Kathana was a supporting actor whose first film was a pre-partition film Prem Sangeet in 1943.
Since then, he appeared in almost 80 films in India and then migrated to Pakistan in the mid 1960s.
Kathana's first film in Pakistan was Sanam in 1965. He was mostly seen in supporting comedy roles. Kei Saal Pehlay (1964) was one of few films, in which he was seen in main comedian role. He was a heavy build comedian.
Kathana died on May 26, 1973 in Lahore.