Roohi Bano (Urdu: روحی بانو), (August 10, 1951 – January 25, 2019) was a Pakistani actress who was known for her roles in television dramas Kiran Kahani, Zard Gulab, and Darwaza.[3][4][5] She along with Uzma Gillani, Tahira Naqvi and Khalida Riyasat dominated Pakistan's television screens from the 1970s, to the 1990s.[6] She was known as the Queen of Melancholy because of her portrayal of mournful and pessimistic roles in dramas and films.[1]
Early life
Roohi Bano was born in Karachi on 10 August 1951.[7] She was the daughter of Alla Rakha, a noted tabla player of India and half-sister of Indian music virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain.[8][9][4]
She is reported to have "witnessed the birth of the television industry in Pakistan...".[3] Roohi acted memorably in Kiran Kahani (1973), Zard Gulab, Darwaza and many other famous TV dramas (nearly a 150 TV dramas in all) in the 1970s and 1980s.[4] She was conferred the Pride of Performance award by the President of Pakistan in 1981.[2][10] She also earned many PTV awards, notably Nigar Award, Graduate Award and Lux Lifetime Achievement Award.[2][12]
Personal life
Roohi married twice but both of her marriages were unsuccessful. She had one son.[4]
Later life and death
In 2005, her 20-year-old only son was murdered by unidentified killers near his residence in Gulberg III, Lahore. His body was dumped alongside a fence where a passerby spotted it. After her son's murder, Roohi had abandoned her acting career, led a lonely life in Lahore and she never fully recovered from this tragic event in her life.[3][11] In her later life, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.[4] She also spent some years at the well known rehabilitation centre Fountain House in Lahore. Her sister had her admitted to the rehabilitation centre in 2005.[4][13][11]
Roohi died in Istanbul on 25 January 2019.[14] She had had kidney disease and a mental disorder. She had been on a ventilator for 10 days before she died.[15] According to her sister, Rubina Yasmeen, her family had travelled to Istanbul, Turkey to be with her in her last days.[11][7][16]
In 2019 on February 3 Pakistan National Council of the Arts paid tributes to her and described her a dignified, refined and polished artist.[17] In 2021 on August 16 the Government of Pakistan named a street and intersection after her in Lahore.[18]