Daily Times

Well-known film director Altaf Hussain on Wednesday said Muhammad Saeed Khan, popularly known as Rangeela, was one of the finest artists the Pakistan film industry ever had.

“Such actors are born in centuries,” he said. Talking to APP in connection with the great comedian’s 18th death anniversary, he said the Pride of the Performance artist was a multi-talented performer who had command over comedy and tragedy simultaneously.

“Rangeela was a director, producer, writer, actor, singer and what not,” he noted. First, he worked as a painter and made film boards, Hussain said, adding the actor got a chance in MJ Rana’s ” Jutti” wherein he performed tremendously which shot him to fame in the late 50s.

Encouraged by the success of the first film, the King of Comedy made his own production, ” Diya or Toofain” whose song ” Ga mere manwa gata ja rahe” was liked far and wide across the country, besides the film’s comic scenes and story. Since then he never looked back, the senior director reminisced.

Under Rangeela Productions banner, several Nigar Awards winner artist made ” Meri Zindi ha Naghma, Dil aur Duniya, Du Rangeeley, Rangeela, Kubra Ashiq and the list went on, he maintained.

“He was my first producer too,” he told. “He worked in a number of films under my direction, including Sala Sahab, Sahab Gee, etc which were super hit films,” Husain said and recalled the former ran for two-an-a-half years at a cinema in Lahore and later for one year.

‘Ansaan Aur Gadha’ was another excellent film with very novel script, the director said adding that the celebrated artist acted in Rangeela Aur Munawar Zarif, Dosti, Malangi, Heer Ranjha, Maan Puttar, Aurta Raaj, Miss Colombo, Nahin Abhi Nahin, Madam Bawre, Jo Dar Gya Wo Margaya, Hero, Mahju and many other films. “As far as Rangeela’s singing is concerned, the songs sung by him were liked by all and sundry,” he remarked. His career spanned over four decades during which he performed over 300 films, he concluded.