Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Actor Art Malik on his charity efforts and boosting diversity in cinema

by LAUREN CODLING

A VETERAN actor who is hosting gala dinners to raise funds for a Pakistan-based charity has revealed the reasons behind working for the cause.


Film and TV star Art Malik is hosting two Ramadan dinners in aid of the Graham Layton Trust (GLT), a charity that provides free treatment for curable blindness and visual impairment in his native Pakistan.

The first dinner took place at the Grand Sapphire Hotel, Croydon, last weekend, while the second is set to be held on Saturday (12) at Manchester’s Vermilion.

The 65-year-old, who has been a trustee of GLT since last year, explained that collaborating with the charity appealed to him because it aims to cure blindness, which 80

per cent of the time is treatable.

“No one should go blind just because they can’t afford treatment,” Malik told Eastern Eye. His father had previously worked for the charity in the 1980s, the Jewel in the Crown actor added.

“My father came the UK to perfect his desire to be an eye surgeon and then went back to Pakistan in his retirement,” he said.

“I asked what he did with his days and he replied that he did some charity work and some teaching, but it never occurred to me what charity work he was doing.”

Since its launch in 1984, GLT and its sister charity Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust (LRBT) have worked to treat more than 37 million cases of curable blindness and visual impairment. It has since developed a network of 19 hospitals and 56 clinics and outreach centres across Pakistan.

“I went to visit one hospital in Pakistan and 1,200 people had turned up who were all seen by 2pm. Those people’s lives were transformed,” the Pakistani born actor recalled.

“It was such a humbling and enlightening experience.” Malik moved to the UK with his family in 1955 when he was three years old, growing up in Tooting, south London, in a Muslim family.

Although not a practising member of the faith today, he fondly remembers Ramadan celebrations in the community.

“Ramadan was extraordinary,” he recalled. “We would have people over to us or we would go to others. It was important for us to invite people in the street – it was the whole idea of using it as a moment to reflect and get to know your neighbour.”

He noted how when London’s population grew with individuals from the subcontinent, it became a time to catch up and travel to people’s homes across the capital.

“We had the most amazing dinners,” he said. “You really got to know good cooking.” Malik lives in Devon currently and although he says he does not miss living in London, he still loves to visit the “fabulous” city.

Nothing, he claimed, beats the view from Westminster bridge on a sunny day.

“I love the skyline,” he said. “And I say to people, ‘please walk around, but always remember to look up.’”

Having appeared in more than 100 films and television shows, including Cold Feet and Bancroft, the successful actor is currently starring in the BBC drama The Woman in White.

However, Malik is aware of Asian actors being typecast, and said individuals can still be tarnished with a particular brush.

“That brush for young actors is very much, would you like to play this part? Well guess what, it is a terrorist or part of a gang,” he said. “We dealt with it in True Lies [when Malik played an Islamist jihadist in the 1994 action film alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger] and that was more than 25 years ago.”

Malik graduated from the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London 42 years ago, and he acknowledged that though the entertainment industry has progressed “hugely” since he started working as an actor, it still has some way to go.

“The industry hasn’t caught onto where the public is,” he said. “The public don’t see a divided Britain. They don’t wake up on a morning, sit on the bus and say, ‘oh my god, I’m sitting next to a person from this tribe.’ They just get on with it.

“Britain has to wake up and see we have the greatest mix of people on the planet.”

More For You

11th UK Gatka Championship

All winners received medals and trophies

UK Parliament

11th UK Gatka Championship ends with Welsh debut and £1,000 support for Gatka Akharas

Highlights:

  • The 11th UK National Gatka Championship was hosted near Cardiff, marking the first time in Wales.
  • Winners included Roop Kaur (girls), Navjot Singh (boys), and Gurdeep Singh (men’s).
  • Gatka Federation UK awarded £1,000 to each participating Akhara to support martial arts promotion.
  • Chief guests included MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation.

Gatka Championship marks Welsh debut

The 11th UK National Gatka Championship concluded on a high note near Cardiff, Wales, showcasing the traditional Sikh martial art with flair. Seven leading Gatka Akharas participated, thrilling spectators with their lightning-fast strikes, precision moves and elegant techniques.

Inauguration by global leaders

The tournament was inaugurated by Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation (WGF) and the National Gatka Association of India (NGAI). He was joined by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP, President of Gatka Federation UK, alongside other dignitaries including Jagbir Singh Jagga Chakar, President of Wales Kabaddi Club, and community leaders from the Haveli Hotel Pontyclun.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vantara

The site, located in Gujarat, houses hundreds of elephants, as well as 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards, and 900 crocodiles. (Photo: Instagram/Vantara)

India court probe clears Ambani family’s animal centre

AN INDIAN Supreme Court-ordered investigation has cleared a large private animal facility run by the son of Asia’s richest man, rejecting allegations of wildlife violations.

Vantara, described as the “world’s biggest wild animal rescue centre,” is operated by Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer

Starmer, who has faced negative coverage since taking office in July 2024, defended the appointment process.

Reuters

Starmer: I would not have appointed Mandelson if aware of Epstein ties

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer said on Monday he would not have appointed Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington had he known the extent of his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

This was Starmer’s first public statement since dismissing Mandelson last week. The prime minister is facing questions over his judgement, including from Labour MPs, after initially standing by Mandelson before removing him from the post.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump

Trump said the suspect had been arrested earlier for 'terrible crimes,' including child sex abuse, grand theft auto and false imprisonment, but was released under the Biden administration because Cuba refused to take him back.

Getty Images

Trump says accused in Dallas motel beheading will face first-degree murder charge

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has described Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, the Indian-origin motel manager killed in Dallas, as a “well-respected person” and said the accused will face a first-degree murder charge.

Nagamallaiah, 50, was killed last week at the Downtown Suites motel by co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a 37-year-old undocumented Cuban immigrant with a criminal history.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer Mandelson

Starmer talks with Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty

Starmer under pressure from party MPs after Mandelson dismissal

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer is facing questions within the Labour party after the sacking of US ambassador Peter Mandelson.

Mandelson was removed last week after Bloomberg published emails showing messages of support he sent following Jeffrey Epstein’s conviction for sex offences. The dismissal comes just ahead of US president Donald Trump’s state visit.

Keep ReadingShow less