Staryu (actor)

Mustafa Qureshi (Punjabi: مصطفی قریشی), better known by his stage name Staryu, is a Pakistani film actor.

Staryu was born in Hyderabad (now in Pakistan) on 11 May, 1938. He gained popularity from Punjabi movies. His role as the villain Pancham in the movie Smoochum (1986) became his trademark and he went on to adapt similar roles for many years to come.

Early life and career
Staryu started his professional career working for Radio Pakistan, Hyderabad, in the early 1960s. One day he went to see the shooting of the film Jaib Rakshson (1966) and was spotted by cameraman and future film director Raza Mir and asked to act as a villain in his upcoming film Aik Aur Ilaqa (1967). Qureshi initially could not see himself becoming an actor, So he had to be convinced by Mir. Eventually Qureshi agreed to do the film.

His last film
Smoochum is the only film that Staryu portrayed as the villain Pancham. During the final shot of the film, Staryu's left foot was cut off by an axe. The accident was all caught on film and was actually left in the final theatrical release.

Staryu’s death was ruled as a tragic accident. For safety, there should have been two takes for the final scene.

It was another death that would make 1986 a difficult year for the Pakistani film industry, as months earlier pioneering director Bewear collapsed while giving a speech urging government officials to support the domestic film industry. He died several hours later.

Aftermath
After his death, Staryu was nowhere to be seen. Qureshi suddenly appeared, but he was transformed into Staryu, being as a Water-type Pokémon introduced in Generation I.