# Roohi Bano

Roohi Bano (Urdu: روحی بانو), (August 10, 1951 – January 25, 2019) was a Pakistani actress who was known for her roles in television dramas Kiran Kahani, Zard Gulab, and Darwaza. She along with Uzma Gillani, Tahira Naqvi and Khalida Riyasat dominated Pakistan's television screens from the 1970s, to the 1990s. She was known as the Queen of Melancholy because of her portrayal of mournful and pessimistic roles in dramas and films.

## Early life

Roohi Bano was born in Karachi on 10 August 1951. She was the daughter of Alla Rakha, a noted tabla player of India and half-sister of Indian music virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain.

## Career

Roohi joined television when she was doing her Masters in Psychology from the Government College, Lahore.
She is reported to have "witnessed the birth of the television industry in Pakistan...". Roohi acted memorably in Kiran Kahani (1973), Zard Gulab, Darwaza and many other famous TV dramas (nearly a 150 TV dramas in all) in the 1970s and 1980s. She was conferred the Pride of Performance award by the President of Pakistan in 1981. She also earned many PTV awards, notably Nigar Award, Graduate Award and Lux Lifetime Achievement Award.

## Personal life

Roohi married twice but both of her marriages were unsuccessful. She had one son.

## Later life and death

In 2005, her 20-year-old only son was murdered by unidentified killers near his residence in Gulberg III, Lahore. His body was dumped alongside a fence where a passerby spotted it. After her son's murder, Roohi had abandoned her acting career, led a lonely life in Lahore and she never fully recovered from this tragic event in her life. In her later life, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She also spent some years at the well known rehabilitation centre Fountain House in Lahore. Her sister had her admitted to the rehabilitation centre in 2005.
Roohi died in Istanbul on 25 January 2019. She had had kidney disease and a mental disorder. She had been on a ventilator for 10 days before she died. According to her sister, Rubina Yasmeen, her family had travelled to Istanbul, Turkey to be with her in her last days.

## Filmography
### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Network |
| 1971 | Dastak Na Do | Simi | PTV |
| 1973 | Kiran Kahani | Kiran Asim | PTV |
| 1974 | Zair, Zabar, Pesh | Sabeen | PTV |
| 1975 | Dastan-e-Habib | Mumtaz | PTV |
| 1975 | Ishtebah-e-Nazar | Feroza | PTV |
| 1975 | Maraat-e-Muhabbat | Shahida | PTV |
| 1979 | Pakki Haveli | Reshma | PTV |
| 1979 | Kacha Sheesha | Saima | PTV |
| 1980 | Karwan | Mina | PTV |
| 1981 | Darwaza | Zareena Chaudhry | PTV |
| 1981 | Kaanch Ka Pul | Shahida | PTV |
| 1981 | Dehleez | Saeeda Naseem | PTV |
| 1982 | Zard Gulab | Jeevni | PTV |
| 1982 | Dhund | Bella | PTV |
| 1982 | Sarab | Nashi | PTV |
| 1983 | Adhay Chehray | Bushra | PTV |
| 1983 | Silver Jubilee | Herself | PTV |
| 1984 | Gardish | Saba | PTV |
| 1985 | Bazgasht | Nasreen | PTV |
| 1985 | Apnay Loag | Irene | PTV |
| 1989 | Neelay Hath | Zainab | PTV |
| 1990 | Kache Pakke Rang | Sakeena | PTV |
| 1991 | Kala Diara | Angie | PTV |
| 1992 | Nasheman | Parveen | PTV |
| 1994 | Sood-o-Zea | Muneeza | PTV |
| 1996 | Qila Kahani | Rubina | PTV |
| 2010 | Aik Aur Aurat | Azra | Hum TV |

### Telefilm

| Year | Title | Role | Network |
| 1990 | Aakhri Geet | Reshma | PTV |

### Film

| Year | Film | Language |
| 1975 | Umang | Urdu |
| 1975 | Palki | Urdu |
| 1976 | Insan Aur Farishta | Urdu |
| 1976 | Goonj Uthi Shehnai | Urdu |
| 1976 | Rastay Ka Pathar | Urdu |
| 1977 | Tipu Sultan | Urdu |
| 1978 | Khuda Aur Mohabbat | Urdu |
| 1978 | Dushman Ki Talash | Urdu / Pashto |
| 1980 | Zamir | Urdu |
| 1980 | Samjhota | Urdu |
| 1980 | Aazmaish | Urdu |
| 1981 | Dil Ek Khilona | Urdu |
| 1981 | Kiran Aur Kali | Urdu |
| 1981 | Bara Aadmi | Urdu |
| 1983 | Kainat | Urdu |
| 1984 | Aaj Ka Insan | Urdu |

## Tribute and honours

In 2019 on February 3 Pakistan National Council of the Arts paid tributes to her and described her a dignified, refined and polished artist. In 2021 on August 16 the Government of Pakistan named a street and intersection after her in Lahore.

## Awards and recognition

| Year | Award | Category | Result | Title |
| 1974 | PTV Award | Best Actress | Won | Zair, Zabar, Pesh |
| 1976 | Nigar Award | Special Award | Won | Insan Aur Farishta |
| 1978 | Film Graduate Awards | Best Actress | Won | Khuda Aur Mohabbat |
| 1981 | Pride of Performance | Award by the President of Pakistan | Won | Herself |
| 1981 | Film Graduate Awards | Best Actress | Won | Kiran Aur Kali |
| 1982 | PTV Award | Best Actress | Nominated | Karwan |
| 1983 | Film Graduate Awards | Best Actress | Won | Kainat |
| 1983 | PTV Award | Best Actress | Won | Zard Gulab |
| 2010 | 9th Lux Style Awards | Unilever Chairman's Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | Herself |
| 2011 | 1st Hum Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | Herself |