On August 7, 1948, Pakistan’s first film ‘Teri Yaad’, produced under the banner of Pancholi Films, was screened at the Prabhat Cinema on McLeod Road.
Around 26 thousand films have been made in Pakistan since ‘Teri Yaad’. As far as quality is concerned, the situation is as satisfactory as our society as a whole.
Before mentioning the quality of the films and the top 10, it seems appropriate to take a brief look at the rise and fall of cinema culture in Pakistan.
Although Lahore’s film industry had firmly established its claws before the creation of Pakistan, the upheaval of partition shook it badly. The faltering film industry was revived with 11 superhits and four blockbusters during 1956 and continued to thrive for the next several decades.
The 1960s is generally remembered as the Golden Age or the heyday of the Pakistani film industry. This is the only decade in our country’s history when the total number of films crossed the 1000 mark. Cinema houses were established in small and big cities of the country and it was a favorite source of entertainment for the people.
In the 60s, new faces in the form of Waheed Murad, Nadeem, Muhammad Ali, Zeba Shabnam, Manoor Zarif and Firdous, while new voices like Mehdi Hasan, Ahmad Rushdie and Masood Rana became a part of cinema, without whom the film industry is unimaginable today. .
It would not be wrong to say that the first brick of the decline of film culture in Pakistan was the Pakistan-India war of 1965. This was the time when the screening of Indian films was banned. Earlier, Pakistani filmmakers were always facing the challenge of competing with Indian films. The rival was out of the field so there was no option for the public to compare and reject Pakistani films.
On the other hand, the same filmmakers who were earlier struggling to take up new themes and lively stories to compete with Bollywood, now find themselves confined within a limited pool out of the sea of competition.
Freed from the pressure of competition, filmmakers seem to follow more or less the same policy of making more money. From 1961 to 1965, about 40 films were released annually, the number nearly doubled over the next five years, but the quality suffered. The 60s and 70s, for all their glory, did not leave a proud legacy in terms of quality.
Pakistan’s market was already limited compared to India’s business circuit, which was further shrunk by the secession of East Pakistan in 1971, but in terms of financial losses, it was not the same shock to the film industry as the cinema during the Zia-ul-Haq era. The heavy tax imposed on houses and the decision to allow VCRs proved to be the case.
After the 1965 war there was a ban on Indian films, but the VCR lifted that ban. Now old and new movies of all kinds started to be delivered door to door through the medium of VCR. People who had forgotten about Indian films, once again started comparing local films with Bollywood, and when they did so, they were only slightly embarrassed.
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Another reason was the censorship of Zia’s era and gradually on the one hand filmmakers moved away from Pakistani films, on the other hand cinema owners who were angry with the state policies also started preferring to build plazas instead of cinema houses. After the Bhutto era, by the beginning of the 21st century, more than eight hundred cinemas had been closed across the country. Lahore’s historic cinema houses like Nishat, Firdous, Rattan, Paramount, Regal, Shama and Nigar are lost in the past.
Over the past two decades, Karachi has emerged as the center of the film industry with the arrival of private TV channels, which has been described as the new wave or the revival of cinema in Pakistan, but the success of a few films at the box office did not create a big wave. . Apparently, the film industry in Pakistan has no present and no future. However, he definitely has a past, looking back on which brings nothing but ‘good music’ and shame.
Bad script, cheap sentimentality, worn out themes, tons of overacting, stupid dialogues and ridiculous production are brought together in a cinema and it is called a Pakistani film. However, the music of the past films is so wonderful that the difference compared to the current films is like heaven and earth. Our current filmmakers have bridged this gap brilliantly, now music is just as vulgar as film. Anyway, here’s a selection of possibly the ten best movies of all time:
10. One in a Million (1967)
Director: Raza Mir
Composer: Nisar Bazmi
Stars: Shamim Ara, Ejaz, Mustafa Qureshi
Zia Sardahi, who rose to fame in the Bombay film industry as the director of ‘Hum Log’ (1951) and ‘Footpath’ (1953) and as the dialogue writer of ‘Bijubaora’, was the last film as a writer on which he made many contributions. worked hard
The love story of a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy against the background of partition is beautifully presented by director Raza Mir. Much later, Raj Kapoor made ‘Hina’ inspired by the same film.
In Nisar Bazmi’s music, ‘Chalo good hawa tum bhol gaye’ and ‘Bari mushki se hawa’ are still immortal songs. Shamim Ara’s slim beauty has a talismanic appeal.
9. The Living Dead (1967)
Director: Khawaja Sarfraz
Composer: Tasadeq Hussain
Stars: Asad Bukhari, Habib, Diba
You might call it a copy of Dracula at first glance but considering the history of Pakistani cinema, it is an unusual film.
How many horror films have been made in Pakistan? Of course, their number is not so much that they can be counted on the fingers, but the living body of Khawaja Sarfaraz is something special not only from the historical point of view, but also because of its treatment.
In his desire to overcome death, a professor falls into the pit of death himself. But if it were alive and would turn around and strike.
Five decades have passed, but even today, watching this film gives you a sense of dread. Khawaja Sarfaraz is a big fan!
8. Neela Parbat (1969)
Director: Ahmed Bashir
Composer: Piya Qadir & Akhtar Hussain
Stars: Muhammad Ali, Agha Talish, Hasna
The Censor Board gave an ‘Adults Only’ certificate for the release of this film. The story of the film unravels Freud’s psychology. An elderly man falls in love with his foster daughter.
Now think for yourself how such a film would have done at the box office. This was Ahmed Bashir’s first and last film, but only a rebel like him could do such an experience.
