakistan).
Hijra used to be translated in English as "eunuch" or "hermaphrodite,"[13] although LGBT historians or human rights activists have sought to include them as being transgender.[24] In a series of meetings convened between October 2013 and Jan 2014 by the transgender experts committee of India's Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, hijra and other trans activists asked that the term "eunuch" be discontinued from usage in government documents, as it is not a term with which the communities identify.
Gender and sexuality
These identities have no exact match in the modern Western taxonomy of gender and sexual orientation,[24] and challenge Western ideas of sex and gender.[11]
In India, some Hijras do not define themselves by specific sexual orientation, but rather by renouncing sexuality altogether. Sexual energy is transformed into sacred powers. However, these notions can come in conflict with the practical, which is that hijras are often employed as prostitutes.[25] Furthermore, in India a feminine male who takes a "receptive" role in sex with a man will often identify as a kothi (or the local equivalent term). While kothis are usually distinguished from hijras as a separate gender identity, they often dress as women and act in a feminine manner in public spaces, even using feminine language to refer to themselves and each other. The usual partners of hijras and kothis are men who consider themselves heterosexual as they are the ones who penetrate.[26] These male partners are often married, and any relationships or sex with "kothis" or hijras are usually kept secret from the community at large. Some hijras may form relationships with men and even marry,[27] although their marriage is not usually recognized by law or religion. Hijras and kothis often have a name for these masculine sexual or romantic partners; for example, panthi in Bangladesh, giriya in Delhi or sridhar in Cochin.[23]
Social status and economic circumstances
Most hijras live at the margins of society with very low status; the very word "hijra" is sometimes used in a derogatory manner. The Indian lawyer and author Rajesh Talwar has written a book highlighting the human rights abuses suffered by the community titled 'The Third Sex and Human Rights.'[28] Few employment opportunities are available to hijras. Many get their income from extortion (forced payment by disrupting work/life using demonstrations and interference), performing at ceremonies (toli), begging (dheengna), or sex work ('raarha')—an occupation of eunuchs also recorded in premodern times. Violence against hijras, especially hijra sex workers, is often brutal, and occurs in public spaces, police stations, prisons, and their homes.[29] As with transgender people in most of the world, they face extreme discrimination in health, housing, education, employment, immigration, law, and any bureaucracy that is unable to place them into male or female gender categories.[30]
In 2008, HIV prevalence was 27.6% amongst hijra sex workers in Larkana.[6] The general prevalence of HIV among the adult Pakistani population is estimated at 0.1%.[31]
In October 2013, Pakistani Christians and Muslims (Shia and Sunni) put pressure on the landlords of Imamia Colony to evict any transgender residents. "Generally in Pakistan, Khwaja Sira are not under threat. But they are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province because of a 'new Islam' under way", I.A. Rehman, the director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.[32]
In a study of Bangladeshi hijras, participants reported not being allowed to seek healthcare at the private chambers of doctors, and experiencing abuse if they go to government hospitals.[33]
Beginning in 2006, hijras were engaged to accompany Patna city revenue officials to collect unpaid taxes, receiving a 4-percent commission.[34]
Since India's Supreme Court re-criminalized homosexual sex on 13 December 2013, there has been a sharp increase in the physical, psychological and sexual violence against the transgender community by the Indian Police Service, nor are they investigating even when sexual assault against them is reported.[35]
On 15 April 2014, in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India, the Supreme Court of India ruled that transgender people should be treated as a third category of gender or as a socially and economically "backward" class entitled to proportional access and representation in education and jobs.[36]
Language
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The hijra community due to its peculiar place in sub-continental society which entailed marginalisation yet royal privileges developed a secret language known as Hijra Farsi. The language has a sentence structure loosely based on Urdu and a unique vocabulary of at least a thousand words. Beyond the Urdu-Hindi speaking areas of subcontinent the vocabulary is still used by the hijra community within their own native languages.
In South Asian politics
In 2013, transgender people in Pakistan were given their first opportunity to stand for election.[37] Sanam Fakir, a 32-year-old hijra, ran as an independent candidate for Sukkur, Pakistan's general election in May.[38]
The governments of both India (1994)[39] and Pakistan (2009)[40] have recognized hijras as a "third sex", thus granting them the basic civil rights of every citizen. In India, hijras now have the option to identify as a eunuch ("E") on passports and on certain government documents. They are not, however, fully accommodated; in order to vote, for example, citizens must identify as either male or female. There is also further discrimination from the government. In the 2009 general election, India's election committee denied three hijras candidature unless they identified themselves as either male or female.
In April 2014, Justice KS Radhakrishnan declared transgender to be the third gender in Indian law, in a case brought by the National Legal Services Authority (Nalsa) against Union of India and others.[17][18][19] The ruling said:[41]
Seldom, our society realises or cares to realise the trauma, agony and pain which the members of Transgender community undergo, nor appreciates the innate feelings of the members of the Transgender community, especially of those whose mind and body disown their biological sex. Our society often ridicules and abuses the Transgender community and in public places like railway stations, bus stands, schools, workplaces, malls, theatres, hospitals, they are sidelined and treated as untouchables, forgetting the fact that the moral failure lies in the society's unwillingness to contain or embrace different gender identities and expressions, a mindset which we have to change.
Justice Radhakrishnan said that transgender people should be treated consistently with other minorities under the law, enabling them to access jobs, healthcare and education.[42] He framed the issue as one of human rights, saying that, "These TGs, even though insignificant in numbers, are still human beings and therefore they have every right to enjoy their human rights", concluding by declaring that:[41]
Hijras, Eunuchs, apart from binary gender, be treated as "third gender" for the purpose of safeguarding their rights under Part III of our Constitution and the laws made by the Parliament and the State Legislature.
