The recent One Day International between India and Pakistan attracted enough eyeballs to make the streets of Mumbai go empty, as posted by a friend on Facebook. Despite the strained relations between the two countries, the interest in the match was unparallelled.
Or was it due to the recent bad blood, which triggered the wave to watch the most fiercely contested sports event of the world?
Some time back, the cultural arena bore the brunt of the uncertain relations between the neighbours, leading to Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) banning Pakistani artistes and technicians in Indian films. This had been highlighted in the media, both electronic and print.
Still, in some areas, we choose to interact with Pakistanis.
This reminded me of the instances when the India film artistes contributed to the Pakistani film industry, after 1947, notwithstanding the three wars that took place between the countries.
Partition saw to it that some Indian film artistes move to Pakistan for good, for example Noor Jahan. Some more migrated a few years after Independence like composer Nashad who had a good innings in India and later went to Pakistan had an equally successful stint there.There were also cases where those who had gone returned back !
Nasir Khan was one such actor. Brother of Dilip Kumar, he had acted in Shehnai made in 1947. At the time of Independence, he was in the newly- formed Pakistan. Before returning back to India in 1950, he acted in two Pakistani films, Teri Yaad and Shahida. Since Teri Yaad was th first film released there, became the first hero of Pakistan !
The heroine was Asha Poslay ( yes , the name rhymes with Asha Bhonsle, but no relative of her)
Since both the films flopped, Nasir Khan returned to India and continued to act, but with much less success than his talented brother , thespian Dilip Kumar. Interestingly, the two films were released in India also and were declared hits !!
In 1956, a Pakistani producer J.C.Anand ( Juhi Chawla is his sister-n-law's daughter) , one of the few Hindu film-makers who remained in Karachi after the Partition, invited Indian Director Roop K Shoey ( of the Ek Thi Ladki-lara lappa lara lappa song fame ) to direct a Pakistani film called Miss 56. While there were no Indian actors ( except Meena Shorey, the wife of the director) , there was one song sung by Geeta Dutt in her characteristic style. The film was written by I.S.Johar. The cast of the film may have been Pakistanis but the lyricist and composer were also Indian. D.N.Madhok wrote the songs and Vinod ( Eric Roberts) set the songs to melody, making this a truly Indo-Pak venture. The film relied on the comic timing of Meena Shorey and was declared a hit. She was encouraged by the response and refused to return to India.
Roop.K.Shorey came back alone, after the film was released.
The next artiste to have acted in a Pakistani film was Shiela Ramani, a Miss India in the 50s.
Shiela was the original "urban modern heroine" well before the likes of Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi , who are credited with establishing the stereotype. She had debuted in 1953 with V.Shantaram's Teen Batti Char Rasta. Best known for being Dev Anand's leading in Funtoosh and a song of Taxi Driver ( dil se mila ke dil pyar keejiye), she oozed spunk and sexuality. In 1959, she went to Karachi on the request of her uncle and acted in a film called Anokhi.
If you want to see the video of the song, with some dialogues as bonus, go to the link below:
gaadi-ko-chalana-babu_music
Year 1959 also saw a Pakistani punjabi film Kartar Singh getting released, based on Partition and the horrors connected with the event. Amrita Preetam's Ajj akhan waris shah nu was included in the film, which is considered one of the most popular films of Pakistan. Amrita Pritam had been in Lahore before Partition and had relocated to India. However, by that time, more than half a dozen of her anthologies were already published and she was a name to reckon with. She was a leader of progressive writers' movement and was critical of the British rule.
The singers of Indian films continued to get film from Pakistan, despite the lack of Indian actors in Pakistan. Hemant Kumar and Sandhya Mukherji sang songs in the 1960 Pakistani film Humsafar.
Hemant Kumar was a respected name in Rabindra Sangeet and made his mark in the 50s as a singer more than as a music director. After the release of Nagin 1954, he shot to the top of the popularity as a composer. By the end of 50s, he was contemplating production of his own films and he did do that. However, in 1960 , he got a chance to sing in Humsafar and here is the song.
