Daily Times

Imagine Inayat Hussain Bhatti, an artist who started his career as a folk singer in theatres went on to invest his life-long savings in a movie ‘Warris Shah’ based upon the life and works of the great Sufi poet of Punjab.

He knew that in the 1950s, this theme was too mature for cinemagoers in Pakistan but it was his love for folklore that enticed him to make this film. As expected, this movie did not do well at the box office. Bhatti did not lose heart, went back to the theatres to earn money again and started producing and directing films yet again. He ended up making 50 films in his lifetime. About half of these films like ‘Chan Makhana’, ‘Sajjan Pyara’, ‘Duniya Matlab Di’, ‘Ishq Diwana’, ‘Dharti De Baal’ and ‘Zulm Da Badla’ were super hits. Even his films in Saraiki language like ‘Dhiyan Numaniyan’ were super hit. His production house, Bhatti Pictures used to be considered as an exemplary production house in the 1950s and ‘60s. Inayat Hussain Bhatti wore many caps. He was simultaneously a film playback singer, film actor, producer, director, scriptwriter, social worker, columnist, religious scholar and a promoter of the development of the Punjab and literature. He hailed from Gujarat, born in a Rajput family and his date of birth is January 12, 1928.

In December 1948, he shifted to Lahore to study law. His first abode was MAO College Lahore hostel. His love for singing took him to a stage performance in the YMCA Hall, Lahore. Then he gave audition at Radio Pakistan, Lahore. He came across music composer Ustad Niaz Hussain Shami there and became his pupil. Apart from singing he sometimes used to accept character roles in plays broadcast by the Lahore Radio Station. Rafi Peer, a play-writer, asked him to be the ‘hero’ in his play Akhhian (Eyes). In this play music was composed by Akhtar Hussain. Because of popularity of the play he started getting known as Akhtar Hussain Akhian.

Radio Pakistan was a promoter of art, especially music. Bhatti met famous composer Baba GA Chishti in 1949. Upon Shami’s recommendations, Baba Ji took few songs in Bhatti’s voice for his films ‘Larey’ – 1950 and ‘Phairey’ – 1949. Bhatti became hero cum singer in director Nazeer’s film ‘Heer’ – 1955.

Bhatti was an exception as far as popularity is concerned that he was successful both as an actor and a singer.

As per Wikipedia and Bhattis’s son actor Waseem Abbas, Bhatti’s second film as a producer was ‘Moonh Zor’ (1965). Unfortunately it was a flop. His third film ‘Chann Makhna’ in which he played the lead role proved to be a block buster at the box office and received the Nigar Award as the best picture of 1968. This was followed by a string of hit movies as mentioned above. The films transformed Bhatti into a superstar actor of the Punjabi movies.

During the 1960s, Bhatti also took to folk theatre acting and singing, and toured the rural hinterland of the Punjab along with his theatre group, where he performed his songs and recitation of the works of the great Sufi poets such as Waris Shah, Bulleh Shah, Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, Sultan Bahoo and Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. His strong voice with great throw and resonance was most suited for the theatre.

In the early 1970s, he did ‘Bhatti Da Dayrah’, a weekly musical cum talk show for a year. In the 1990s, Bhatti hosted a series of TV programmes titled ‘Ujala’ on the lives and works of Sufi Saints of Pakistan. He wrote its scripts. Here I met him and sang many songs for his series. I found him very decent and educated person. It earned its producer, Qaisar Ali Shah, the PTV Award for best religious programme.

In 1997, Bhatti suffered an attack of paralysis, which impaired his speech. A few days before his death, the 71-year-old artiste was taken to his native home where on May 31, 1999; he died and was buried next to his parents.

Published in Daily Times, June 26th, 2017.