Pervaiz Malik’s ‘Talaash’ to be screened tomorrow

Director Pervaiz Malik returned from the United States with MA in Film Studies from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He joined his old friends actor-producer Waheed Murad, composer Sohail Rana, accompanied by writer/lyricist Masroor Anwar. Together they went on to lend new lease of life to film making in Karachi. Their work included Heera Pather, Armaan, Ehsan and Doraha. All good things must come to an end after a while and so did this partnership. Time went on and Pervaiz Malik shifted to Lahore and brought ‘Soghaat’, ‘Dushman’, ‘Peechan’, ‘Kamyabi’, ‘Qurbani’, ‘Meharbani’ with lot more and of course ‘Talaash’. He was honoured with several awards, including Pride of Performance by the president.

‘Talaash’ was released in January 1976. The mid-seventies offered a boom for film business. Over hundred films were produced that year. Babra Sharif had turned star overnight from her precious year's goldmine ‘Mera Naam Hai Mohabt’ (a rip off from Hollywood's Love Story). Pervaiz Malik was competing with director Nazar Shabab's Shabana, Iqbal Yousaf's remake of Godfather Andaata and actress Sangeeta's directorial debut Society Girl. Notwithstanding these box office winners, ‘Talaash’ played well at the box office and won favourable press reviews. With story and dialogue by Masroor Anwar and screenplay by Pervaiz Malik himself, this was age old ancient lost-and-found formula which must begin and conclude here with the song ‘Pyar Ki Aag’. This is the key which must unite the family in the last scene. Of course, any original concept or thought was missing at the first place ( in fact ,all places). In commercial film making, when the film hits the jackpot, you are pardoned of all wrongdoings and with old tricks and gags becoming your virtues-not liabilities. And then we were blessed with as many as three sisters, going their own strange ways and of all the ways as a dancer on ‘kotha’ (Mumtaz, who else), ‘qawalan’ (Babar Sharif, newborn of course ) and tomboy pickpocket (Shabnam, still polishing her Urdu accent wearing hair bands and extra wide bell bottoms on make-believe fake studio streets . Remember this was 1976. Apart from multi-star cast, composer Nisar Bazmi's score was a major highlight of ‘Talaash’ with top of the chart melodies:‘Pyar ki aag nighaoon mey’, ‘Kuch mehangai ney luta’ and ‘Dekha jo mera jalwa’ All in all, ‘Talaash’ brought mixed bag of average entertainment which was supposed to be in demand then. Looking back film must be reviewed from what film goers wanted in January 1976-‘Talaash’.

Director-Screenwriter: Pervaiz Malik

Story-Dialogue: Masroor Anwar

Music: Nisar Bazmi

Cast: Nadeem, Shabnam, Babra Sharif, Mumtaz, Allaudin, Nayyar Sultana, Aurangzeb

Lok Virsa Mandwa Film Club brings Director Pervaiz Malik's Talaash on screen Saturday.

— aijazzgul@gmail.com