Born on May 29, 1938, his career was formed by his performances in television plays and films. His most popular dramas were Angan Tera, Uncle Urfi and Ankahi. But it was Shakeel's character as Taimoor Ahmad in the critically acclaimed drama Ankahi(1982) that truly displayed his acting prowess
In 1992, he was honoured with the prestigious Pride of Performance award.
However his international breakthrough came in the form of the biographical English film Jinnah (1998), where he portrayed the role of Pakistan's first Prime Minister, Liaquat Ali Khan.
Upon hearing of his death, condolences began to pour in from members of the entertainment industry with Rubina Ashraf and Bushra Ansari being the first to confirm the sad news.