Tribute to Shabab Kairanvi‘Bemisaal’ screened at Lok Virsa

Islamabad

Director-Script-Lyrics: Shabab Kairanvi

Music: M. Ashraf

Cast: Mohammad Ali, Shabnam, Allaudin, Ali Raza, Saiqa, Sabira Sultana, Saiqa

Mandwa Film Club of Lok Virsa paid tribute to screenwriter-director, producer-lyricist Shabab Kairanvi by screening his Urdu film ‘Bemisaal’ here on Saturday.

Shabab Kairanvi started modestly in Lahore film trade. He also published film magazine titled ‘Picture’. His films were low-budget family subjects involving ‘saas’, ‘bahu’, ‘nanad’ characters. He seldom came out of that. Women film addicts were his audiences. Titles from his early career included ‘Mehtab’ ((1962), ‘Jamila’, ‘Aurat Ka Pyar’ (1964), his first colour film ‘tum hi ho mahboob merey’ (1969) and lot more. His savings came from low-cast, formula music and meagre production values. He set up Shabab Studios on Multan Road and the rest is film history. His two sons Zafar Shabab and Nazar Shabab joined the Shabab factory, making four to five films religiously every year. His later career had biggies like ‘daman aur chingari’, ‘mera naam hai mohabat’ (introducing Ghulam Mohiuddin and Babra Sharif in major roles), ‘shama-e-mohabat’, ‘saheli’, ‘wadey ki zangeer’ (introducing Anjuman) and again much more. He must be credited for bringing in new names and backing them in forthcoming ventures. He also had his camp with permanent names glued like producer Hameed and composer M. Ashraf. Released in January 1975, ‘bemisaala’ was up against Pervaiz Malik's ‘peechan’, S. Suleman's ‘zeenat’, Hassan Tariq's ‘eik gunah aur sahi’ and Nazar Shabab's ‘naukar’. ‘Bemisaal’ played moderately among these box office winners. Scripted by Shabab himself (as always), ‘Bemisaal’ revolves around young heroine married to a person old enough to be her father.

Shabnam, Mohammad Ali and Allaudin hanged around in this triage.  

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