Ambar: Tribute to Nazrul Islam

‘Mandwa’

Islamabad

Lok Virsa Film Club pays tribute to film director Nazrul Islam with film ‘Ambar’ from 1978 on Saturday January 21 at 3 p.m.

Nazrul Islam began his directorial career with film ‘Kajal’ followed by ‘Pyasa’ from Dhaka in mid-sixties. He later shifted to Lahore and made films like ‘Ehsas’, ‘Haqeeqat’, ‘Sharafat’, ‘Aina’, ‘Zindigi’, ‘Bandish’, ‘Nahi Abhai Nahi’, Love Story and ‘Kaley Chor’.

He passed away in January 1994 after completing film ‘Khawhish’ which dealt with a rape victim. Nazrul Islam made few films during his directorial career spanning more than 30 years. For him less was more. He made sure to accept only selected assignments. Most of his films won several awards through years and he was recognised as one of our best directors. However, no ordinary producer could afford him. He was a expensive and demanding film maker who not only wanted particular actors, team of technicians and composers but picturesque locations, be it in Swat (Palkon Ki Chaon Mein), Kenya (Love Story) or Indonesia (Bandish). Nazrul Islam also had a keen eye for colours and production effects. Coming from Bengal, rich and tasteful interiors was part of his directorial magic. And even though he worked with several composers, his wave length with Robin Ghosh went more smoothly than with others. Shabnam, Babra Sharif and Nadeem were part of his camp in ‘Ehsas’, ‘Sharaft’, ‘Ambar’, ‘Bandish’, ‘Palkon Ki Chaon Mein’ and ‘Khawhish’.

Nazrul Islam never wrote his own scripts. While his scriptwriters included Bashir Niaz, Syed Noor, Jalil Afghani and others but it was Nazrul Islma's stamp which remained evident and could be seen in most of this dramatic conflicts, romance and marital crisis. His themes ranged from love, marriage, separation, memory loss, childbirth and death. These are normal as well as tragic events of our life. It was Nazaral Islam's cinematic imagination and magic which turned these events into memorable moments on screen.

And now ‘Ambar’. The film apart from its above-average production, would be remembered for wedding song picturisation ‘Thera hai samaa’ filmed on Mohammad Ali and Deeba. Composed by Robin Ghosh and rendered by Mehdi Hassan. The song (or a change in our films), appears even before the beginning titles. Nazrul Islam wraps up those musical moments with tragic death of Deeba which now in 2017 seem endlessly prolonged. How else would dramatic conflict be generated! This is later compensated with kicks and tricks of Nadeem as fake chef in Mumtaz and Allaudin's kitchen to tricks Tammana and win heart of the heroine (all this bit sure looks like cut and paste from film ‘Bawarchi’).

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