August 02, 2019
Fading Lights
Despite Indo-Pak tensions, there is considerable overlap in that some cinema stars have enduring cross-border appeal. Three come immediately to mind.
Dilip Kumar has ruled the imagination in both India and Pakistan for 70-plus years. He was peerless as a tragic hero roiled and ruined by unrequited love. In the early 1950s, he reigned as king of the movie screen, embodying loss, loneliness, separation, trauma, and melancholia, which marked Partition. Dilip was smart enough not to fall prey to the perils of over-exposure. His movies like “Devdas,” “Daag,” “Deedar,” and “Andaz” stand out. Dilip, 96, is fading fast.
In 2006, I met British parliamentarian Lord Meghnad Desai during a cricket match in Lahore. He told me of his book, “Nehru’s Hero: Dilip Kumar in the Life of India,” referencing his underlying theme how these two personalities were dominant in post-Independence years.
Kinnaird College, Lahore girl, Kamini Kaushal, was an iconic star in post-Partition years, particularly in her pairing with Dilip in movies like “Shaheed” (which had the famous song by Surinder Kaur, “Badnaamna ho jaye”) and “Shabnam.” Dilip was open in admitting that Kamini was his great love. But the hand of Fate intervened. Kamini’s married elder sister was tragically killed in a car accident, impelling her to marry her brother-in-law so she could take care of her sister’s children. Kamini, 92, is remembered fondly in Lahore, where she was born.
90 this year will be the subcontinental diva, LataMangeshkar. Mentored by music director Ghulam Haider, Lata made her mark in the Partition-themed movie, “Lahore” with the song, “Bahareinphirbhiayengimagr hum tum judahonge” whose music was composed by Lahore-born Shyam Sunder. During a visit to the bustling Liberty market in Lahore, I went to the Jhilmil music store, run by my friend Moeen. He told me, over a bottle of 7-Up, that the biggest selling items in his store were Lata songs.
The traffic is hardly one-way. In the Indian state of Punjab where I was some years ago, I was struck to find how popular was NusratFateh Ali Khan and how many adored NurJehan. Ghazal aficionados in India revere Mehdi Hassan.
40 years ago, my good friend Nasir Adeeb, married to former parliamentarian, AmnaUlfat, wrote the Punjabi screenplay for Pakistan’s biggest blockbuster, “MaulaJatt.” The film had a profound impact across the border and its scenes, particularly those featuring its villain, Mustafa Qureshi, were copied verbatim in Indian movies. Among its numerous admirers are noted movie stars Dharmender and Yograj Singh, father of 2011 cricket World Cup hero, Yuvraj Singh.
Cinegoers in Pakistan would find it counterintuitive to know how many Pakistani movie songs/themes have been copied in India. The impact of Lollywood on Bollywood has been underestimated. Lahore holds a mystical fascination for people of north India.
In 1998, then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – an ardent admirer of Dilip Kumar and his movies – invited him to Pakistan and decorated him with Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the nation’s highest civilian award. The Hindutva element in India was not amused, and aspersions were cast on Dilip Kumar’s patriotism.
The abiding lesson here is, irrespective of sect, ethnicity, national origin, or religion, quality prevails and endures.
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