Nadeem Noddybaba Karachi Airport Gulzae-e-Hijri

By: Dr. Masood Haque, New York, USA Shabab Keranvi's given name was Nazeer Ahmad. The title of "Hafiz" was added in his adolescence when he accomplished the remarkable feat of memorizing the Koran. The religious scholar reinvented himself in his youthful prime as a poet and a writer and devoted himself to the decidedly secular profession of filmmaking. As a lyricist, screenwriter, producer and director, he made one of the most remarkable contributions to the history of Pakistani cinema. With his long time associate A. Hameed; Mr. Keranvi founded a production company in 1958, which eventually morphed in to Shabab Studios in the sixties. A. Hameed directed some of the early ventures but it was not until Mr. Keranvi took over the creative reins that the partnership struck box office gold. Mr. Keranvi directed the studio's first blockbuster, Insaniyat (1967) which was followed by a string of hits that made Shabab Studios one of the most successful production houses of the sixties and seventies. The studio remained a dominant industry force well into the eighties. It also became a family business when Mr. Keranvi's sons Nazar and Zafar Shabab followed in his footsteps. They directed films, which their father wrote, in a style he invented. The Shabab name became synonymous with frothy social comedy/dramas, which in the last act predictably turned into three hanky tearjerkers. These films had a distinct look and a distinct sensibility. The look had a ...In Mr. Keranvi's world there was no force more destructive than a wayward woman. Women who challenged the status quo by refusing to abide by its rules were subjected to sexual humiliation and violence and often paid for their subversion with their lives. Arguably these themes were not limited to Mr. Keranvi's work and were in fact ubiquitous in Pakistani cinema... candy color palette, vertiginous geometric set designs and crowded framing. The sensibility was a deeply reactionary one reflecting Mr. Keranvi's religious roots. These films reinforced patriarchal notion of a woman's place in the society. Women in these films are relegated to passive roles defined by their relationship to men. Because women did not exist for their own sake but rather as an extension of men, they were also a potential liability for them. This liability was most potent when women stepped out of their ordained roles to assert themselves. In Mr. Keranvi's world there was no force more destructive than a wayward woman. Women who challenged the status quo by refusing to abide by its rules were subjected to sexual humiliation and violence and often paid for their subversion with their lives. Arguably these themes were not limited to Mr. Keranvi's work and were in fact ubiquitous in Pakistani cinema, although in Shabab Studio films these themes were pervasive and pursued with a relentless zeal. Mr. Keranvi framed the female independence in terms of shameless westernization thus making these characters inherently unsympathetic. In his films, Mr. Keranvi thoroughly demonized the "modern/ western" life, yet the scope of such a life in his films was limited to coarse English phrases (my personal favorite, "naan sense"), sluttish fashions, Geisha like make-up, bad hair-day hairdos, and a slavish nightlife. Any notions of individual and intellectual freedoms afforded by modernization were not part of the definition. Mr. Keranvi limited his heroines to domesticated docile sharifzadies whose greatest virtue was self- sacrifice for the sake of family honor. This classic Keranvi terrain is best illustrated by two of Shabab Studio's biggest hits, Daman Aur Chingari (writer/director Shabab Keranvi) and Nauker (written by Shabab Keranvi, directed by Nazar Shabab). The latter is essentially a remake of the former. Both are cautionary tales about young women rocking the foundation of bourgeoisie respectability by their capricious, westernized ways and thus bringing shame and destruction to their families. In both films, the source of this implied self-destruction is adulterated Coke sipped by the unsuspecting victim which allows the wolf in sheep's clothing villain to rape them while they are unconscious. Sexual assault of an unconscious person as a recurrent motif is alarming to say the least. It also says much about the culture of sexual repression and the objectification of women in it.

	Daman Aur Chingari (1973 - urdu film) Starring: Zeba, Muhammad Ali, Nadeem, Aliya, Aslam Pervaiz, Munawer Zarif, Zurqa, Seema, Meena Dawood, Khalid Saleem, Furzana, Allaudin. Producer: A. Hameed Director/Writer: Shabab Keranvi Cinematography: Sadiq Moti Lyrics: Musroor Anwar, Tusleem Fazali, Shabab Keranvi Music: M. Ashraf. Singers: Noor Jehan, Masood Rana, Ahmad Rushdi and Mehadi Hassan