Transgender persons' right to decide their self-identified gender is also upheld and the Centre and State Governments are directed to grant legal recognition of their gender identity such as male, female or as third gender.
A bill supported by all political parties was tabled in Indian parliament to ensure transgender people get benefits akin reserved communities like SC/STs and is taking steps to see that they get enrollment in schools and jobs in government besides protection from sexual harassment.[43]
History
The ancient Kama Sutra mentions the performance of fellatio by feminine people of a third sex (tritiya prakriti).[44] This passage has been variously interpreted as referring to men who desired other men, so-called eunuchs ("those disguised as males, and those that are disguised as females"[45]), male and female trans people ("the male takes on the appearance of a female and the female takes on the appearance of the male"),[46] or two kinds of biological males, one dressed as a woman, the other as a man.[47]
During the era of the British Raj, authorities attempted to eradicate hijras, whom they saw as "a breach of public decency."[48] Anti-hijra laws were repealed; but a law outlawing castration, a central part of the hijra community, was left intact, though rarely enforced. Also during British rule in India they were placed under the Criminal Tribes Act 1871 and labelled a "criminal tribe," hence subjected to compulsory registration, strict monitoring and stigmatized for a long time; after independence however they were denotified in 1952, though the centuries-old stigma continues.[49]
In religion
The Indian transgender hijras or Aravanis ritually marry the Hindu god Aravan and then mourn his ritual death (seen) in an 18-day festival in Koovagam, India.
Many practice a form of syncretism that draws on multiple religions; seeing themselves to be neither men nor women, hijras practice rituals for both men and women.
Hijras belong to a special caste. They are usually devotees of the mother goddess Bahuchara Mata, Lord Shiva, or both.
Hijras and Bahuchara Mata
Bahuchara Mata is a Hindu goddess with two unrelated stories both associated with transgender behavior. One story is that she appeared in the avatar of a princess who castrated her husband because he would run in the woods and act like a woman rather than have sex with her. Another story is that a man tried to rape her, so she cursed him with impotence. When the man begged her forgiveness to have the curse removed, she relented only after he agreed to run in the woods and act like a woman. The primary temple to this goddess is located in Gujarat[50] and it is a place of pilgrimage for hijras, who see Bahucahara Mata as a patroness.
Hijras and Lord Shiva
One of the forms of Lord Shiva is a merging with Parvati where together they are Ardhanari, a god that is half Shiva and Half Parvati. Ardhanari has special significance as a patron of hijras, who identify with the gender ambiguity.[50]
Hijras in the Ramayana
In some versions of the Ramayana,[51] when Rama leaves Ayodhya for his 14-year exile, a crowd of his subjects follow him into the forest because of their devotion to him. Soon Rama notices this, and gathers them to tell them not to mourn, and that all the "men and women" of his kingdom should return to their places in Ayodhya. Rama then leaves and has adventures for 14 years. When he returns to Ayodhya, he finds that the hijras, being neither men nor women, have not moved from the place where he gave his speech. Impressed with their devotion, Rama grants hijras the boon to confer blessings on people during auspicious inaugural occasions like childbirth and weddings. This boon is the origin of badhai in which hijras sing, dance, and give blessings.[
Hijras in the Mahabharata
Mahabharata includes an episode in which Arjun, a hero of the epic, is sent into an exile. There he assumes an identity of a eunuch-transvestite and performs rituals during weddings and childbirths that are now performed by hijras.[53]
In the Mahabharata, before the Kurukshetra War, Iravan offers his lifeblood to goddess Kali to ensure the victory of the Pandavas, and Kali agrees to grant him power. On the night before the battle, Iravan expresses a desire to get married before he dies. No woman was willing to marry a man doomed to die in a few hours, so Arjuna as Brihinala marries him. In South India, hijras claim Iravan as their progenitor and call themselves "aravanis."[52]
"Sangam literature use ' word 'Pedi' to refer to people born with Intersex condition, it also refers to antharlinga hijras and various Hijra, The Aravan cult in Koovagam village of Tamil Nadu is a folk tradition of the transwomen, where the members enact the legend during an annual three-day festival. "This is completely different from the sakibeki cult of West Bengal, where transwomen don't have to undergo sex change surgery or shave off their facial hair. They dress as women still retaining their masculine features and sing in praise of Lord Krishna,". "Whereas, since the Tamil society is more conservative and hetero-normative, transwomen completely change themselves as women. In the ancient times, even religion has its own way of accepting these fringe communities." The Bachura Devi worship in Gujarat and Jogappa cult of Karanataka are the other examples.the kinds of dialects and languages spoken by these community in different parts of the country and the socio-cultural impact on the lingo. 'Hijra Farsi' is the transgender dialect, a mix of Urdu, Hindi and Persian spoken in the northern belt of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan and 'Kothi Baashai' is spoken by the transgender community in Karnataka, Andhra, Orissa and parts of Tamil Nadu. "They even have sign languages and typical mannerisms to communicate. The peculiar clap is one such"
—Gopi Shankar Madurai, National Queer Conference 2013[54][55]
Each year in Tamil Nadu, during April and May, hijras celebrate an eighteen-day religious festival. The aravani temple is located in the village Koovagam in the Ulundurpet taluk in Villupuram district, and is devoted to the deity Koothandavar, who is identified with Aravan. During the festival, the aravanis reenact a story of the wedding of Lord Krishna and Lord Aravan, followed by Aravan's subsequent sacrifice. They then mourn Aravan's death through ritualistic dances and by breaking their bangles. An annual beauty pageant is also held, as well as various health and HIV or AIDS seminars. Hijras from all over the country travel to this festival. A personal experience of the hijras in this festival is shown in the BBC Three documentary India's Ladyboys and also in the National Geographic Channel television series Taboo.
