‘Saat Lakh’ to be screened at Lok Virsa on Feb 6

Islamabad

Director: Jaffar Malik

Script-Producer: Saif Uddin Saif

Music: Rashid Attrey

Cast: Sabiha, Santosh Kumar, Nayyar Sultana, Agha Talish, Himalyawalla,

Neelo (guest appearance)

Lok Virsa film club, Mandwa, will be screening ‘Saat Lakh’ from 1957 on Saturday (February 6) at 3 p.m.

1957 was a special year for film trade. While films like ‘Daata’, ‘Ishq-e-Laila’, ‘Wadah’ and ‘Sardar’ clicked well at the box office, Director M J Rana and producer Bari Malik's ‘Yakey Wali’ created history around. And just before the year ended, came ‘Saat Lakh’.

Saif Uddin Saif was a poet of national repute. He scripted and produced the film, directed by Jaffar Malik.  Saif Uddin Saif was able to gather all the best for this maiden venture. For cinematography he took Rasheed Lodhi and for music, Rashid Attrey .That was the best available in the market.  The casting was equally impressive with names like Sabiha, Santosh Kumar, Himalyawalla and Asif Jah.

Relatively two newcomers, Agha Talish and Nayyar Sultana were cast in the supporting roles. And yes, Neelo was seen in a special performance just singing Zubaida Khanum's all -- time smash hit  ‘Too chuti ley key aa ja balma’. Talish had just entered the film trade and he soon came to be known as the best character actor but he was not known for filming songs. Saleem Raza's all-time popular (and winner of Best Song of the year) ‘Yaaro mujhey maaf karo mei nahey mey hoon’ was filmed on Talish night time in the deserted streets. The fame travels fast in film trade. Talish and Neelo won several film assignments even prior to release of ‘Saat Lakh’.

Incidentally,1957 was also the year when founder of weekly film paper, ‘Nigar’,  Ilyas Rashidi started bestowing Nigar Film Awards which later became the most famous and reputable film awards in Pakistan.

‘Saat Lakh’, in competition with ‘Wadah’, won as many as five out of total of nine awards. The winning categories included Best Film and Best Script (Saidf Uddin Saif), Best Actress (Sabiha), Best Supporting Actress (Nayyar Sultana) and Best Music (Rashid Attrey). The rest, as the cliché goes, is film history.

‘Saat Lakh’ was loosely based on a Hollywood film where the character inherits tons of money but cannot spend before getting married.  Part of ‘Saat Lakh’ was filmed in Murree where the couple goes on their honeymoon trip and that is where they find Neelo singing ‘Tu chuti ley key aa ja balma’ around the hills.

But this was not the only smash hit melody of ‘Saat Lakh’. Munir Hussain's  ‘Qarar lutney waley to qarar ko tarsey’. Saleem Raza's ‘Yaaro mujhey maaf karo’, Zubairda Khanum ‘Sitamgar mujhey beewafa janta hai’, ‘Ghunghat uthoon key ghunghat nikaloon’ and Kausar Perveen's ‘Har cheez yahan bik jati hai’ were notable musical gems from ‘Saat Lakh’. The popular music of the film played a significant role in outstanding success of the film.