Bushra Ansari bids tearful farewell to ‘incomparable’ Omer Sharif
Bushra Ansari has shared an emotional message from Toronto recalling the moments she and the late comedian Omer Sharif spent together.
“I remember many things,” Bushra says in a video. “When I came to Karachi from Islamabad, Omer used to act in the theatre. I hadn’t seen what kind of theatre it was or didn’t know if it was popular. But when he started to appear in stage shows, I saw this energetic and spontaneous artist whose words no one had a comeback to.”
Bushra revealed that Omer had been unwell for a long time, but he never let anyone know about it because he didn’t want to be seen as a sick person. She called him “incomparable”.
“A self-made artist who wasn’t let in through the gates of PTV made such a name for himself,” she said. “He set an example.”
The last time Bushra spoke to Omer was when her sister Sumbul Shahid had passed away. “I told him I would visit him. I felt he couldn’t move much because of his illness. But Omer insisted that he would come to me. From that I felt he didn’t want anyone to think he was unwell.”
Omer Sharif passed away in Germany on October 2, 2021. He was en route to Washington for treatment but was hospitalised in Nuremberg after developing an in-flight fever. He was suffering from cardiac complications and kidney infection. Omer died after his condition worsened during dialysis.
His funeral prayers were offered in Germany on October 4. Omer’s body is expected to be flown back to Pakistan on Wednesday, October 6, after which his funeral will be announced.
Omer will be laid to rest at the Abdullah Shah Ghazi graveyard as he wished.
Bushra Ansari
Omer Sharif
