Yasmeen Tahir

Yasmeen Tahir
Born
Yasmeen Imtiaz[1]
EducationUniversity of California
Occupations
  • Actress
  • radio artist
  • writer
  • host
Years active1958–present
Spouse
(m. 1960)
ChildrenAli Tahir (son)
Faran Tahir (son)
Parent(s)Imtiaz Ali Taj (father)
Hijab Imtiaz Ali (mother)
RelativesMuhammadi Begum (grandmother)
Sayyid Mumtaz Ali (grandfather)
AwardsSitara-i-Imtiaz (2015)

Yasmeen Tahir is a Pakistani actress, radio artist, host and writer. She worked for Radio Pakistan for more than three decades.[2]

Early life

[edit]

Yasmeen pursued acting during her time in the Government College Dramatics Club, despite the societal constraints of her time.[1][3]

Career

[edit]

In 1958, after completing her master’s degree, Yasmeen joined Radio Pakistan and served as a publicity officer.[4] Her career in radio broadcasting began before the partition of India when she joined the Lahore Radio Station as a children's program host.[5][6] Subsequently, she introduced Western music to Pakistani radio when she hosted the Western music request show.[7][8][9] She is known for hosting the morning show Saat Rang for over 12 years,[5][6] where her listeners resonated personally with her commentary.[4]

During the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965, Yasmeen hosted Fauji Bhaiyon Ka Programme[10] for military personnel, which had extended airtime during the war and was the first call-in show on Pakistani radio.[6][7][11] Her live program featured conversations between the singer Noor Jehan and the soldiers which helped boost their morale.[11][12]

Yasmeen also did programmes from Voice of America and BBC, although she noted a lack of the personal rapport she had with her Pakistani audience.[4]

Yasmeen hosted another popular morning program called Subah Savere, which ran for more than three and a half years.[13]

In 1970, she interview ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan on Radio Pakistan and she asked about his entry in the music industry.[14]

She declined an offer from the Director-General of Pakistan Broadcast Corporation to lead FM 101, citing her dissatisfaction with modern radio's casual usage of different languages.[4]

In 2018, she was in the cast in the drama Mohini Mansion Ki Cinderellayain along with Shabnam, Naeem Tahir, Faryal Gohar and Usama Khan.[15] Her broadcasting career spanned 37 years, during which she acted on plays, hosted talk shows and other formats.[4][16]

Personal life

[edit]

Yasmeen was born to Imtiaz Ali Taj and Hijab Imtiaz Ali.[5] In 1960, Yasmeen married Naeem Tahir[17] and has three sons, Faran Tahir, Mehran and Ali Tahir.[5][18] Noor Jehan sang the sehra for their marriage which was penned by the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.[18][19] The couple pursued further education in theater at UCLA on a Rockefeller Scholarship, during which their eldest son, Faran Tahir, was born.[5] During the murder of Imtiaz Ali Taj, Yasmeen and Naeem were in Rawalpindi.[20]

Following his murder, Yasmeen was involved in a legal inheritance case concerning her father, Imtiaz Ali Taj. Relatives of Imtiaz Ali Taj contested that they needed a share of the inheritance since Yasmeen was not a male child. It was argued in court that Imtiaz Ali Taj had converted to the Shia sect, making his children the rightful heirs, regardless of gender. This claim was supported by newspaper advertisements and the court ruled in Yasmeen's favor.[21]

Awards and recognition

[edit]

Yasmeen was awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, which was presented by acting Punjab Governor Rana Muhammad Iqbal on Pakistan Day, March 24, 2015.[22][23]

Filmography

[edit]

Radio programs

[edit]
  • Western music request show[24]
  • Fauji Bhaiyon Ke Liye
  • Saat Rang
  • Sabhi Sware[13]

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Network
2018 Mohini Mansion Ki Cinderellayain Zubeida BOL Entertainment[25]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Pioneer performer | Encore | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2023-01-16. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  2. ^ "Actors Naeem Tahir and Ali Tahir participate in the 1st session of 'Intergenerational Talks'". Daily Times. September 8, 2019. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  3. ^ "The story of Kamal | Art & Culture | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  4. ^ a b c d e InpaperMagazine, From (2011-08-13). "Flashback: This is Radio Pakistan". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 2024-07-09. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  5. ^ a b c d e "تاج اور حجاب کی محبوب ترین تخلیق، یاسمین طاہر". وی او اے (in Urdu). 2012-09-10. Archived from the original on 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  6. ^ a b c "Bazm-E-Urdu to present shows at SCRF". www.gulftoday.ae. Archived from the original on 2024-02-13. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  7. ^ a b "Radio: the real pioneer — II | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)". www.pakistanpressfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  8. ^ لطیف, شاہد (2021-01-16). "ملکہ حسن کہلانے والی اداکارہ صابرہ سلطانہ - Page 7 of 8". ہم سب (in Urdu). Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  9. ^ "The 'Taj' remains intact". Daily Times. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  10. ^ Brig Sandeep, Thapar (15 May 2022). "The 'Fauji Bhaiyon Ke Liye' lifeline". Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  11. ^ a b "جنگِ ستمبر : ریڈیو پاکستان کے بغیر ادھوری". Nawaiwaqt (in Urdu). 2022-09-06. Archived from the original on 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  12. ^ Nusrat, Javed (7 September 2012). "جنگ ستمبر اور بچپن کی کچھ یادیں".
  13. ^ a b "ممتاز میلسی ۔۔۔۔ریڈیو پاکستان کی ایک مضبوط آواز". masarraturdu.com. Archived from the original on 2024-07-09. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  14. ^ "Mehdi Hassan's entry in the music industry". Daily Times. June 24, 2023. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  15. ^ "In conversation with drama and film writer Fasih Bari Khan". Daily Times. July 25, 2019. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  16. ^ "Website launched to acquaint people with works of Urdu dramatist Imtiaz Ali Taj". Daily Times. 2018-04-18. Archived from the original on 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  17. ^ "انار کلی اور چاچا چھکن کے خالق". jang.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  18. ^ a b "An evening with a legendary speaker and columnist". Daily Times. 2019-02-21. Archived from the original on 2023-01-18. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  19. ^ "ملکہ ترنم نور جہاں نے کس اداکار کی شادی کا سہرا گایا؟". www.hungamaexpress.com. 2024-05-25. Archived from the original on 2024-07-09. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  20. ^ Jāved, Yūnus (1998). ايک چهره يه بھى هے (in Urdu). دوست پبلى كيشنز،. p. 23. ISBN 978-969-496-048-7. Archived from the original on 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  21. ^ Malik, Aslam. "آج ممتاز مصنف، ڈراما نگار امتیاز علی تاج کا یومِ ولادت ہے یہ تحریر پنجند۔کام ویب سائٹ کے اس صفحے سے لی گئ ہے۔". Archived from the original on 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  22. ^ "Civil awards". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2016-01-08. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  23. ^ "In recognition: Two women among 36 honoured for their services". The Express Tribune. March 23, 2015. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  24. ^ "A nostalgic look back at Radio Pakistan | Instep | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2024-03-29. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  25. ^ "سینئراداکارہ یاسمین طاہر طویل عرصے بعد ٹی وی پر واپسی". Daily Pakistan. October 26, 2017. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]