Hijras in Islam
There is evidence that Indian hijras identifying as Muslim also incorporate aspects of Hinduism. Still, despite this syncretism, Reddy (2005) notes that a hijra does not practice Islam differently from other Muslims and argues that their syncretism does not make them any less Muslim. Reddy (2003) also documents an example of how this syncretism manifests: in Hyderabad, India a group of Muslim converts were circumcised, something seen as the quintessential marker of male Muslim identity.[clarification needed]
In films and literature
Bangladesh
The film Common Gender (2012) relates the story of the Bangladesh hijra and their struggle for survival.
India
Hijras have been portrayed on screen in Indian cinema since its inception, historically as comic relief. A notable turning point occurred in 1974 when real hijras appeared during a song-and-dance sequence in Kunwaara Baap ("The Unmarried Father"). There are also hijras in the Hindi movie Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) who accompany one of the heroes, Akbar (Rishi Kapoor), in a song entitled "Tayyab Ali Pyar Ka Dushman" ("Tayyab Ali, the Enemy of Love"). One of the first sympathetic hijra portrayals was in Mani Ratnam's Bombay (1995). 1997's Tamanna[56] starred male actor Paresh Rawal in a central role as "Tiku", a hijra who raises a young orphan. Pooja Bhatt produced and also starred in the movie, with her father Mahesh Bhatt co-writing and directing. Deepa Mehta's Water features the hijra character "Gulabi" (played by Raghubir Yadav), who has taken to introducing the downtrodden, outcast widows of Varanasi to prostitution. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the film generated much controversy. There is a brief appearance of hijras in the 2004 Gurinder Chadha film Bride & Prejudice, singing to a bride-to-be in the marketplace. There's also a loose reference, in the guise of "Rocky" ("Rokini") in Deepha Mehta's Bollywood/Hollywood.
The 1997 Hindi film Darmiyaan: In Between directed & co-written by Kalpana Lajmi is based on the subject of Hijra, wherein a fictitious story of an actress bearing a son that turns out to be neuter.
In the 2000 Tamil film Appu directed by Vasanth, a remake of the Hindi film Sadak, the antagonist is a brothel-owning hijra played by Prakash Raj. (In Sadak, the brothel-owning character was played by Sadashiv Amrapurkar under the name "Maharani".)
In 2005, a fiction feature film titled Shabnam Mausi was made on the life of a eunuch politician Shabnam Mausi. It was directed by Yogesh Bharadwaj and the title role played by Ashutosh Rana.
Jogwa, a 2009 Marathi film, depicts the story of a man forced to be hijra under certain circumstances. The movie has received several accolades.[57]
In Soorma Bhopali, Jagdeep encounters a troupe of hijra on his arrival in Bombay. The leader of this pack is also played by Jagdeep himself.
In Anil Kapoor's Nayak, Johnny Lever, who plays the role of the hero's assistant, gets beaten up by hijras, when he is caught calling them "hijra" (he is in habit of calling almost everyone who bothers him by this pejorative and no one cares much, except this once ironically, as the addressees are literally what he is calling them.)
One of the main characters in Khushwant Singh's novel Delhi, Bhagmati is a hijra. She makes a living as a semi-prostitute and is wanted in the diplomatic circles of the city.
Vijay TV's Ippadikku Rose, a Tamil show conducted by postgraduate educated transgender woman Rose is a very successfully running program that discusses various issues faced by youth in Tamil Nadu, where she also gives her own experiences.
In addition to numerous other themes, the 2008 movie Welcome to Sajjanpur by Shyam Benegal explores the role of hijras in Indian society.
In the Malayalam movie Ardhanaari, released on 23 November 2012, director Santhosh Sowparnika tries to depict the life of a transgender person. Manoj K Jayan, Thilakan, Sukumari and Maniyanpilla Raju perform leading roles.
In August, 2015, a music video featuring 7 hijras dressed in outfits or uniforms of various professions and singing the National Anthem of India created by a YouTube channel Yathartha Pictures went viral for being the first National Anthem video sung by hijras in India.[58][59] The hijras featured in the video were brought together by the Humsafar Trust, a Mumbai-based NGO which promotes LGBT rights.[60][61]
Tamil
Vaadamalli by novelist Su.Samuthiram is the first Tamil novel about Aravaani community in Tamil Nadu, published in 1994. Later transgender activist A. Revathi became first Hijra to write about transgender issues and gender politics in Tamil, her works have been translated in more than 8 languages and acting as a primary resources on Gender Studies in Asia. Her book is part of research project for more than 100 universities. She is the author of Unarvum Uruvamum (Feelings of the Entire Body); is the first of its kind in English from a member of the hijra community.[62][63][64] She also acted,directed several stage plays on Gender and Sexuality issues in Tamil and Kannada."The Truth about Me: A Hijra Life Story" by Transgender A.Revathi[65] is part of the syllabus for Final Year students of The American College in Madurai. Later Naan Saravanan Alla" (2007) and Vidya's "I am Vidya" (2008) became first transwoman autobiography.[66][67]
Pakistan
The 1992 film Immaculate Conception[68] by Jamil Dehlavi is based upon the culture-clash between a western Jewish couple seeking fertility at a Karachi shrine known to be blessed by a Sufi fakir called 'Gulab Shah' and the group of Pakistani eunuchs who guard it.
