Farooq Qaiser (Punjabi, Urdu: فاروق قیصر; 31 October 1945 – 14 May 2021) was a Pakistani artist, newspaper columnist, TV show director, puppeteer, script writer, and voice actor.
He was known as the creator of the fictional puppet character Uncle Sargam, introduced in 1976 in children's television show Kaliyan.[1] Farooq was also a cartoonist, newspaper columnist and wrote for the newspaper Daily Nai Baat in Lahore and under the pen name "Meethay Karelay" (English: "Sweet bitter gourd").
Qaiser started his career in the early 1970s after graduating from the National College of Arts, Lahore, with a short documentary in the English language. In 1971, his teacher Salima Hashmi got him involved in her children's television puppet show Akkar Bakkar.[1] In that show, he worked with Shoaib Hashmi, Muneeza Hashmi and Faiz Ahmad Faiz on the scripts and puppets.[5] The show was intended to be Pakistan's version of the American entertainment and educational show Sesame Street.[7] His first assignment on the show was to create a local version of the Big Bird, after which he went on to create many other characters for the program.[7]
In 1976, Qaiser directed and wrote his own puppet show Kaliyan which was broadcast on the national television network, Pakistan Television (PTV). He created his own fictional puppet characters for the show, including Uncle Sargam, Haiga and Maasi Museebte. He also was the voice of Uncle Sargam.[4] He created the character Uncle Sargam in resemblance of his teacher Molnar from Romania.[4][5] The character went on to be a household name in Pakistan for many decades.[6] Speaking about the character, Qaiser said, "he has the same insecurities and fears of every middle class Pakistani. He could say things that a common man wanted to express but could not say".[7]
Some of his other television shows included Putli Tamasha and Sargam Time.[6] Qaiser also worked at the Lahore-based Urdu daily newspaper Daily Nai Baat as a cartoonist.[8] He was also a newspaper columnist at the same newspaper and wrote under the pen name Meethay Karelay. He taught for sometime at the Fatima Jinnah Women University in Rawalpindi.[1]
Sitara-e-Imtiaz awarded by the president Arif Alvi on March 23, 2021, for his unmatched performance and contribution towards the entertainment industry of Pakistan for over 4 decades.[6]
