Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: December 13, 2022 | 
| 中文
Rani immortalized the role of Umrao Jaan on silver screen
With the recent resurgence of cinema in Pakistan and especially after the stupendous success of ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’, there is hope that the film industry might make a turnaround. It is important that good and commercially viable films continue to be made. A challenge that filmmakers and cine goers alike express is their frustration about the lack of good stories for the big screen. Remaking or reimagining cult classics may be a good way to deal with this lingering problem and ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ is a case in point.
There are many films in Pakistani cinema’s history that deserve a remake. Films such as Ghoonghat (1962), Shaheed (1962), Zarqa (1969), Heer Ranjha (1970), Mera Naam Hay Mohabbat (1975), Aaina (1977), Bandish (1980), Choorian (1998) and many others can be reimagined and with the new creative and technical sophistication available to filmmakers, all have the potential to become major box office draws.
Waheed Murad and Nirala in Armaan
Armaan (1966) is definitely one such film that deserves a remake and if done well can earn substantial dividends at the ticket counter. Armaan is considered by far Waheed Murad’s most popular film. After magnificently running for 75 weeks, it became Pakistan’s first platinum jubilee film. Armaan was directed by Pervez Malik and produced and written by Waheed himself, who also played the lead in the film. Pervez Malik, who wrote the screenplay for Armaan, had a master's degree in film-making from California and his talent as a filmmaker is on full display in this film. The music of the film was by Sohail Rana and contributed to its success. Lyrics for the trendsetting songs such as ‘Ko Ko Koreena’ and the tear-jerking ‘Jab Piyar Mein Dou Dil Miltay Hain’ were inked by Masroor Anwar, who also wrote some memorable national songs such as ‘Sohni Dharti’. ‘Ko Ko Koreena’ is considered the first ever Pakistani pop song and Ahmed Rushdie, an ingenious singer, brought a newness to the cinema sound with his peppy style of crooning. The song that becomes the theme song for the film is ‘Akelay Na Jana’. This haunting number is played twice in the film: once as a sweet romantic song in Rushdie’s voice, and then in the climax of the film as a crescendo in the voice of Mala Begum. Both versions of the song are considered examples of the best music to ever come out of Pakistan’s film industry. According to some accounts, the project ‘Armaan’ actually began when on a night in 1963 or 1964 when Sohail Rana heard an evocative melody in his dream. The words that were eventually written for it by Masroor Anwar were, ‘Akelay Na Jana...’ . The team formed by Parvez, Waheed, Masroor, Sohail, and Rushdie created magic that made this black-and-white classic a magnum opus for all five. The film won six Nigar Awards for best movie of the year, best actress (Zeba), best musician, best director, best playback singer and best comedian (Nirala).
Waheed Murad and Zeba in Armaan
Interestingly, Armaan was made as a telefilm in 2013 with the current heart-throb of Pakistan’s media Fawad Khan playing the role of Nasir, and the talented Aamina Shiekh playing the role of Najma. Unfortunately, the telefilm failed to recreate the magic of the 1966 big-screen presentation. Some stories are best told through the medium of the big screen and Armaan is one such tale.
Another Lollywood classic that can surely have a new version is the musical romantic drama film, Umrao Jaan Ada. Released in 1972, the film is loosely based on the novel of the same name, by Mirza Hadi Ruswa that was written in the 18th century. The film was directed by Hassan Tariq for the big screen, with lyrics and screenplay by Saifuddin Saif. Rani played the titular role in the film opposite Shahid, while Zumurrud, Aasia, Nayyar Sultana and Allauddin appeared in supporting roles. The film revolves around the life of a tawaif (courtesan) and her tragic romance with a Nawab (noble lord). The film was a golden jubilee hit at the box office. The classic had a musical score that started a new trend back then. A remake with contemporary production standards and musical finesse offers all the possibilities of a box office draw.
Nadeem and Shabnam in Dehleez
The 1983 diamond jubilee film Dehleez starred the popular pair of Nadeem and Shabnam. Based on the evergreen plotline of love blossoming between a rich girl and a poor boy, and the way society perceives such a match, never fails to tug at the heartstrings of cine-goers. Directed by Javed Fazil and written by Syed Noor, the film was a runaway hit and even led to a lukewarm copy made in India. Mehdi Hassan’s immortal vocals for the film’s memorable song, “Aaj tou ghair sahi, pyar say bair sahi…” kept drawing viewers back to the ticket counters repeatedly and contributed to its success. India even plagiarized this song and used it in the remake, where Kishore Kumar sang it and despite the fact that he was a great singer in his own right, could not match Mehdi Hassan Khan’s singing prowess.
Pakistan’s cinema needs more original storylines, although some remakes of the classic Lollywood films would help. Joyland is an example of a Pakistani film that has had an international impact and recognition. We need more original scripts based on the reality of Pakistani society, however, escapist and romantic comedies like Jawani Phir Nahi Aani would also make their mark and earn big bucks at the box office. The bottom-line is that the script must be original and there is need for attention to detail in its production.
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