Murad (which means desire; the English title was Eunuch's Motherhood), was an award winning biographical Telefilm drama made by Evergreen Media Europe for Pakistan's television channel Indus TV that aired in 2003. The cast had the country's top male television actors playing "hijras": Sohail Asghar, Nabeel, Qazi Wajid, Kamran Jilani. It was directed by Kamran Qureshi, written by Zafar Mairaj and produced by Iram Qureshi. It won both Best TeleFilm and Best Director awards at 2003 Indus Telefilm Festival.[69][70] The story revolves around "Saima", a trans woman, who adopts a helpless child "Murad" and her relationship with him against the backdrop of her struggling throughout her life and her "desire" for her son. She has sent him away to live at a hostel so she can earn a living as a dancer, after her son gets cross with her, due to teasing (verbal and sexual) they face while dancing. This was the first time that influential male actors came out to support "hijra" rights during interviews; noting that in Pakistani English at that time eunuch was the term to describe a transgender person, and "khwaja sara" (also khwaja sira) had not yet replaced what is now considered a derogatory term due to decades of heckling and name calling, "hijra".[71][72]
In 2004, Kamran Qureshi directed a trans drama, Moorat ("effigy," however, the English title was Eunuch's Wedding. It was produced by famous actor and producer Humayun Saeed and Abdullah Kadwani with more than a dozen star-studded cast members for a 33-episode series.[73][74] It was nominated for Best Drama Serial, Abid Ali for Best Actor, and Maria Wasti for Best Actress at the Lux Style Awards 2005.[69][75] The show was credited for making people understand the pain and abuse that khwaja sara (hijra) constantly endure when people make fun of the way they look or dress without knowing them or how they were naturally born this way. The story involves a young lady who is arranged to marry. It turns out her husband is transgender. The story unfolds trans community and their deprived and isolated world. It portrays eloquently how they, too, are not far away from the human emotions and feelings and their world not much different from the heterosexual community. Even though they are in plain sight, they are tthey are taboo subjects and are not taken seriously. This makes them suffer endlessly in silence wrapped in slurs. The 33-episode series therefore touches on transgender abuse, women abuse, poverty, immorality of arranged marriages, and child abuse.[76]
Bol (Urdu: بول meaning Speak), is a 2011 Urdu-language social drama Pakistani film. It concerns a patriarch, Hakim, who is a misogynist, a domestic abuser, a bigot, and a zealot who forces religion on his family. They face financial difficulties due to Hakim wanting a son. He rejects his transgender daughter, Saifi, as he wanted an heir and she identifies as a girl. Saifi is deeply loved by the rest of her family. As she grows up, men want to take advantage of her and she does not understand at first. However, her oldest sister intervenes and teaches Saifi about what kind of touching is inappropriate. As Saifi grows older, she is not allowed to leave the house. She finds her sister's dresses compelling and tries them on, revealing her gender identity. A neighbour played by famous South Asian singer Atif Aslam, who is in love with one of the sisters, gets Saifi a job at a place where they paint trucks, with the blessing of Saifi's sisters and mother. Saifi dresses like a boy; however, other boys sense her lack of self-esteem and eventually gang-rape her. She is saved when another transgender person, played by Almas Bobby (a transgender actor), finds her and takes her home. Hakim overhears Saifi telling her mother and Zainab what happened. When everybody is asleep, Hakim locks the room and suffocates his child for luring the men for the "shame" he would have to bear if the story got out.[77] It received several positive reviews from critics and went on to win the Best Hindi film award in IRDS Film awards 2011 by Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS).[78]
Outside South Asia
The novel Bombay Ice by Leslie Forbes features an important subplot involving the main character's investigation of the deaths of several hijra sex-workers.
The novel City of Djinns by William Dalrymple also features a chapter on hijras.
The novel A Son of the Circus by John Irving features a plot-line involving hijras.
In the graphic novel Habibi by Craig Thompson, the protagonist, Zam, is adopted by a group of hijras.
In the 2009 Brazilian soap opera Caminho das Índias (Portuguese: "The way to India"), hijras are shown in some occasions, especially at weddings and other ceremonies where they are paid for their blessing.
In the TV comedy Outsourced (2011), a hijra is hired by Charlie as a stripper for Rajiv's "bachelor party", much to Rajiv's utter horror.
A short film, under the direction of Jim Roberts, is being made by Rock Star Productions in which the protagonist is portrayed as a hijra. This film is set to be released on 1 May.[year needed][citation needed]
Kamran Ahmed Mirza is a popular gender performance artist in Oregon, United States.
Documentaries
Jareena, Portrait of a Hijda (1990)
Ladyboys (1992)
Bombay Eunuch (2001)
The Hijras: India's Third Gender (2001)
India's Ladyboys (2003)
Between the Lines: India's Third Gender (2005)
Middle Sexes (HBO documentary includes segment on modern Hijda) (2005)
Shabnam Mausi (2005)
The Hijras of India (BBC radio documentary)
Kiss the Moon (2009)
Call me Salma (2009)
Mohammed to Maya also titled Rites of Passage (2012)
Introduction
Best Hymns of Faith | 2019 Praise and Worship Song Collection - English Christian Songs With Lyrics | en.godfootsteps.org/videos/english-christian-songs-with-l...
1、God’s Humbleness Is So Lovable-00:00
2、God’s Love and Essence Has Always Been Selfless-03:33
3、Pure Love Without Blemish-07:58
4、God Treats Man as His Dearest One-12:25
5、God Loves Man With Wounds-15:04
6、God Is Seeking Those Who Thirst for His Appearance-18:46
7、Christ of the Last Days Has Brought the Age of Kingdom-23:33
8、God Creates a More Beautiful Tomorrow for Mankind-26:54
9、All People Live in God’s Light-32:02
10、God’s Hopes for Mankind Have Not Changed-36:09
11、God in the Flesh Is a Living Fountain of Life-39:54
12、God’s Authority Is Unique-44:43
13、God Incarnate Does the Most Crucial Work of Saving Man-47:53
14、The Incarnate God Leads Mankind Into a New Era-51:55
You may also like: Understand God’s Will
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Someone that I met on a train to Cork insisted that they did not have a homeless problem in the City. Having visited Cork in September 2018 and May 2019 I believe that they do but maybe not on the same scale as Dublin.
