Sultan Rahi

Rahi was born in Gawalmandi Rawalpindi, Punjab, in 1938[7] to an Arain tribe during the British Raj. His father, Subedar Major Abdul Majeed, was a retired officer from the British Indian Army.[8]

He began his film career in 1959 as a guest actor in the film Baghi. His first breakthrough came with the film Wehshi Jatt (1975). This was the unofficial prequel to Maula Jatt (1979). Maula Jatt was released on 11 February 1979, which became his most successful Pakistani film. His other works include Behram Daku (1980), Sher Khan (1981), Sala Sahib and Ghulami (1985).

Sultan Rahi appeared in key roles in over 535 films.[9]

He had five children, of which one, Haider Sultan, is also an actor.[10]

On 9 January 1996, Rahi and his friend Ahsan, a film director, were travelling from Islamabad to Lahore on the main highway in Pakistan, Grand Trunk Road. Their vehicle got a flat tyre near Samanabad Chungi, not far from Gujranwala.[11] While they were installing a spare tyre, thieves approached the vehicle and tried to rob them. When Rahi resisted, they shot him and injured Ahsan. Rahi died as a result.[3][12][13][14]

Rahi worked in the Punjabi film industry for over four decades.[15] He was the highest paid Pakistani actor of his time.[3] He was named in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most prolific actor.[16] Director Altaf Hussain told media about his death and added that "I think such actors are only born once. He was a trendsetter – his films were copied in other countries but no one was able to perform like him."[17] Bahar Begum reacted by saying: "I remember Sultan always saying that this industry will miss him when he’s gone but at the time, I don’t think we fully understood what he meant, but he truly proved his worth, There was only one Sutlan Rahi in Lollywood and there will always be one Sultan Rahi – no one can replace him".[18] Mustafa Qureshi commented that "Our onscreen chemistry was unique in a number of ways. Our pairing was the most popular film partnership throughout Lollywood's history, It’s true, there will never be another Sultan Rahi, ever. Everything he earned was a result of sheer hard work and talent".[19] Film director Pervaiz Rana added: "Even though we are still making Punjabi films and many new heroes have entered and left the industry, I don’t think the golden era of Sultan Rahi will ever come back. His dialogues are etched in our hearts and memories, It’s the country’s love for Sultan that continues to reflect in his pictures and posters being plastered in shops and on buses."[19]

Nigar Awards

Won

• Nigar Awards 1971 - Special Award for Babul[5]
• Nigar Awards 1972 - Best Actor for Basheera[6]
• Nigar Awards 1975 - Best Actor for Wehshi Jatt[20]

Zāhid ʻAkāsī, Sult̤ān Rāhī : Pākistānī filmon̲ kā sult̤ān, Lahore : Jumhuri Publications, 2019 (reprint of the 2010 edition), 169 p. Biography.

• List of Pakistani Punjabi-language films
• List of Lollywood actors

• Sultan Rahi at IMDb
• Filmography of Sultan Rahi on Complete Index To World Film (CITWF) website