Daily Times

On Shamim Nazli’s request, music composer Baba Ghulam Ahmed Chishti recorded two songs in Shamim Nasim’s voice for the Punjabi film ‘Aabroo’.

However, the film flopped. Despite the fact that her elder sister got her a break in films, it was Anwar Kamal Pasha who persuaded Nasim to try her luck by singing for Pakistani films. Her first major break in films came in 1962 when she changed her name to Mala and sang a simple Urdu composition “Aaya Re Dekho” for the film ‘Sooraj Mukhi’. The music was composed by Master Abdullah and the film became a memorable hit. In 1963, Mala rendered her voice to a heart-wrenching Urdu composition “Dil Deta Hai Ro Ro Duhai” for the film ‘Ishq Par Zor Nahi’. The music was composed by Master Inayat Hussain and the song was picturised on Yasmin. This song is popular even today after it had become a mega hit at the time of its creation in 1963. Its lyricist was none else than Qateel Shifai.

Nazli composed the music for two Urdu films ‘Baharen Phir Bhi Aengi’ directed by S Suleman, with its songs penned by Khawaja Parvez and Masroor Anwar and ‘Bin Badal Barsaat’. From the songs I heard from these films, I found the tracks original, tuneful having rich instrumental support and treatment. Unfortunately Shamim was born in the male dominated musicians’ society of Lollywood with big music composers working twenty four hours a day. Despite her competence, Shamim Nazli was not encouraged and not given more assignments to prove her credentials. Also the fact of the matter is that she believed in creating her own original music and did not get to accept the cheap demands of certain producers that approached her as far as creation of music is concerned. It is rumoured that Tafo brothers that dominated the instrumental scene of Lollywood would refuse to cooperate if they found any music composer threatening their dominance. The story of Pakistan’s women directors and producers is one that needs to be further explored and told. That is what I am doing by writing on music composers and singers nowadays.

It comes as a pleasant surprise that in a country with such deep prohibitions against women working in the public sphere and that too in such an industry as filmmaking, some of the women have been able to martial the resources and withstand the severe social pressure to make a modest number of films. One notices that many female producers and directors appeared in the subcontinent film industries like Nurjehen, Shamim Ara, Zeenat and Sangeeta in Pakistan but somehow or the other not many names are seen as music composers.

This movie was a successful venture starring Mohammad Ali, Zeba, Shahid and Sangeeta released in March 1975. It ran for fifty four weeks in Karachi and attained sought-after Golden Jubilee status. Much credit went to its lilting music composed by Shamim Nazli. I remember a film with the same titled was made in Bombay with the song ‘Bin Badal Barsaat Na Ho Gi’ filmed on Nishi and sung by Asha Bhosle.

Pakistani film with the same title is based on a couple Zarina and Judge Akbar Ali who is issueless and desires to raise a family. Unlike nowadays where couples adopt babies instead of brooding on the hackneyed concept that a mother who cannot bear a child is useless. People now understand that even the husband’s infertility could be one cause of not bearing a child. In the movie however Zeba advises her husband Muhammad Ali to go for another woman Gori who happens to be a large heated dancing girl. A few months later Zarina does in fact deliver a healthy boy but through a series of twists of fate and double cross finds her boy Anwar missing. Anwar ends up as a pick pocket and a thief. He cuts people’s pockets as part of a gang of beggars and prostitutes led by an obese and lecherous gang leader, Ilyas Kashmiri. Eventually the family is reunited thanks to the efforts of the golden hearted dancing girl Gori and her reformed pickpocket fiancé Badhshah, a role played by Shahid.

The critics observe that though this film was a big hit there is not much to recommend it as far as the storyline, script or acting goes. The redeeming factor is its music by Shamim Nazli and good acting by Sangeeta. Belonging to Karachi she was introduced in the film Yeh Aman. We were talking about female directors and producers where Sangeeta fits in as successful producer and director of films Society Girl, Nikah and Muthi Bhar Chawal (Fist Full of Rice). In the film Bin Badal Barsaat, Sangeeta is content with to acting and dancing. The director is yet another woman, Zeenat, herself an actress whose track record went back to 1946 when she shared the screen with Nurjehan in Hamjoli. A few words about Zeenat are not out of context here. After the creation of Pakistan, she produced and directed half a dozen other films beginning with Khula Ja Sim Sim. Her last appearance as director came in 1980 with Aap Ki Khatir.

Now we shall talk about successful use of Qawwali in this film by Shamim Nazli. In a critical scene near the film’s climax, Nazli inserts one of the Sabri Brothers’ most popular Qawwali ‘Bhar Do Jholi Meri Ya Muhammad’ in the backdrop of Zeba and Muhammad Ali’s emotional prayers on a shrine for return of their child. Bin Badal Barsaat may not be top quality cinema but as a study of the role of women in Lollywood, both on and off the screen, it is a film well worth viewing. The song ‘Tu Mera Pyar Hei, Tujh Ko Sada Main Chahun Ga’ by Mehdi Hassan has again the violins support pieces that complement each line of the song as though agreeing to what has been crooned.

This movie was produced by Mala as per the titles given at the beginning of the film. Here I must mention Mala’s song ‘Ghairon Sei Pyar Kiya’ filmed on Zeba that created the feelings of cry through the instrument Shehnai. The odd note on the word ‘Zalima’ adds fuel to the fire. The violins support pieces are very rich and remind me of Indian composer Madan Mohan’s style. A duet ‘Khush Naseebi Hei Meri’ by Mala and Rushdi has rich instrumental support in the style of Suhail Rana and Nisar Bazmi; string instruments’ pieces with rich violins and bangs. It is a very pleasing melody. A sad but lilting melody ‘Mere Liye Jahan Main’ by Mehdi Hassan creates a sad impact. Rich violins interval pieces are complimented by minor accordion support; continuity. Mala’s song ‘Pyar Kei Naghme’ reminds me of Indian song ‘Aaj Kal Tere Mere Charche Har Zaban Par, Sab Ko Maloom Hei Aur Sab Ko Khabar Ho Gai’. After creating wonderful melodies, I do not know what the compulsion for taking this step was. The best melody of this film is ‘Tere Baghair Zindigi’ by Mehdi Hassan; melodious in all ways. There was a deviation as far as choice of singer is concerned. Shamim picked Runa Laila for a song ‘Zundigi Kitni Haseen Hai, Haath Mera Tum Pakar Lo, Maut Ka Bhi Ghum Nahi Hei’; a number not much to my liking with the crooner’s shrieks.

Shamim Nazli was encouraged by music producer Rafiq Ahmad Warraich by booking her for his series ‘Bazm-e-Naghma, the title of which was liked in her composition. Asif Javed stated that he rendered a duet with Saima Jehan in this programme. Shamim Nazli also composed songs for Central Production Unit, Radio Pakistan, Lahore.

Though India has introduced some female music composers lately but I’ve not heard of any in Pakistan so far. Maybe Karachi brings forward some due to its domination in show business nowadays. g

The writer is the recipient of the prestigious Pride of Performance award. He can be reached at doc_amjad@hotmail.com

Published in Daily Times, March 24^th 2019.