Daman Aur Chingari is several shades darker than Nauker. Until the very end it is filled with bitterness and longing of unrequited love, along with the specter of a disgraced woman. In Daman aur Chingari, Kaiser (Aliya) is the fun loving good time girl, forced to marry Ashraf (Muhammad Ali) who is under the wrong impression that he will be marrying her older sister Kauser (Zeba). Kauser is in love with Arif(Nadeem), who just happens to be a very close friend of Ashraf (Muhammad Ali's). On her wedding day, Kaiser (Aliya) foolishly agrees to meet her soon to be ex-boyfriend Aslam (Aslam Pervaiz) for a final good bye. He promptly drugs, kidnaps and rapes her, leaving her very honorable father (Allaudin) in a lurch. The older daughter is given no choice but Both are cautionary tales about young women rocking the foundation of bourgeoisie respectability by their capricious, westernized ways and thus bringing shame and destruction to their families. to step in for the younger one, and thus the groom ends up with his first choice surreptitiously. Upon Arif's (Nadeem) return from abroad a classic triangle is set up, with each star doing their trademark best. Zeba functions well as eye candy, tastefully clad in one sequined sari after another. Nadeem plays the jilted lover with his signature pout and Muhammad Ali tears up the screen with his histrionics (in the latter half of the film he is reduced to a festering wound). Aliya has the most interesting role as the tragic figure whose love of the party scene has grave consequences. Unfortunately her role is marginalized in the second half and gets reduced to a few cabaret dance numbers. Her performance is stirring at times but never sheds the Lollywood clich�s. This may just be the limitation of Mr. Keranvi's direction; he seems uninterested in her plight, returning to her only at the end as a plot device. Adding to the free-floating anxiety about honor/Izzat, and the sexual subtext which invariably accompanies it, is a truly reptilian lothario played effortlessly by Mr. Pervaiz. As a villain his smarminess and sartorial elegance remain unmatched in the industry. Madam Noor Jehan dominates the soundtrack of Daman Aur Chingari under M. Ashraf's musical direction. Her songs filmed on Alyia are particularly affecting. "Asli Chere Per hum nae bhi nakli chera saja liya", is infused with tragic irony as only Madam could invoke. Another classic is Mehdi Hassan's, "Humare dil sae mut khaelo", with a drunken Muhammad Ali staggering around like a juvenile who can't hold his liquor.

	Nauker (1975 - Urdu film) Starring: Muhammad Ali, Zeba, Babra Sharif, Nanna, Tamana, Saiqa, Ali Raza, Khalid Saleem , Nasira, Seema, Shahnawaz, Hanif Producer: A. Hameed Director: Nazar Shabab Writer: Shabab Keranvi Cinematography: Azhar Zaidi Lyrics: Tasleem Fazali Music: M. Ashraf Singers: Naheed Akhter, Mehdi Hassan, Ahmad Rushdi

In Nauker, Babra Sharif is Fari, the party monster, spoiled brat and Zeba is her virginal older sister, Roohi. Muhammad Ali is the Amir, the oldest, recent college graduate, forced to become the nauker/chauffer for their filthy rich father (Nanna) and their truculent mother (Tamana). Fari hangs out with several second tier villains (Hanif, Shahnawaz) at a local club, where she likes to dance to pulsating music. One night the villains conspire to add alcohol to her soft drink. Intoxicated, she sings "yeh aaj mujko kiya huwa", during which she repeatedly thrashes Shahnawaz, before passing out. She is raped in a state of unconsciousness and becomes pregnant. The family is unable to find a doctor to hide her "sin". It is left up to the older sister to manipulate, cajole and beg her true love Amir (Mohammad Ali) to marry her sister, to which he ultimately agrees for a variety of reasons. It is not until the wedding night that he finds a dead bride and a suicide note, which reveals her pregnancy and the elaborate deception of his masters. Instead of taking the high road and suffering in silence (which is Muhammad Ali's typical screen persona), he gleefully tortures his obese in-laws and makes a grand play for their older daughter and his true love. It is this narrative choice which gives tension to the last act and makes the film memorable. Nauker retains a light spirit until the very end despite the midpoint downer of the honor suicide (an expedient narrative trick used by sub-continent screenwriters to get rid of women who are sexually violated). It does not seem to occur to anyone in the film that Babra Sharif's character was in fact the victim of a crime. Babra Sharif as the young woman who suddenly finds herself unwanted and unloved makes the thorny character sympathetic. This was a break through year for the pint size star, with the success of her solo heroine debut in Mera Naam hai Mohabbat and the featured role in Nauker, she showed her range and made the transition to the A-list of leading ladies. With her death the collective sigh of relief is hard to miss. She is not mourned and the film returns to pre-suicide joviality. This goes back to Mr. Keranvi's distressful take on these women, which suggests that simply because a woman chooses to step outside the confines of her home she deservedly invites sexual aggression and gets her comeuppance. One of the real pleasures of Nauker is Nanna as an eccentric, sardonic Saate, in a thoroughly unflattering wig. His comic rapport with Muhammad Ali has great timing. He also inhabits the central Keranvi dogma and its inherent contradictions. As the film's consciousness he incessantly preaches moral righteousness to his ornery daughter. Yet, after her ignominy, he essentially commits fraud to save "his honor". The failure to explore this contradiction shows Mr. Keranvi's bias. Other performances worthy of notice are those of Tamana and Babra Sharif. Tamana shows up in skimpy blouses, flaunts an impressive belly and chews up the scenery like Godz