Ace singer Talat Mehmood, had started off as Tapan Kumar, a pseudonym for the Calcutta bhadralok. He later on sang in his own name in films of 40s and 50s. He nurtured ambitions of being an on-screen star and this left his singing at a second place. This resulted in him losing his place as the top singing sensation. By the time 60s dawned, Mohd. Rafi had become numero uno in male singing in Hindi films. Talat kept on singing in Hindi film till late 60s and early 70s. sang a couple of songs in Pakistani film Charagh Jalta Raha in 1962.
One wonders whether Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd. Rafi, two of the most popular singers in that period ever got a chance to sing in a Pakistani film. No evidence found , but Lata's Chhalia (1960) number ( probably the one copied from Ron Goodwin's Desert Hero of 1959) was a part of Pakistani film Jaadoogar ( 1961). As far as Rafi is considered I drew a blank. However, it will be a delight to get corrected on this.
After the 1965 war, Indian films were banned in Pakistan. The trickling of Indian artistes stopped completely. The domestic artistes were easier to contract and they were changing the face of film industry. The industry prospered in the period of 1965 to 1979, with many superhit movies being made. Film stars of Pakistan began to get noticed in this period, some of whom later on acted in Indian films. We leave that story for another day, though.
In the 60s, there were other Indian artiste too, engaging in one-off projects in Pakistan. S.D.Baatish (Eid) , Majrooh Sultanpuri ( Aadmi), C.H.Atma ( Laakhon Fasaane) and G.M.Durrani ( Rahguzar), to name few.
The 70s and 80s were decades of least interaction of Indian artistes with Pakistani film industry. The film enterprise in Pakistan was also going through turbulent times.After Gen.Zia-ul-Haq took over the reigns of Pakistan in 1977, restrictions on film industry increased in name of Islamisation. As a result, the industry lost its vantage position in the 80s and was not able to recover till late 90s.
The next film in which we saw an Indian artiste performing was and the singer was....Asha Bhonsle. The film is Sargam ( 1995) and this song became the highlight of the film. Asha Bhonsle has been one of the most versatile singers, therefore it was not surprising that the Pakistani audiences were bowled over by hr singing.
From 2000 onwards, there was a resurgence of Pakistani film industry and despite Kargil happening a few years earlier, the Indian film artistes were finding projects in Pakistan to showcase their talents.
Kiron Kher, presently a Member of Parliament became the second actress after Shiela Ramani to star in a Pakistani film. The film was Khamosh Paani (2003).The film won an award in the Lokarno Film Festival but never got a release in Pakistan.
In 2007, a remake of God father in Pakistan saw Vinod Khanna . The film had a host of Indian actors such as Arbaaz Khan, Hrishita Bhatt, Kim Sharma, Amrita Arora, Preeti Jhangiani and Nafisa Ali
In the same year Naseeruddin Shah enacted a role in the acclaimed Pakistani film Khuda Key Liye
Nandita Das played a key role in Ramchandra Pakistani in 2008 The film was based on a true story of a boy who inadvertently crosses the border between Pakistan and India.
Hindi film singers also got a lot of chance in 2000 onwards to sing in various Pakistani films. Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan, Shreya Ghoshal, Ankit Tiwari and Harshdeep Kaur are some singers who got to perform in these years.
In 2011, Johny lever played a role in Love Mein Gumm.
Naseeruddin Shah had another go, this time in the film Zinda Bhaag 2013.
In 2014, Aslam Bhatti, the producer of Godfather, made Sultanat another multistarrer packed with Hindi film and TV stars such as Govind Namdeo, Shweta Tiwari, Akashdeep Sehgal, Achint Kaur and Chetan Hansraj
Whether the cross-over effect shall continue or not is not certain, but the rare appearances and contribution that Indian artistes have made is still remembered by the Pakistani audiences.
