Our very own Shabnam spent long years in what used to be West Pakistan, making a huge impact on filmgoers in the province. Her Urdu, when she first decided to settle away from her Bengali ambience here in Bangladesh, was initially limited in terms of vocabulary and fluency. Of course, she had earlier made waves through her roles in Chanda and Talash, two Urdu movies produced in East Pakistan. But it did take her quite a while to master Urdu dialogues once she was in West Pakistan, where she was paired with the likes of Waheed Murad.
When you remember the more prominent among Bengali artistes who carved a niche for themselves in West Pakistan in the 1960s, you will be amazed at reliving the popularity they enjoyed among a wholly non-Bengali population. Besides Shabnam, there was Robin Ghosh, her husband and a man who created some of the most riveting film music in his times. There were Chanda and Talash, of course. And there were others as well, Chaahat for instance, in 1974. You might recall that absolutely romantic Mehdi Hasan number in the movie — pyaar bhare do sharmile nain / jin se mila mere dil ko chaen.
Shabnam and Robin Ghosh stayed on in Pakistan for a good number of years, until the 1980s when they chose to come back home. There is then the tale of Runa Laila, who went through the most formative phase of her life in Karachi per courtesy of her father’s work for the government. Laila remains a craze even now in Pakistan. Her foray into music, indeed into film songs, began with that most wonderful number picturised on the actress Deeba — un ki nazron se mohabbat ka jo paigham mila / dil ne samjha ke chhalakta hua ik jaam mila. Runa Laila came to Bangladesh in 1974, which was a time when all Bengalis stranded in Pakistan were coming back home.
The actor Rahman too spent a good few years in West Pakistan, where all too often he was paired with Shabnam in the movies. Together these two Bengalis proved again and again they could, besides enacting roles in movies in their own language, were eminently qualified to achieve a similar feat in Urdu movies. Rahman too returned home to Bangladesh in the 1970s. A powerful actor who survived physical inadequacies (he lost a leg in a road accident in the early 1960s), he died a few years ago.
If Robin Ghosh enthralled audiences in West Pakistan with his music, Muslehuddin did not fall behind. This extremely talented Bengali composed melody for such numbers as zindagi mein ek pal bhi chaen aaye na / iss jahan mein kaash koi dil lagaye na. Muslehuddin married the popular Pakistani playback singer Naheed Niazi, whose akasher oi miti miti tarar shathe koibo kotha remains an unforgettable song to this day. Naheed Niazi, closely related to General AAK Niazi, chose not to come to Bangladesh with her husband after the war because of public feeling here about a man who presided over the genocide of Bengalis in 1971. She lives in London. Muslehuddin died a good many years ago.
When you remember the more prominent among Bengali artistes who carved a niche for themselves in West Pakistan in the 1960s, you will be amazed at reliving the popularity they enjoyed among a wholly non-Bengali population. Besides Shabnam, there was Robin Ghosh, her husband and a man who created some of the most riveting film music in his times. There were Chanda and Talash, of course. And there were others as well, Chaahat for instance, in 1974. You might recall that absolutely romantic Mehdi Hasan number in the movie — pyaar bhare do sharmile nain / jin se mila mere dil ko chaen.
Shabnam and Robin Ghosh stayed on in Pakistan for a good number of years, until the 1980s when they chose to come back home. There is then the tale of Runa Laila, who went through the most formative phase of her life in Karachi per courtesy of her father’s work for the government. Laila remains a craze even now in Pakistan. Her foray into music, indeed into film songs, began with that most wonderful number picturised on the actress Deeba — un ki nazron se mohabbat ka jo paigham mila / dil ne samjha ke chhalakta hua ik jaam mila. Runa Laila came to Bangladesh in 1974, which was a time when all Bengalis stranded in Pakistan were coming back home.
The actor Rahman too spent a good few years in West Pakistan, where all too often he was paired with Shabnam in the movies. Together these two Bengalis proved again and again they could, besides enacting roles in movies in their own language, were eminently qualified to achieve a similar feat in Urdu movies. Rahman too returned home to Bangladesh in the 1970s. A powerful actor who survived physical inadequacies (he lost a leg in a road accident in the early 1960s), he died a few years ago.
If Robin Ghosh enthralled audiences in West Pakistan with his music, Muslehuddin did not fall behind. This extremely talented Bengali composed melody for such numbers as zindagi mein ek pal bhi chaen aaye na / iss jahan mein kaash koi dil lagaye na. Muslehuddin married the popular Pakistani playback singer Naheed Niazi, whose akasher oi miti miti tarar shathe koibo kotha remains an unforgettable song to this day. Naheed Niazi, closely related to General AAK Niazi, chose not to come to Bangladesh with her husband after the war because of public feeling here about a man who presided over the genocide of Bengalis in 1971. She lives in London. Muslehuddin died a good many years ago.
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