Television is the biggest medium of entertainment. In Pakistan, Pakistan Television (PTV) entertained millions of viewers, independently, from 1964 to 1990. It was PTV that created the classic dramas which have mesmerized us for decades. In the early days of PTV, drama serials were mostly commended for being richly diverse in their plots and direction. From historical to classic, from fictional to non-fictional, from serious to comedy, those old dramas still remind us that that was real art.
In this period of cable & satellite channels when we have more than 200 channels on our TV which are broadcasting day and night, the 1980s were a time when the entire Pakistan would switch on its TV to specifically watch Pakistani dramas, which used to be popular and heartwarming. We still remember the vivid characters that made us laugh, cry & cheer along with them. Those characters became a part of our family & entertained us. There was actual emotion, substance and plot in the dramas which reached people and taught them something worthwhile about life.
Nowadays, the trends have changed. People have adopted the manner of Indian Television dramas. Pakistani dramas have lost their appeal and quality. The dramas of the 80s used to be real, warm, filled with our culture and traditions and morals. Pakistani directors have now copied Indian dramas which have no substantial plot, and are about materialistic things and portray negative thinking and actions. These dramas are bold, bring up issues that have corrupted our society, like western ideologies, so that our youth is lead down the wrong path instead of being guided towards the good, righteous and honorable.
Pakistani dramas of the 80s were so appreciated that even Indians were big fans of them and bought CDs to watch the dramas. According to an article in the times of India, a fan said, “‘They had brilliant scripts and crisp dialogues. The stories were everyday affairs that one could identify with,’ says Delhi’s Amitabh Banerjee, 43, an avid watcher of Pakistani plays.”
A famous drama from the 80s was ‘Tanhaiyaan’, which gained a lot of popularity because of the captivating emotions, the strong and memorable characters and touching story. This drama captivated the television audience in mid 80s to such an extent that in Pakistan, as well as in India, functions and marriages had to be adjusted so that no episodes were missed.
Furthermore, ‘Dhoop Kinare’ gained tremendous applause from audiences. The drama centers on a team of doctors in a hospital in Karachi and their personal and professional relationships. The quality content of the show was a success and made the careers of Marina Khan and Rahat Kazmi. These shows had another attractive characteristic. They were shows of no more than 20 episodes, unlike the serials popular in Pakistan today, like ‘Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki’ and ‘Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ on Star Plus, both of which have more than a 100 episodes and contained nothing worth seeing other than a lot of melodrama and family politics.
In addition, the 80s brought dramas like ‘Andhera Ujala’ whose main theme was based on the criminal cases which are solved by a police team lead by Qavi Khan. The drama series portrays such criminal issues which we often hear and see ourselves and used comedy and amusing situations to show the ills of society. Also, the comedy show ‘Bakra Kiston Pe’ left audience with the moral that marriage is a sacred relationship and should be treated with respect. These dramas made a lasting impression on the viewers and exposed people to the simple and routine situations and relationships in life that need to be faced.
Hence, Pakistani directors and writers should revert back to the ways of the 80s where thought provoking plots were made, actors had grit and talent, and the freedom of expression was used responsibly to voice the pressures and problems of society and lead people towards the virtuous and right path that inculcates are culture, values and beliefs.
Waheed Murad (October 2, 1938 - November 23, 1983) was a legendary Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Born to a successful film distributor and producer Nisar Murad in Karachi, Waheed Murad got his early education from the MarieCalacoSchool. He graduated in arts from S.M. Arts College in Karachi and then obtained a Master’s degree in English Literature from the KarachiUniversity later. He was the only son of the famous Pakistani film distributor Mr. Nisar Murad and Mrs. Shireen Murad.
Waheed was very inspired by the film and music industry since his childhood. In his
childhood, he used to wear a guitar around his neck and was famous as a good dancer among his friends. In his school life he played parts in several plays, which made him more popular. Since childhood he was being given an exposure to famous actors who used to visit his father regularly and inspired him to pursue an acting career. A strong educational background placed Waheed Murad at an advantage compared to other film producers and actors of his time
Waheed was the first Rock n' Roll dancing star in South Asia. He was distinctively known as the 'Chocolate Hero' and 'Lady Killer’ due to his attractive personality. He is well-known for his charming expressions, tender voice and unusual talent for acting in films. His romantic style of acting made him popular as well as controversial, as it was the very early stage of Pakistani cinema where such bold and romantic characters were not much-admired. His dressing style, the hair style, dialogues and songs used to be liked and followed by people of mostly teen and adult ages. Waheed's hair cut was very popular among the young and was called the 'Waheed Murad cut', which was the very first “trend” in haircuts in Pakistan.