Leaving you with a Rekha Bharadwaj song from the 2015 Pakistani film Bin Roye ...
मन विच माही बसदा !
Or was it due to the recent bad blood, which triggered the wave to watch the most fiercely contested sports event of the world?
Some time back, the cultural arena bore the brunt of the uncertain relations between the neighbours, leading to Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) banning Pakistani artistes and technicians in Indian films. This had been highlighted in the media, both electronic and print.
Still, in some areas, we choose to interact with Pakistanis.
This reminded me of the instances when the India film artistes contributed to the Pakistani film industry, after 1947, notwithstanding the three wars that took place between the countries.
Partition saw to it that some Indian film artistes move to Pakistan for good, for example Noor Jahan. Some more migrated a few years after Independence like composer Nashad who had a good innings in India and later went to Pakistan had an equally successful stint there.There were also cases where those who had gone returned back !
Nasir Khan was one such actor. Brother of Dilip Kumar, he had acted in Shehnai made in 1947. At the time of Independence, he was in the newly- formed Pakistan. Before returning back to India in 1950, he acted in two Pakistani films, Teri Yaad and Shahida. Since Teri Yaad was th first film released there, became the first hero of Pakistan !
The heroine was Asha Poslay ( yes , the name rhymes with Asha Bhonsle, but no relative of her)
Since both the films flopped, Nasir Khan returned to India and continued to act, but with much less success than his talented brother , thespian Dilip Kumar. Interestingly, the two films were released in India also and were declared hits !!
Roop.K.Shorey came back alone, after the film was released.
The next artiste to have acted in a Pakistani film was Shiela Ramani, a Miss India in the 50s.
Shiela was the original "urban modern heroine" well before the likes of Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi , who are credited with establishing the stereotype. She had debuted in 1953 with V.Shantaram's Teen Batti Char Rasta. Best known for being Dev Anand's leading in Funtoosh and a song of Taxi Driver ( dil se mila ke dil pyar keejiye), she oozed spunk and sexuality. In 1959, she went to Karachi on the request of her uncle and acted in a film called Anokhi.
If you want to see the video of the song, with some dialogues as bonus, go to the link below:
gaadi-ko-chalana-babu_music
Year 1959 also saw a Pakistani punjabi film Kartar Singh getting released, based on Partition and the horrors connected with the event. Amrita Preetam's Ajj akhan waris shah nu was included in the film, which is considered one of the most popular films of Pakistan. Amrita Pritam had been in Lahore before Partition and had relocated to India. However, by that time, more than half a dozen of her anthologies were already published and she was a name to reckon with. She was a leader of progressive writers' movement and was critical of the British rule.
The singers of Indian films continued to get film from Pakistan, despite the lack of Indian actors in Pakistan. Hemant Kumar and Sandhya Mukherji sang songs in the 1960 Pakistani film Humsafar.
Hemant Kumar was a respected name in Rabindra Sangeet and made his mark in the 50s as a singer more than as a music director. After the release of Nagin 1954, he shot to the top of the popularity as a composer. By the end of 50s, he was contemplating production of his own films and he did do that. However, in 1960 , he got a chance to sing in Humsafar and here is the song.
Ace singer Talat Mehmood, had started off as Tapan Kumar, a pseudonym for the Calcutta bhadralok. He later on sang in his own name in films of 40s and 50s. He nurtured ambitions of being an on-screen star and this left his singing at a second place. This resulted in him losing his place as the top singing sensation. By the time 60s dawned, Mohd. Rafi had become numero uno in male singing in Hindi films. Talat kept on singing in Hindi film till late 60s and early 70s. sang a couple of songs in Pakistani film Charagh Jalta Raha in 1962.
