Karachi Famous film, TV and stage actress Tamanna Begum passed away on Monday after suffering from a protracted illness. She leaves behind a daughter, son-in-law and many grandchildren. Her Namaz-e-Janaza was held at the Rehmania Masjid in North Nazimabad and attended by a number of people, including artists. Famous actors and actresses, including a delegation of artists led by Anwar Iqbal representing the MQM’s Rabita Committee, visited the residence of the late film actress and expressed their condolences with the bereaved family. The news of the demise of Tamanna Begum saddened the showbiz community, especially her actors who once had worked with her either in films, TV or on stage. Nazar Hussain, a prominent film star of his times, told The News that “Aapa Tamanna was senior to me and I always felt honoured to work with her as she was like an institute of learning acting.” Nazar said that she was a big star, but she never pretended to be a “super one”; instead, she was down-to-earth and very kind to her juniors. During the days of the golden era of the Pakistan film industry, Tamanna Begum had gained unparalleled popularity as a “character actress”, but had a very low profile, Nazar concluded. TV and stage actor Urooj Abbas, who worked with her in a humorous play ‘Mere mehalle mein aaya ramazan’, said she was very friendly and informative. Another TV and stage actor, M Ayub, said she was perfect for all mediums, including film, TV and stage, and her acting was very versatile. A prominent poet, Ronaq Hayyat, observed that Tamanna Begum, who was born in Lahore, started her career with Radio Pakistan and was an actress of great talents. She was an actress who worked with all the famous film stars, including Muhammad Ali, Sabiha Khanum, Santosh Kumar, Darpan, Nayyar Sultana, Syed Kamal, Nadeem, Waheed Murad, Nanna, and Shahid. Later when she acted as a comedian in different plays with famous film and stage actor Umer Shareef, she also proved to be a great stage actress, Hayyat concluded.