During the 60’s era of Pakistan, films were dominated by middle-aged actors in lead roles. Waheed not only changed that but also turned around the style of dressing, acting and most importantly, the picturisation of songs. He enlivened the silver screen with his extraordinary talent in acting and picturisation especially in romantic songs. Some of the songs that still turn many nostalgic, are Tumhain kaisay bata doon, Kuch log rooth kar bhi, Dil tumko dey diya, Koko korina, Jhoom aye dilwo dera jaan-e-bahar aye ga, Beetay huway khuch din aisay hain tanhai jinhain duhrati hey, Mujhe tum nazar say gira to rahay ho, Yun kho gaiy teray pyar mein hum, Socha tha piyar na karan gain, Khamosh hein nazaray, Aye abre karam aaj itna baras and many more.
Waheed was a very prominent and successful actor in his times. Apart from doing his most famous romantic roles, he also played roles of an action hero in Jab Jab Phool Khilay, dual role in Hill Station, a suspicious husband role in Shabana and a villain in Sheeshay Ka Ghar. He played the romantic roles in films like Armaan, Doraha, Ehsaan, Devar Bhabi, Insaniyat, Andaleeb, Afsana, Bewafa, Anjuman, Mulaqat, Mohabbat Zindagi Hai, Apne Huay Paraye, Aawaz and Behan Bhai.
Waheed’s films got 50 silver awards, 30 golden awards, 4 platinum awards and 1 diamond award which make a sum of 85 total awards during his lifespan. So around 70 percent of his films got awards which is an incredible achievement.
Diamond
Platinum
Golden
Silver
Total
1962-70
0
2
9
19
30
1971-80
1
2
18
23
44
1981-87
0
0
3
8
11
Total
1
4
30
50
85
A summary of Waheed’s films released during 1960s to 1980s (not including films he appeared as guest star):
Urdu
Punjabi
Pushto
Total
1962-70
38
0
0
38
1971-80
66
6
0
72
1981-87
11
2
1
14
Total
115
8
1
124
One of his block buster films is Armaan, which was his own production, made a pivotal impact on the sub-continental film industry such that the Pakistani film industry was considered as the rising sun after Indian film industry. Armaan made him a superstar overnight and as equal to the Indian film titans such as Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar and Prithviraj Kapoor. Another hit was Heera Aur Pathar which provided the ‘chocolate hero’, as he was affectionately called, the memorable big break as an actor. He produced and wrote the film himself and was instrumental in giving a break to his friends, namely director Pervez Malik, poet Masroor Anwar and musician Sohail Rana. The famous playback singer, Ahmed Rushdi, gave his voice to Waheed in the film and the two became inseparable since then, until his death in 1983. So he was not alone in his remarkable journey of cinema and film industry. His team included Pervez Malik, Masroor Anwar, Sohail Rana and Ahmed Rushdi, who gathered one hit after another like Armaan, Doraha, Ehsaan, Ussay Dekha Ussay Chaha and others.
He produced a couple of films as well like Insan Badalta Hai and Jab Se Dekha Hai Tumhainthrough his father’s production house called Film Artsand later ventured into acting as a young and promising actor. Under his own Film Company, Waheed produced nine outstanding and super hit films. Heera Aur Patther (1964), Armaan (1966), Ehsaan (1967), Samandar (1968), Ishara (1969), Naseeb Apna Apna (1970), Mastana Mahi (1971), Jaal (1972) and Hero (1983) were the films which provided an excellent base for Pakistani cinema to thrive upon.
Although Waheed paired successfully with Rani, Shamim Ara, Shabnam, Deeba, Babra Sharif, Nisho and Rozina, it was with Zeba that he enjoyed the most hits, including Heera Aur Pathar, Eid Mubarak, Kaneez, Armaan (Pakistan’s first Platinum Jubilee film), Insaanyat, Maa Baap, Ehsaan and Rishta Hai Pyar Ka (first film to be shot abroad).
Waheed was married to Salma, a daughter of Karachi based industrialist. Their marriage took place on Thursday, September 17, 1964. The wedding ceremony was arranged at Nisar Murad's house in Tariq Road, Karachi. They had two daughters Aaliya and Sadia (died in infancy) and one son Adil.
Waheed Murad acted in a total of 124 films (2 films were released after his death) of which 38 were black and white and 86 were in colour. He acted in 115 Urdu films, 8 Punjabi films and 1 Pushto film. As an actor, Waheed achieved 4 Nigar awards in the best actor's category for the films Heera aur pathar, Armaan, Andleeb and Mastana Mahi.
