Historical Inaccuracy – 1

In this song Anarkali (Madhubala) is performing in front of  Mughal Emperor Akbar with the famous Sheesh Mahal shown (The Palace of Mirrors) in the background. However, it should be kept in mind that Sheesh Mahal didn’t even exist during Akbar’s reign (23 November 1542  – 27 October 1605). It was constructed under the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631-32.

Film :- Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Country:- India

Some Info on Sheesh Mahal:-

The Sheesh Mahal (The Palace of Mirrors) is located within the Shah Burj block in northern-western corner of Lahore Fort. It was constructed under the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631-32. The ornate white marble pavilion is inlaid with pietra dura and complex mirror-work of the finest quality. The hall was reserved for personal use by the imperial family and close aides. It is among the 21 monuments that were built by successive Mughal emperors inside Lahore Fort, and forms the jewel in the Fort’s crown. As part of the larger Lahore Fort Complex, it has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. (Source :- Wikipedia)

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Historical Inaccuracy – 2

This film was based on the life of Mahmoud of Ghazni (November 2, 971 – April 30, 1030), and his servant Ayaz. However, in the clip above, Nayyar Sultana can be seen singing in front of Shalimar Gardens. Shalimar Gardens of Lahore didn’t came into existence until 1641 A.D. (during the reign of Shah Jehan), long after Mahmoud of Ghazni was dead!

Film:- Ayaz (1960), Country:- Pakistan

Some Info on Mahmoud of Ghazni :-

Mahmoud of Ghazni was the most prominent ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty and ruled from 997 until his death in 1030. Mahmud turned the former provincial city of Ghazni (now in Afghanistan) into the wealthy capital of an extensive empire which extended from Afghanistan into most of Iran as well as Pakistan and regions of North-West India. He was also the first ruler to carry the title Sultan (“authority”), signifying the extent of his power, though preserving the ideological link to the suzerainty of the Caliph. (Source :- Wikipedia)

Some Info on Shalimar Gardens of Lahore:-

The Shalimar Gardens, sometimes written Shalamar Gardens, is a Persian garden and it was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in Lahore, modern day Pakistan. Construction began in 1641 A.D. (1051 A.H.) and was completed the following year. The project management was carried out under the superintendence of Khalilullah Khan, a noble of Shah Jahan’s court, in cooperation with Ali Mardan Khan and Mulla Alaul Maulk Tuni. The Shalimar Gardens are located near Baghbanpura along the Grand Trunk Road some 5 kilometers northeast of the main Lahore city. (Source :- Wikipedia)

-by Ummer Siddique

Madhubala in Mughal-e-Azam (1960)

Darpan & Nayyar Sultana

It’s definitely interesting to note that when Darpan, the younger brother of Santosh, moved into Pakistani cinema, he was exactly opposite to what Santosh represented with large, hazel eyes, that almost seemed fluorescent, a rich playboy’s smile and slightly insensitive dialogue delivery. Darpan seemed more of a heart-less lady killer at first. When you find out that Darpan began his film career with Amanat in 1950, you’d find it strange that he hardly showed any signs of copying any American, European or Indian cinema giant. In Hollywood, it was the roaring period of Humphrey Bogard, Sydney Greenstreet and Clark Gable, while in India Prithvi Raj, Nazeer, Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand were raging. But Darpan showed no indications that he followed either of them. In a rough way, he can be compared with Clarke Gable than any other star, because he was the handsomest, hazel-eyed star of Hollywood in those days!