A Polish man, 47, who had been sleeping rough, was found dead in a doorway on Saturday 8 June 2019. The death came just weeks after two men in their 30s, who were also known to the city’s homeless services, were found dead on the streets of Cork within days of each other.
Gardner House was designed as Cork’s first purpose built office block and originally known as Sutton House, as it was constructed on the site of Sutton’s merchants which burned down in 1963. The prevous building was by Chillingworth & Levie.
Someone that I met on a train to Cork insisted that they did not have a homeless problem in the City. Having visited Cork in September 2018 and May 2019 I believe that they do but maybe not on the same scale as Dublin.
A Polish man, 47, who had been sleeping rough, was found dead in a doorway on Saturday 8 June 2019. The death came just weeks after two men in their 30s, who were also known to the city’s homeless services, were found dead on the streets of Cork within days of each other.
Gardner House was designed as Cork’s first purpose built office block and originally known as Sutton House, as it was constructed on the site of Sutton’s merchants which burned down in 1963. The prevous building was by Chillingworth & Levie.
Manx Electric Railway trailer 47 and tram 20 approaching Ballaragh Halt between Ramsey and Laxey on the Isle of Man interurban tramway on 15 July 1978.
Escrito por Irene, a su padre Uberto Stabile
Texto sobre mi foto: "Bacardi"
Obtenido de la pagina web:
ubertostabile.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html
"Quienes son padres o madres van a entender que un regalo así se quiera lucir, compartir, gritar, llorar, recordar.... me lo hizo mi hija, una adolescente de 14 años que rapea con sus amigos en el parque, y con la que no siempre la relación es fácil. creció levantando el puño y reprimiendo que le dijese "cosas bonitas", chica dura y autosuficiente por fuera, con un tesoro de corazón en su interior,... y sin mediar previo aviso, con mucho amor y alevosía, el día de mi cumpleaños va y me regala este texto,..
a ti y siempre a ti, gracias irene amor mio, por todos los días que nos buscamos sin encontrarnos, por ese corazón que compartimos,
te quiero!
"50 razones por las que te quiero"
1.- porque eres mi padre
2.- porque lo has dado todo por nosotros
3.- porque nunca te rindes
4.- porque arreglaste los juguetes rotos
5.- por ser el maestro fogonero
6.- por ponernos antes que al dinero
7.- por aguantar nuestra adolescencia
8.- por tener tanta paciencia
9.- por tu pijama de elefante :)
10.- por llevar todo adelante
11.- por tu talento en la poesía
12.- por el amor que nos das cada día
13.- el dinero sólo hay que cogerlo, tu piensas que antes hay que merecerlo
14.- porque hoy es tu cumpleaños
15.- porque nos proteges de cualquier daño
16.- por los lugares donde nos has llevado
17.- por las historias que nos has contado
18.- porque cuando digo que eres el mejor padre del mundo no miento
19.- porque lo que aquí escribo, es lo que de verdad siento
20.- los mejores años de nuestras vidas han sido contigo
21.- porque a veces has sido como un amigo
22.- por llevarnos siempre en el corazón
23.- por tener razón
24.- por cambiarnos los pañales
25.- por tu amor con los animales
26.- por todo lo que nos has enseñado
27.- porque tu amor nos lo has demostrado
28.- me pusiste alas y aprendí a volar
29.- me diste la vida y ahora voy a disfrutar
30.- porque siempre vas con la cabeza alta y el mundo bajo tus pies
31.- porque me estoy currando esto ya lo ves
32.- porque no me importa que cumplas 100 años
33.- porque te haré uno de estos en todos tus cumpleaños
34.- porque dejaste de fumar
35.- porque nos tenías que cuidar
36.- por tu forma de ser
37.- porque sé que siempre nos vas a querer
38.- porque lo que más quieres no lo vas a perder
39.- porque te quiero ver
40.- porque somos hijos de las estrellas y tu eres el sol
41.- porque quiero estar contigo
42.- porque me enseñaste que la felicidad no la da el dinero, la da el amor
43.- por tu buen humor
44.- porque cuando estoy enferma me cuidas
45.- porque te voy a traer todo lo que me pidas
46.- porque te voy a bajar la luna con mis manos
47.- ya que contigo puedo tocar el cielo
48.- porque no me importa que ganes o que pierdas
49.- porque para mi siempre serás el primero
50.- porque te quiero
¡¡felicidades!!
20/7/2009
irene"
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (/diˈkæprioʊ, dɪ-/ ⓘ; Italian: [diˈkaːprjo]; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear and three Golden Globe Awards. As of 2019, his films have grossed over $7.2 billion worldwide, and he has been placed eight times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actors.
Born in Los Angeles, DiCaprio began his career in the late 1980s by appearing in television commercials. He had a recurring role in the sitcom Parenthood (1990–1991), and had his first major film part as author Tobias Wolff in This Boy's Life (1993). He received critical acclaim and his first Academy Award nomination for playing a developmentally disabled boy in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993). DiCaprio achieved international stardom with the star-crossed romances Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Titanic (1997). After the latter became the highest-grossing film in the world at the time, he reduced his workload for a few years. In an attempt to shed his image of a romantic hero, DiCaprio sought roles in other genres, including the 2002 crime dramas Catch Me If You Can and Gangs of New York; the latter marked the first of his many successful collaborations with director Martin Scorsese.
DiCaprio continued to gain acclaim for his performances in the biopic The Aviator (2004), the political thriller Blood Diamond (2006), the crime drama The Departed (2006), and the romantic drama Revolutionary Road (2008). He later made environmental documentaries and starred in several high-profile directors' successful projects, including the thrillers Inception and Shutter Island (both 2010); the western Django Unchained (2012); the romantic drama The Great Gatsby (2013) for which he won the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role; the biopic The Wolf of Wall Street (2013); the survival drama The Revenant (2015), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor; the comedy-drama Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019); and the crime dramas Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) and One Battle After Another (2025).
