Famous actor and comedian Lehri passed away on Thursday after protracted illness in a private hospital of Karachi. Lehri was admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) after his condition became deteriorated, private news channel reported. He was 82 and suffering from chest pain since many days while his sugar level also dropped. Safirullah Siddiqui ‘Lehri’ is one of Pakistan’s greatest comedians who made his name in Urdu films. His film career started in the 1950s and lasted until the 1980s. Lehri won the Nigar Award for around a dozen films including Paigham, Nai laila naya mujnu, Naya andaaz, Beewe ho to aisee etc. The late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto provided him with a monthly stipend of Rs. 2,500 during her first tenure, which he continued to receive. Lehri’s first film “Anokhi” was released in 1956, and his last production was Dhanak in 1986. The vast majority of his films have been in Urdu, though he did perform in a few Punjabi productions.
