More than 40 years have passed since Mustafa Qureshi played the iconic character of Nuri Nath in the 90s blockbuster movie Maula Jatt and still many filmgoers recall his dialogue. But you won’t believe that the veteran actor never wanted to enter the world of cinema.

“I never had any interest in coming on films,” he said while appearing on the Aaj News show Meri Jadojahed aired on Wednesday—the first day of Eidul Fitr. “My interest was joining the force.”

The programme features media personalities, philanthropists, artists, leaders, and politicians. They share their stories and memories. This time it was Qureshi who graced the show with his presence.

Known for his slow-tempo dialogues in movies, the Lal Aandhi actor belongs to Sindh and started his career with Radio. He signed in for the state-run broadcaster with a 15-day contract, followed by monthly and then yearly. This contract earned him the title of staff artist.

He received a cheque of Rs10 for his first work at Pakistan Radio. “Radio teaches how to speak. The logo says to speak softly with people so that they can hear you and that your voice has an impact on them.”

He shared the story of how he signed his first film. “When I went out of the radio station, a Sindhi personality Hussain Ali Shah Fazlani came to me and told me that on a certain day you have shooting and come at the Eastern studio. He gave me four notes of Rs10,” Qureshi said and added that he was shocked at the development.

He accepted the offer and played a side role in the movie. The movie was Pardesi. Fazlani was the hero and Rashid Badlashari was the writer. “It was a hit film.”

Qureshi did as many as 750 films in his career, including Punjabi and Urdu. His pair with Sultan Rahi, who played Maula Jutt, in the famous movie, was loved among the fans then. They appeared together in films for 26 to 27 years.

Qureshi also worked with Shamim Ara, who was at the top of her career in 1966, in Lakhon Mei Aik. Initially, he was not interested in doing the film, but Raza Mir came to Hyderabad to meet him and narrated the story.

According to him, the film’s story and success were so much that the late Indian actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor adapted the film. “For piracy, he made Henna.” It was a 1991 romantic-musical movie starring Rishi Kapoor and Zeba Bakhtiar.

It was actor Munawar Saeed who encouraged Qureshi to do Punjabi films despite not having a background in the language.

“When Maula Jutt made, we did not know it would be a blockbuster,” he said and added that the film ending on his character made the film memorable.

He also praised the ‘The Legend of Maula Jutt’, a reboot of the 1979 film. “No doubt it has been made well and they have captured the world market.”

Qureshi also shared that sharing screen space with Rahi for the first time was difficult as the latter had high-pitched voice. To address this, he spoke in slow tempo with a smile like it was with ‘Nawa Aya Hai Soneya’.

For those who don’t remember, Qureshi refused to take the Pride of Performance of Award from a dictator and described it as a “disrespect” of the civil award.

He got his civil award from former prime minister Benazir Bhutto

He signed off the show by saying that there are no regrets or complaints from life. “Life is the name of ups and downs. We should thank God in every situation.”