DiCaprio is the founder of Appian Way Productions—a production company that has made some of his films and the documentary series Greensburg (2008–2010)—and Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting environmental awareness. A United Nations Messenger of Peace, he regularly supports charitable causes. In 2005, he was named a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters for his contributions to the arts, and in 2016, he appeared in Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. DiCaprio was voted one of the 50 greatest actors of all time in a 2022 readers' poll by Empire magazine.
Early life and acting background
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio[1] was born on November 11, 1974, in Los Angeles, California.[2] He is the only child of Irmelin Indenbirken, a German[3] legal secretary, and George DiCaprio, an American underground comix artist and distributor. The couple met while attending college and moved to Los Angeles after graduating.[4][5] George's paternal grandparents, Salvatore Di Caprio and Rosina Cassella, were Italian,[6][7][8] while his mother, Olga Anne Jacobs, was of German descent. Irmelin's father, Wilhelm Indenbirken, was German,[9] while her mother, Helene Indenbirken, was a Russian immigrant living in Germany.[10] Some sources have falsely claimed that Helene was born in Odesa, Ukraine; there is no evidence that DiCaprio has any relatives of Ukrainian birth or heritage.[11]
DiCaprio got his name because a pregnant Irmelin first felt him kick while she was looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Uffizi museum in Florence, Italy.[12] When he was one year old, Irmelin and George divorced after the latter fell in love with another woman and moved out.[13][14] To raise DiCaprio together, Irmelin and George moved into twin cottages with a shared garden in Echo Park, Los Angeles.[13][15] George lived with his girlfriend and her son, Adam Farrar, with whom DiCaprio developed a close bond.[16] DiCaprio and Irmelin later moved to other neighborhoods, such as Los Feliz.[17] He has described Irmelin and George as "bohemian in every sense of the word" and as "the people I trust the most in the world".[18] DiCaprio has mentioned growing up poor in a neighborhood plagued with prostitution, crime and violence.[19] He was raised Catholic.[20] Attending the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies for four years and later Seeds Elementary School, DiCaprio later enrolled at John Marshall High School.[21][22] He disliked public school and wanted to audition for acting jobs instead.[19] He dropped out of high school later, eventually earning a general equivalency diploma.[23]
As a child, DiCaprio wanted to become either a marine biologist or an actor. He eventually favored the latter; he liked impersonating characters and imitating people, and enjoyed seeing their reactions to his acting.[24] According to DiCaprio, his interest in performing began at the age of two when he went onto the stage at a performance festival and danced spontaneously to a positive response from the crowd.[25] He was also motivated to learn acting when Farrar's appearance in a television commercial earned him $50,000.[26] DiCaprio has said in interviews that his first television appearance was in the children's series Romper Room, and that he was dismissed from the show for being disruptive. The show's host has denied that any children were removed from the show in this way.[27][28] At the age of 11, DiCaprio almost quit acting in order to pursue breakdancing, having gotten second place in a competition in Irmelin's native Germany.[29] At the age of 14, he began appearing in several commercials for Matchbox cars, which he calls his first role.[27] DiCaprio later appeared in commercials for Kraft Singles, Bubble Yum, and Apple Jacks.[30] In 1989, he played the role of Glen in two episodes of the television show The New Lassie.[31]
At the beginning of his career, DiCaprio had difficulty finding an agent. When he found one, the agent suggested DiCaprio change his name to Lenny Williams to appeal to American audiences, which he declined to do.[32][33] DiCaprio remained jobless for a year and a half, although he had 100 auditions. Following this lack of success, DiCaprio was going to give up acting but George persuaded him to persevere. Motivated by George and by the prospect of financial security, DiCaprio continued to audition. After a talent agent, who knew Irmelin's friend, recommended him to casting directors, DiCaprio secured roles in about 20 commercials.[34]
By the early 1990s, DiCaprio began acting regularly on television, starting with a role in the pilot of The Outsiders (1990) and one episode of the soap opera Santa Barbara (1990), in which he played a teenage alcoholic.[35] DiCaprio's career prospects improved when he was cast in Parenthood, a series based on the 1989 comedy film of the same name. To prepare for the role of Garry Buckman, a troubled teenager, he analyzed Joaquin Phoenix's performance in the original film.[36] His work that year earned him two nominations at the 12th Youth in Film Awards—Best Young Actor in a Daytime Series for Santa Barbara and Best Young Actor Starring in a New Television Series for Parenthood.[37] Around this time, he was a contestant on the children's game show Fun House, on which he performed several stunts, including catching the fish inside a small pool using only his teeth.
1991–1996: Early work and breakthrough
DiCaprio made his film debut in 1991 as the stepson of an unscrupulous landlord in the low-budget horror sequel Critters 3—a part he later described as "your average, no-depth, standard kid with blond hair".[40] DiCaprio has stated that he prefers not to remember Critters 3, viewing it as "possibly one of the worst films of all time" and the kind of role he wanted to avoid in the future.[41] Later in 1991, he became a recurring cast member on the sitcom Growing Pains, playing Luke Brower, a homeless boy who is taken in by the show's central family.[42] Co-star Joanna Kerns recalls DiCaprio being "especially intelligent and disarming for his age" but she noted that he was also mischievous and jocular on set, and often made fun of his co-stars.[43] DiCaprio was cast by the producers to appeal to young female audience, but his arrival did not improve the show's ratings and he left before the end of its run.[44] He was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television Series.[45] DiCaprio also had an uncredited role in 1991 in one episode of Roseanne.[46]
Lasse Hallström holding a mic in his left hand and looking away from the camera
Lasse Hallström directed DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), for which he earned his first Academy Award nomination.