In that context, when you analyze how Darpan was attracted to a shy, typically eastern and an essentially introvert girl, Nayyar Sultana, it is unusual to say the least. Darpan looked more the type of Musarrat Nazir (Baap Ka Gunah, Gulfam, Bahadur) with whom he was paired in many hits. They gelled on the screen as a couple receptive to each other – he, an eternal romantic and she, the sex symbol of the 1950s. But eventually when Darpan settled down in films like Saheli, Baji and Naela, he was taken seriously by the average cine-goers as well as the critics. His films with Nayyar, Shamim Ara and Zeba won credence and that’s also when he soberly thought of marriage to Nayyar Sultana. People often think about S. M. Yousaf’s Saheli as the epitome of their career, and in some ways it is also a pointer towards their sincere love, because Darpan had found that it was a lady-like Nayyar Sultana he’d settle down with. The same triangle of Saheli was tried again in S. M. Yousaf’s Dulhan and S. Suleman’s Tangeywala, but wasn’t as big a hit as Saheli. It is interesting to note that the Darpan-Nayyar pair wasn’t really a winning combo onscreen. At the fag end of their career Darpan’s own Aik Musafir Aik Hasina in 1968 featured them as hero and heroine, but the film didn’t do too well. Their other films together Azmat, Meri Bhabi and Saza also bombed at the box-office. Darpan died in the late ‘70s and probably his last film was Hasan Tariq’s Ik Gunah Aur Sahi. Nayyar Sultana remained a capable character-actress till mid-1980s and died in the early 1990s.

Nayyar Sultana

Nayyar Sultana’s real name was Tayyaba Bano, and she was born in Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh in 1937. At the time of the partition of India, her family migrated to Karachi. While visiting Lahore, she met Anwar Kamal Pasha’s who gave her a small role in his forthcoming film Qatil with the screen name of Nazli. After this film, she went back to Karachi from Lahore, where she landed the second lead in Humayon Miraz’s Intikhab. After this, many offers started pouring in, so she left Karachi to settle permanently in Lahore.

When she broke into the Pakistani film industry in the early 1950s, Nayyar Sultana was almost an anomaly. She didn’t hail from the proverbial bazaar; instead she came from a respectable middle class family. So while she made all those memorable movies, there was still a sense of alienation from her chosen milieu and oeuvre. Perhaps that’s why henceforth, the typical Nayyar Sultana role was that of the tragic, tearful suffering woman. This type of role suited her private persona well. Nayyar Sultana’s aura was imbued with sadness. Tall and fair with a beautiful complexion, she was a sensitive, sedate and dignified woman whose career was never besmirched by scandal. Ironically though, one of her most unforgettable role was that of the `other woman’ from the same bazaar that she only dared to observe from a distance. This was Saath Lakh (1957) in which she co-starred with her future brother-in-law, Santosh Kumar.

In Baaji (1963), she was the forlorn widow who falls in love with a guy much younger than her. The film directed by her brother-in-law S.Suleman was not a huge success, perhaps because of the otherness of Nayyar’s role. But it was one of the finest films directed by S. Suleman, and one cannot ignore the subtlety and depth of her acting. She was truly remarkable in this film.

This still is from the 1950s Mazloom. Notice Nayyar’s soulful expression under doleful doe eyes, slick eye brows, and endnote with an innocent, albeit, glossy mouth. The look was retro and was dovetailed with a `40s coif; sculptural Mandarin collared silk sari blouse and a simple black and white fern motiffed sari.

Nayyar’s another outstanding role was in 1960′s Saheli with actress turned director Shamim Ara. It was a film about a love triangle; sacrifice, friendship, and loyalty; virtues that audience easily identified with Nayyar. During that period, she married her co-star Darpan. After marriage she completed her under production films and then left the film industry to become a devoted housewife. She tried to make a comeback as a leading lady in the late 1960s, but that did not work as in spite of fine performances, her films like Ek Musafir Ek Haseena (1968), Meri Bhabhi (1969), Hamjoli (1970) and Azmat (1973) all flopped one by one at the box office.

With no other option, she gracefully moved to character roles. The woman who often wore and looked ethereal in white made a slew of indelible films as character actress in the late `70s which are still spoken with reverence today including S.Suleiman’s Abhi To Main Jawan Hoon and two films by director Hassan Tariq, Mazi Haal Mustaqbil and Seeta Maryam Margaret. These were her last critically acclaimed films before she gracefully faced away.

Darpan had a recruiting agency, and after his death in 1981, Nayyar successfully managed it. She gave almost 48 years of her life to the film industry and worked in dozen of films. She received a number of awards and was given the title “Malka-i-Jazbaat” for her acting. She died of cancer on 27th October, 1992 and is survived by her two sons Qaisar and Ali.