Deewana was perhaps Lollywood’s first ever horror film. It was made way back in 1964 and took its inspiration from the Invisible Man and The Spiral Staircase. Sabiha was cast in the role of an insomniac and the film despite starting off with a certain amount of promise soon deteriorated into an insufferable bore. The intriguing aspect of the film plot that involved the marauding psychotic invisible man was completely ignored while the audience was tortured by an uninteresting romantic plot involving Sabiha, Ejaz and Ilyas Kashmiri.

However, the film had some awesome songs composed by Bengali music director Muslehuddin. This particular ghost song sung by Noor Jehan and chorus and picturized on Nasreen (with Zurain in the frame) was the highlight of the film. This was perhaps the only film where Noor Jehan collaborated with Muslehuddin.

Publicity Still of Deewana (1964)

Publicity still of Deewana (1964) reading “Rubi (Nasreen) 2nd from left, met a fatal end soon after this joyful occasion. Who was responsible? No one could tell.

- by Ummer Siddique

Zurain

Zurain (real name Zulqarnain) was famous character artiste of late 50s and early 60s. He started his career in 1954, as a drama artist for Radio Pakistan (Rawalpindi). The same year he achieved recognition as an artist of considerable merit. Two years later, he stepped before the studio lights as Zurain and stood out even through a film that flopped.

In A.J. Kardar’s featurised documentary Jago Hua Savera (released abroad titled Day Shall Dawn), he played the key role of the fisherman around whom story of the film revolved. The film was beautifully shot by the distinguished British photographer Walter Lassally, and it won Golden Medal at Moscow Film Festival. Other notable films on his credit include Sukh Ka Sapna (1962), Teen Aur Teen (1963), Deewana (1964), Lakhoun Mein Aik (1967), and Khaak Aur Khoon (1971). Khaak Aur Khoon was financed by NAFDEC and was based on Nasim Hijazi’s novel Khaak Aur Khoon.

Very few people know that Zurain was also an accomplished painter. He painted almost everything that was within the Framework of Nature’s creation, but he exhibited such wild passion in painting horses as if his pen and brush were meant to create figures of this animal from Adam’s untamed Arabian pony to the present day track horse. He was also the leading spirit guiding the Partisans of Art and Literature; held exhibitions of his paintings, wrote articles on Art and took part in several plays staged by PAL and other Drama clubs.

Presented below are few of his pen-drawings which are remarkable pieces of art thrown up by a forceful mental image.

...horsepower

 

The boat

 

Woman at the river