In 1992, DiCaprio had a brief role in the first installment of the Poison Ivy film series,[47] and was handpicked by Robert De Niro from a shortlist of 400 young actors to co-star with him in This Boy's Life. Adapted from the memoir by Tobias Wolff, the film focuses on the relationship between a rebellious teenager, Toby (DiCaprio), and his mother (Ellen Barkin) and abusive stepfather (De Niro).[27][48][49] Director Michael Caton-Jones said that DiCaprio did not know how to behave on set; accordingly, Caton-Jones used a strict mentoring style, after which DiCaprio's behavior began to improve.[43] Bilge Ebiri of Rolling Stone found that the powerful bond between Barkin and DiCaprio elevated the film, praising DiCaprio's portrayal of his character's complex growth from a rebellious teen to an independent young man.[47] This Boy's Life was the first film that gained him recognition.[50]
DiCaprio played the developmentally disabled brother of Johnny Depp's character in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), a comedy-drama about a dysfunctional Iowa family. Caton-Jones recommended DiCaprio to director Lasse Hallström who was initially skeptical, as he considered DiCaprio too good-looking for the part. Hallström cast DiCaprio after he emerged as "the most observant" auditionee.[40][43] To ensure authenticity in his portrayal, DiCaprio studied similarly impaired children and their mannerisms, and Hallström allowed him to create the character using his own researched attributes.[51] The film became a critical success.[52] At 19, DiCaprio earned a National Board of Review Award, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him the seventh-youngest Oscar nominee in the category.[53][54] "The film's real show-stopping turn comes from Mr. DiCaprio," wrote The New York Times critic Janet Maslin, "who makes Arnie's many tics so startling and vivid that at first he is difficult to watch. The performance has a sharp, desperate intensity from beginning to end."[55] Caryn James, also writing for The New York Times, said of his performances in This Boy's Life and What's Eating Gilbert Grape: "He made the raw, emotional neediness of those boys completely natural and powerful."[56]
DiCaprio's first role of 1995 was in Sam Raimi's Western The Quick and the Dead. When Sony Pictures became dubious over DiCaprio's casting, co-star Sharon Stone paid his salary herself.[57] The film was released to dismal box office performance and mixed reviews from critics.[58][59] DiCaprio next starred as a teenage Jim Carroll, a drug-addicted high school basketball player and budding writer, in the biopic The Basketball Diaries.[60] He starred in the erotic drama Total Eclipse (1995), driven by the desire to showcase an exceptional performance, which would focus on his acting talent rather than his much-discussed physical appeal.[61] Directed by Agnieszka Holland, it is a fictionalized account of the same-sex relationship between Arthur Rimbaud (DiCaprio) and Paul Verlaine (David Thewlis). DiCaprio was cast when River Phoenix died before filming began.[13] Although the film failed commercially,[62] it has been included in the catalog of the Warner Archive Collection, which releases classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library on home video.[63] A review in the San Francisco Chronicle called DiCaprio "his generation's great acting promise" but criticized the mismatch between Thewlis's "cultivated" British accent and DiCaprio's "Southern California twang".[64]
DiCaprio next starred opposite Claire Danes in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996), an abridged modernization of William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy, which retained the original Shakespearean dialogue. DiCaprio was initially unsure about another Romeo and Juliet adaptation, but at his father's suggestion, he agreed to examine Luhrmann's work more closely. DiCaprio and Luhrmann then spent a two-week workshop exchanging ideas, which led to the collaboration.[65] Romeo + Juliet established DiCaprio as a leading Hollywood actor; according to film scholar Murray Pomerance, DiCaprio's newfound popularity helped the film become profitable only days after its release.[66][67] Reviewing DiCaprio's early works, David Thomson of The Guardian called DiCaprio "a revelation" in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, "very moving" in This Boy's Life, "suitably desperate" in The Basketball Diaries and "a vital spark" in Romeo + Juliet.[68] The latter earned DiCaprio a Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival.[69] He then portrayed a young man who has been committed to a mental asylum in Marvin's Room (1996), a family drama about two estranged sisters, played by Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton, who are reunited through tragedy. He played Hank, the troubled son of Streep's character.[70] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly praised "the deeply gifted DiCaprio" for holding his own against veteran actresses Keaton and Streep, describing the three as "full-bodied and so powerfully affecting that you're carried along on the pleasure of being in the presence of their extraordinary talent".[71]
1997–2001: Titanic and worldwide recognition
"Leo-mania" redirects here.
DiCaprio rejected a role in Boogie Nights (1997) to star opposite Kate Winslet in James Cameron's Titanic as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard RMS Titanic.[72] DiCaprio had doubts, but was encouraged by Cameron to pursue the part.[73] With a production budget of more than $200 million,[74][75] Titanic was the most expensive in history at the time.[76] It became the highest-grossing film at the time, earning more than $2.1 billion in box-office receipts worldwide.[a] It won 11 Academy Awards—the most wins for any film—including Best Picture; DiCaprio's failure to gain a nomination led to a protest against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by more than 200 fans.[79][80] He was nominated for other high-profile awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.[81]
A photograph of Leonardo DiCaprio attending a press conference for The Beach.
