Cinema in Pakistan may be transitioning through a new phase but one cannot forget the golden era when picture-houses ran House Full to movies starring heroes that the public found irresistible. Instep pays homage to five of the most unforgettable men of the silver screen…

In this day and age, no Pakistani film seems complete without Shaan. If he is the protagonist in one, he may well be the antagonist in another, and in Waar he showed both aspects of his character to perfection. Needless to say he is the only actor in the industry currently who can carry the weight of a film solely on his shoulders. However, does that mean Pakistan is facing a dearth of good-looking studs to play the lead? No. In fact in cinema’s heydays, leading men managed to pull off various characters with shades of grey and were still able to convince the audience with their brilliant portrayals. We look back in time at the top five legendary leading men of Pakistan’s cinema who not only charmed us with their persona but also left an ever-lasting impression on our minds with their powerful performances:

SANTOSH KUMAR (1925-1982)

Santosh Kumar was the most handsome of them all. Light eyes, fair complexion and an impressive built made him the perfect leading man in the early days of cinema. Not only did he impress cinegoers with his acting mettle, he was the first choice for all directors because of his confidence and manliness. He was easily comparable to leading men in Bollywood of that era; the great Waheed Murad compared him to Dilip Kumar in his home production Armaan (1966).

The very graceful Santosh Kumar (his real name was Syed Musa Raza) was married to an equally elegant Sabiha Khanum. You’d think it would’ve been quite difficult for him to portray a grey character, however Santosh managed to execute every role he was given with utmost finesse. He was the father who abandoned his wife and unborn kid in Kaneez, married his younger brother’s ladylove (Zeba) after the death of his wife in Lori and fell for a prostitute (Rani) despite being happily married in Anjuman. His death at the age of 56 in 1982 saw cinema lose one of its first superstars.

MOHAMMAD ALI (1938-2006)

With his background in Radio Pakistan, striking features and physique, Mohammad Ali was undoubtedly one of the most ambitious of all debutants when he began his career. However, it was not until Aaina and Shararat (both black and white movies) that he established himself as a leading man of repute. His forte was action and tragedy, and although he wandered into the genre of comedy as well, he is mostly known for making audiences cry at the drop of the hat. The actor continued to act in films till the ’90s and even performed in one Bollywood movie – Manoj Kumar’s Clerk in 1988 alongside his wife Zeba.

Earlier on in his career, Mohammad Ali remained confined to villainous roles and managed to do well against the leading men. In Bahadur, he played the bad guy when Darpan (Santosh Kumar’s younger brother) played the hero and even in films like Daal Main Kaala and Dil Ne Tujhe Maan Lia, where Syed Kamal took the lead. In Gherao, his character was again negative while Waheed Murad and Asif Raza Mir played positive roles.

WAHEED MURAD (1938-1983)

Waheed Murad was, without a hint of doubt, the first iconic chocolate hero of Pakistan’s film industry who was modern and traditional at the same time. He could deliver poetry at ease, woo women with his modern mannerisms and fight bad guys whenever required. Add to that his amazing talent of filming a song and immaculate comic timing, and you get a complete package that dominated Lollywood in its golden period of the ’60s and ’70s.

Although he died young (he was only 45 when he passed away), Waheed Murad left a legacy that will stay alive forever. He was not just an actor par excellence but a true performer. When he played Qais (Majnoon) in Laila Majnoon, he looked every bit the great lover; when he was cast as a tangay wala in Heera Aur Pathar – his debut film as a leading man – he was perfection personified and when he was around ladies, even his contemporaries called him a lady-killer (most famously by Nadeem in Jab Jab Phool Khilay). He played the villain in Nazrul Islam’s Sheeshay Ka Ghar opposite Shahid and excelled.

NADEEM BAIG (1941 – Present )

When he made his debut through Ehtisham’s Chakori in 1966, Nadeem was dubbed as the ‘Pakistani Dilip Kumar’ and rightly so, for his features significantly resembled those of the legendary Indian actor. But since then, he carved an identity of his own by being the epitome of success in Lollywood and enjoyed one of the longest careers in the industry as a leading man. In a couple of years he will be celebrating his golden jubilee in the industry and unlike many, he still doesn’t look old and obsolete.

Be it the man who loses his memory in Bandish, the one who lives apart from his wife in Aaina, the naval officer on the lookout for his nemesis in Qaatil Ki Talash, the wronged musician of Jo Darr Gaya Woh Mar Gaya, Nadeem sahab remains one of the most versatile actors to date. He played an anti-hero in films like Samaaj and Suhaag to name a few that made viewers love to hate him. The movies fared well also because the men standing opposite were none other Muhammad Ali (Samaaj) and the multi-talented Zia Mohyeddin (Suhaag). Through his role in the ’80s Bollywood film Door Desh (aka Gehri Chot) Nadeem set an example for the world of how an angry young man should be – confident, volatile and unforgiving!

SULTAN RAHI (1938-1996)

When talking about leading men in Pakistan, the discussion would be incomplete without Sultan Rahi, the man who killed more men on screen than any other actor anywhere in the world. He acted in a record breaking 813 films!

He may not be in the same league as other good-looking actors but for the longest time, Rahi sahab carried the burden of the entire film industry on his shoulders before his untimely murder in the ’90s. He began his career as a romantic hero in the ’60s but after Maula Jutt, romance was overshadowed by vindication as he literally threw his axe from one country to another to avenge the bad guys. He was ‘wrong’ in the eyes of the law, but for his fellow gaon walay and his ladylove (mostly Anjuman and Saima), he was a true hero. Unlike his film persona, Sultan Rahi was a devout gentleman who was almost unrecognizable without his wig and make-up but that’s what made him so great – he simply ticked when the camera clicked!

Omair Alavi works for Geo TV and can be contacted at omair78@gmail.com