Veteran Afghan actor Faqir Nabi, 67, died on Friday after three weeks of struggling against COVID-19 in a hospital in Kabul.

Faqir Nabi worked in the movie-making business for 22 years and was a well-known actor in Afghan and Indian cinema.

Faqir Nabi’s first film was “Siah Moye Jalali."

“I never thought that he would leave us alone like this. I took him to the hospital with my mother. My mother was always visiting him and told me that he is in stable condition,” said Najma Nabi, daughter of Faqir Nabi.

“Faqir Nabi was one of the powerful pillars of our culture,” said Mahmoud Shah Hashemi, Faqir Nabi’s colleague.

Faqir Nabi performed in 40 films, and his most famous was “Akhtar-e-Maskhara."

Faqir Nabi also performed in the Indian cinema for years.

“In India, he worked and performed together with Indian stars Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan in films like (Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai),” said Malik Mahdi, the brother of Faqir Nabi.

Despite his numerous performances, Faqir Nabi’s economic situation was not stable.

“We have not paid the rent for our house for the past five months,” said Batool Nabi, the widow of Faqir Nabi.

“Today we do not see those who chant slogans on Facebook that they like and love the actors,” said Nabi Tanha, an Afghan actor.

Over the past few months, Afghan cinema has lost several of its well-known actors including Asif Jalali, Hashmat Fanayee, Samad Ahmadi and Jawan Sher Haidari.