DiCaprio at a press conference for The Beach in 2000
Titanic transformed DiCaprio into a superstar, drawing adoration among teenage girls and young women that became known as "Leo-mania".[82][83] The success bolstered DiCaprio's standing as a teen idol and romantic lead, an image from which he sought to dissociate himself.[83] He reduced his workload "to learn to hear [his] own voice in choosing the roles" that he wanted to pursue.[84] He said in 2000: "I have no connection with me during that whole Titanic phenomenon and what my face became around the world [...] I'll never reach that state of popularity again, and I don't expect to [...] It's not something I'm going to try to achieve either."[85] In 2025, DiCaprio said he regretted the decision to turn down Boogie Nights, saying it was "a profound movie of my generation".[86]
In his 2015 Rolling Stone article, Ebiri called the Titanic role DiCaprio's best, writing that he and Winslet "infuse their earnest back-and-forth with so much genuine emotion that it's hard not to get swept up in their doomed love affair".[47] A writer for Vanity Fair in 2008 labeled them "Hollywood's most iconic screen couple" since Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.[87] Writing about her first viewing of Titanic in 2017, Vox contributor Alissa Wilkinson described DiCaprio's "boyish charm" and found his performance "natural and unaffected".[88]
DiCaprio had a brief featured role in Woody Allen's 1998 satire of fame, Celebrity. Ebiri labeled DiCaprio "the best thing in the film".[47][89] That year, he also took on the dual roles of villainous King Louis XIV and his secret, sympathetic twin brother Philippe in Randall Wallace's The Man in the Iron Mask, with common elements from the 1939 film and a 1929 film with Douglas Fairbanks.[90] It received mixed reviews,[91] but grossed $180 million against a budget of $35 million.[92][93] Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman wrote that DiCaprio did not look old enough to play the part, but praised him as "a fluid and instinctive actor, with the face of a mischievous angel".[94] The Guardian's Alex von Tunzelmann was similarly impressed with the actor's performance but found his talent wasted in the film.[95] DiCaprio won a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Couple for the dual roles in 1999.[96]
Also in 1998, DiCaprio was cast to star in American Psycho (2000) for a reported salary of $20 million; after disagreements with Oliver Stone on the film's direction, DiCaprio left the project, taking the lead role in The Beach instead.[97] Adapted from Alex Garland's 1996 novel, the film saw him play a backpacking American tourist who ends up in a secret island commune in the Gulf of Thailand.[98] Budgeted at $50 million, the film earned almost three times that at the box office,[99] but was negatively reviewed by critics, and earned him a nomination for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor.[100][101] Todd McCarthy of Variety thought DiCaprio gave a compelling performance but his character lacked defining qualities.[102] The film received criticism for damaging the filming location in Thailand, after which DiCaprio worked to restore the area.[103]
In the mid-1990s, DiCaprio agreed to be in the mostly improvised black-and-white short film Don's Plum as a favor to aspiring director R. D. Robb.[27] When Robb expanded it to a full-length film, DiCaprio and co-star Tobey Maguire had its release blocked in the US and Canada by court order, arguing they never intended to make a feature film. The film premiered at the 2001 Berlin International Film Festival but remains obscure...Wikipedia
Richard Steg, 73, of Storrs, Conn., arrives to shore via a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Mayport, Fla., Oct. 27, hours after being rescued 47-milles off the coast of Florida. Steg had been adrift at sea for nearly three days after his single-mast sail boat lost power and was demasted by heavy weather. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Evanson)
U.S. Coast Guard District 7
Date Taken:10.27.2010
Location:JACKSONVILLE, FL, US
Related News and Photos: dvidshub.net/r/486s8m
Marvel - Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie Promo Edition) - Spider-Man (Peter Parker) Sixth Scale Collectible figure by Hot Toys; Product Code: MMS535, released Q2 2019
Peter Parker (Tom Holland) head from Spider-Man: Far From Home Spider-Man (Upgraded Suit) sixth scale Collectible figure by Hot Toys; Produkt Code: MMS542, released Q1 2021; rooted by tomhanson1984_customs (instagram).
1/6 scale diorama by Marcel Sälzer (Facebook).
Images used:
Image by Mystic Art Design from Pixabay
pixabay.com/illustrations/man-older-bald-head-portrait-hu...
man 47
I think hands are fascinating. This one is Aimee's and she will be learning how to use it. I wonder what sorts of mischief it will get into in the coming years.
Taken as I hopped off the Metro in Paris earlier this week - just caught him before the doors closed.
Manchester man_47 Invaderwashere uk england manchesterstreetart mosaicart mosaique streetart flashinvaders spaceinvaders patmhunterinvader patm666photos
Marvel Comics (April 1967)
Cover art by John Romita
Last issue with the old corner logo
British price variant
Street art by Invader on Faraday Street in Manchester. Friday 30th April 2021
Note, Man_47 was installed on 29th June 2004
Ref no Nikon D7200 5th series - DSC_1204
#47, Oreca 05 Nissan, KCMG, driven by Matthew Howson, Richard Bradley, Tsugio Matsuda, 24 Heures Du Mans Test Day, 04/06/2016,
From The Nation Newspaper; KARACHI- Veteran television, stage and film artist Moin Akhtar passed away at Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Karachi on Friday due to cardiac arrest at the age of 61.
Moin Akhtar was at his home when he felt pain in the chest and was immediately rushed to CMH where he was pronounced dead. He was considered as the best comedian, impersonator and a host. He was also a play writer, singer, film director and a producer. In recognition of his performances and services, the government of Pakistan bestowed him Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz.
He started his career from TV a show on September 6, 1966 after that he changed into a highly dynamic and versatile performer. He has performed in several roles in TV plays/shows, including Roozi, Dollar Man, 47, Half Plate, Family-93, Eid Train, Bandar Road Se Kemari, etc.
Later he made a team with Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari. He performed various TV shows with Anwar Maqsood, including Loose Talk, Studio Dhai and others. Moin Akhtar was fluent in several languages, including English, Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Memon, Pushto and Gujarati.
He rose to national fame and gathered critical acclaim for his performance in the drama Rozy, in which he played the role of a female TV artist.
Rozy was an Urdu adaptation of Hollywood movie Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman. Moreover, in a talk-show namely Loose Talk, which began in 2005 on a private channel, he appeared as a different character in each and every of over 400 episodes interviewed by Anwar Maqsood, the writer and the host of the programme.