Although the film will still be hot for general audiences today, such a unique experience in terms of technique and subject matter should be on every good list.
7. Kartar Singh (1959)
Director: Saifuddin Saif
Composer: Salim Iqbal
Stars: Alauddin, Musrat Nazir, Sudheer, Zarif
This is probably the best Pakistani film on partition. Saifuddin Saif’s first-hand experience of Punjab’s inertia and emigration shines on the screen with a sharp flame of emotion.
Waris Ludhianvi’s lyrics and Saleem Iqbal’s music capture the Punjabi folk culture beautifully, the best example being ‘Desaan Da Raja Mere Babul Da Pyara’. The film also includes Amrita Pritam’s famous poem ‘Aaj Akhan Waris Shah Nanu’ sung by Inayat Hussain Bhatti and Zubaidah Khanum.
6. People Unknown (2014)
Director: Nabeel Qureshi
Composer: Sania Arshad
Stars: Javed Sheikh, Fahad Mustafa, Urwa Hussain
It is probably the most entertaining film that has come out in the last two decades, produced on a budget of 9 crores. It was a huge success at the box office, grossing 140 crores.
The story of the film revolves around three people who want to advance in the race of life and fulfill their dream of becoming rich. Meanwhile, the obstacles that come in the trio’s way keep the film interesting.
One of the features of the film is that while presenting the bitterness of life, it is not so dark that despair begins to set in. The mildly funny situation does not let the heart beat down.
5. Heydar Ali (1978)
Director: Masood Parvez
Composer: Khawaja Khurshid Anwar
Stars: Muhammad Ali, Mumtaz, Sabiha Khanum, Neer Sultana
Although director Khalil Qaiser and his films ‘Frangi’ and ‘Shaheed’ are often mentioned in terms of historical films, Masood Parvez’s ‘Haider Ali’ is far better in terms of technique.
‘Haider Ali’ flopped badly at the box office as the audience had grown accustomed to exaggeration in historical films.
Khawaja Khursheed Anwar’s music was slightly different from his typical style. Staying true to the theme, he used pakhavoj instead of tabla and composed great tunes, but like the film, the music also failed to win the hearts of the common people.
The portrayal of ‘Jago Hawa Sawira’ is exemplary in Pakistani film history (Century Films Karachi).
4. Sleep (1959)
Director: Hasan Tariq
Composer: Rashid Atre
Stars: Noor Jehan, Aslam Pervez, Talish, Alauddin
This was the first and best film of Hasan Tariq, the director of popular films like ‘Shama Aur Parwana,’ ‘Deoor Bhabhi,’ ‘Amrao Jaan Aada,’ ‘Behesht’ and ‘Baharu Phool Barsao’.
Using flashback technique, the film tells the story of a coal picker girl. After falling prey to the lust of a Seth, the girl becomes pregnant and gives birth to a child. Seth refuses to accept the child and the child’s mother shoots him.
Riaz Shahid’s story and dialogues were by no means conventional or ordinary. One wonders why Hasan Tariq, who started with such a bold and different film, later went in the direction of traditional and vulgar films.
3. Closure (1980)
Director: Nazrul Islam
Composer: Ruben Ghosh
Stars: Shabnam, Nadeem, Talish, Alauddin, Talat Hussain
The most famous film of 70s duo Shabnam and Nadeem is ‘Aeena’ but we liked ‘Bandash’ better for its CinemaScope photography, art direction, beautiful locations and relatively good direction.
The main idea of the film was taken from the Hollywood film ‘Random Harvest’ (1942). A wealthy young man who loses his memory due to an accident abroad. His wife reaches this point in search of him, but ahead another young maiden is sitting with the lamp of her love. This is where the film takes a dramatic turn.
Two songs of this film became very popular. In the voice of Mehdi Hasan and Mehnaz, ‘Two thirsty hearts have become one,’ and in the voice of Akhlaq Ahmed, ‘Sona na chandi ni koi mahal jaan man.’ But if you haven’t heard ‘Tje Dil Se Laga Lain Pulkan Mein Chicha Lain’ in Mehnaz’s voice, then you will be missing out on a very melodious song. Rubin Ghosh’s music is a river of sweetness.
2. Jagoo Hoa Sveera (1958)
Director: AJ Kardar
Stars: Tripathi Mitra, Khan Attaur Rehman, Zareen Rakshi
The story, dialogues and lyrics of ‘Jago Hua Saveera’, which laid the foundations of art films in Pakistan, were written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz while famous cinematographer Walter Leslie was hired for the cinematography.
There is a fairly successful attempt to convey the plight and hardships of life of the fishermen of Bengal on screen, but the overall pace of the film is very slow, making it difficult to stay focused.
1. Heer Ranjha (1970)
Director: Masood Parvez
Composer: Khawaja Khurshid Anwar
Stars: Firdous, Ijaz, Ajmal, Manwar Zarif
If the Pakistan film industry has created a masterpiece, it is Heer Ranjha. About 20 films were made on Heer Aur Ranjhe’s love before and after it, including Bollywood, but no other film could even come close to it.
Culture of Punjab, Heer’s Tathain Marti Jawani as Firdous and Masood Parvez’s superb direction would have been incomplete if not accompanied by Khwaja Khursheed Anwar’s music, Noor Jahan’s voice and Ahmed Rahi’s lyrics.
There are 13 songs in the film and all of them are more than one another. In particular, ‘Sin Wanjali Di Mathari Tanwe’ has attained the status of a folk song.
Even today, if one imagines a diamond, the image of Firdous is formed on the screen of the mind. She acted in several other films but she was born for Heer and it seems that the character of Heer was also created for her.
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