Ismail Tara

Ismail Tara (Urdu: اسماعیل تارا; 16 November 1949 – 24 November 2022), born Muhammad Ismail Merchant, was a Pakistani actor and comedian.

He worked in stage plays, television serials and Lollywood films from 1964 until his death in 2022.

He was best known for his work in Fifty Fifty, which aired on Pakistani television's PTV in the 1980s.

He was a five-time Nigar Awards winner for the best comedian in the films Haathi Mere Saathi (1993), Aakhri Mujra (1994), Munda Bigra Jaye (1995), Chief Sahib (1996) and Deewarein (1998).

Tara was born on 16 November 1949 Muhammad Ismail Merchant in Karachi into a Gujarati-speaking Memon business family, and began his career in 1964, at the age of 15, when he got a role in a play staged by a small theatre.

Tara first rose to prominence when he became a part of the Zia Mohyeddin Show in 1972–1973.

Tara is best known for the popular TV show Fifty Fifty, ending up writing some of its scripts along with fellow TV comedian Majid Jahangir when the original scriptwriter Anwar Maqsood had a fall-out with the show's cast in 1981.

According to a major Pakistani English-language newspaper:

"Ismail Tara, who passed away November 24, 2022, was a master of physical comedy and mimicry. It was the legendary skit show Fifty Fifty that launched him to nationwide fame and it was its presence, first on VCDs and then on YouTube, that sustained it and made him a household name with a whole new generation of viewers".

Tara had to perform a comedy theater the same day his 8-year-old son died. After his performance, he told the audience about his son's death.

Ismail Tara died due to kidney failure in Karachi on 24 November 2022, at the age of 73. He was buried in his hometown Karachi, Pakistan.

• Nigar Awards: Winner for best comedian for Haathi Mere Saathi in 1993
• Nigar Awards: Winner for best comedian for Aakhri Mujra in 1994
• Nigar Awards: Winner for best comedian for Munda Bigra Jaye in 1995
• Nigar Awards: Winner for best comedian for Chief Sahib in 1996
• Nigar Awards: Winner for best comedian for Deewarein in 1998
• The 1st Indus Drama Awards: Nominated for Best Actor Sitcom in a Leading Role and received Award for TV Comedy Series Fifty Fifty (1980s)
• Pride of Performance award from the President of Pakistan in 2022 for his contributions to Pakistani television and films.