One wonders whether Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd. Rafi, two of the most popular singers in that period ever got a chance to sing in a Pakistani film. No evidence found , but Lata's Chhalia (1960) number ( probably the one copied from Ron Goodwin's Desert Hero of 1959) was a part of Pakistani film Jaadoogar ( 1961). As far as Rafi is considered I drew a blank. However, it will be a delight to get corrected on this.
After the 1965 war, Indian films were banned in Pakistan. The trickling of Indian artistes stopped completely. The domestic artistes were easier to contract and they were changing the face of film industry. The industry prospered in the period of 1965 to 1979, with many superhit movies being made. Film stars of Pakistan began to get noticed in this period, some of whom later on acted in Indian films. We leave that story for another day, though.
In the 60s, there were other Indian artiste too, engaging in one-off projects in Pakistan. S.D.Baatish (Eid) , Majrooh Sultanpuri ( Aadmi), C.H.Atma ( Laakhon Fasaane) and G.M.Durrani ( Rahguzar), to name few.
The 70s and 80s were decades of least interaction of Indian artistes with Pakistani film industry. The film enterprise in Pakistan was also going through turbulent times.After Gen.Zia-ul-Haq took over the reigns of Pakistan in 1977, restrictions on film industry increased in name of Islamisation. As a result, the industry lost its vantage position in the 80s and was not able to recover till late 90s.
The next film in which we saw an Indian artiste performing was and the singer was....Asha Bhonsle. The film is Sargam ( 1995) and this song became the highlight of the film. Asha Bhonsle has been one of the most versatile singers, therefore it was not surprising that the Pakistani audiences were bowled over by hr singing.
Kiron Kher, presently a Member of Parliament became the second actress after Shiela Ramani to star in a Pakistani film. The film was Khamosh Paani (2003).The film won an award in the Lokarno Film Festival but never got a release in Pakistan.
In 2007, a remake of God father in Pakistan saw Vinod Khanna . The film had a host of Indian actors such as Arbaaz Khan, Hrishita Bhatt, Kim Sharma, Amrita Arora, Preeti Jhangiani and Nafisa Ali
In the same year Naseeruddin Shah enacted a role in the acclaimed Pakistani film Khuda Key Liye
Nandita Das played a key role in Ramchandra Pakistani in 2008 The film was based on a true story of a boy who inadvertently crosses the border between Pakistan and India.
Hindi film singers also got a lot of chance in 2000 onwards to sing in various Pakistani films. Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan, Shreya Ghoshal, Ankit Tiwari and Harshdeep Kaur are some singers who got to perform in these years.
In 2011, Johny lever played a role in Love Mein Gumm.
Naseeruddin Shah had another go, this time in the film Zinda Bhaag 2013.
In 2014, Aslam Bhatti, the producer of Godfather, made Sultanat another multistarrer packed with Hindi film and TV stars such as Govind Namdeo, Shweta Tiwari, Akashdeep Sehgal, Achint Kaur and Chetan Hansraj
Whether the cross-over effect shall continue or not is not certain, but the rare appearances and contribution that Indian artistes have made is still remembered by the Pakistani audiences.
Leaving you with a Rekha Bharadwaj song from the 2015 Pakistani film Bin Roye ...
मन विच माही बसदा !
3 comments:
I am stumped that Mallika-e-Tarrannum Noorjahan deserved only a 'passing reference at your hands. She was the reigning empress of Indian cinema and a prize catch for fledgling Pakistan when she decided to migrate. She was of immense propaganda value and hobnobbed with Achkhans and military tunics with equal ease. I think there were some others who debuted in Indian movies prior to 1947 but whose home places were got amalgamated in pakistan and migrated there. As 'usual' an 'unusual' topic well researched. Thank you Sir.
I am totally a biased person ,when anything about Pakistan is mentioned.
The artistes who had migrated to Pakistan did not qualify for the theme as they owed their allegiance to the new nation. Nashad , too went to Pakistan 17 years after Independence and settled there. My focus was on the Indian artistes who had gone to Pakistan for a film or two, making a quality contribution to their films.Thanks for the comments.
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