Saheli (film)

1960 Pakistani Urdu film

Saheli (1960 film)

Urdu| سہیلی
Directed by| S. M. Yusuf
Screenplay by| Hasrat Lakhnavi
Produced by| S. M. Yusuf
F. M. Sardar
Starring|

* Nayyar Sultana
* Shamim Ara
* Darpan
* Bahar
* Aslam Pervaiz
* Bibbo

Music by| A. Hameed
Country| Pakistan
Language| Urdu

Saheli (lit. 'Friend'[a]) is a 1960 Pakistani Urdu language music blockbuster classical film directed by S. M. Yusuf and co-produced by F. M. Sardar.

It is written by Hasrat Lakhnavi while music is composed by A. Hameed. It features Nayyar Sultana, Shamim Ara and Darpan in the lead while supporting actors features Aslam Pervaiz along with others. It was screened in 2016 by the Lok Virsa Museum. Saheli is the first film of Yusuf to be made in the country after he migrated to Pakistan,[1] and the 1960s first prominent film of Nayyar Sultana, Shamim Ara and Darpan,[2][3][4] leading the film to celebrate its golden Jubilee.

Saheli won 5 Presidential awards and also became the recipient of four Nigar Awards,[2] a film award in Pakistan presented by the Nigar magazine to recognise those who have made contributions to the cinema of Pakistan.[1]

At the time of award ceremony, Shamim Ara refused to accept the Best Supporting Actress award, citing she played protagonist role while Nayyar Sultana appeared as supporting actress. Both actresses, according to the BBC Urdu, appeared in the lead.[5] The publication also included it in the list of ten best films from Pakistan.[5]

## Plot

[edit]

Saheli revolves around cultural reforms when two friends Jamila and Razia argue about polygamous marriage. Both friends live and raised together in Rawalpindi. One protagonist friend Razia trying to convince her friend Jamila by seeking her consent to marry her husband Darpan, supposed to be his second wife. The wife also makes efforts to convince her husband to marry her friend in an attempt to create a favourable environment for the two protagonists so that they can live together after marrying the same person. Subsequently, Razia leaves for her relatives in Hyderabad after they called her there, and the two lives in solidarity as a result. When the two feels lonely, they begin miss each other and communicates via writing letters. When writing to Jamila, Razia always starts her letter with emotional opening phrase "mere pyare habib" (my dear beloved).[4] When Jamila’s brother Aslam learns about their communication patterns, he intercept the letters and sometimes avoid to post or pass the letters to each other. The two protagonists lost contact due to Jamila’s brother interception.

The eager to meet her friend leads Jamila to deliberately pretend to be an ill and requests the doctor to fake the situation asking her mother that the two should meet either sending Jamila to Razia or Razia should be called to her home. Following the faking illness, physician visits Jamila home where he falls in love with her and a marriage date is fixed as a result. On wedding day, the doctor dies in a car crash. Her family learns about an identical person (duplicate of Darpan). They rush to the hospital. The doctor's death leads Jamila to be experience distress event, and she suffers from psychological trauma. Her family admits her daughter in the same hospital in Karachi. After she opens her eyes in hospital, an identical person appears before her. She doesn't adequately differentiate the new doctor (psychological specialist) and the two marries. Her mother describes the incident to Razia, the whom latter visits her home and subsequently sings a song accordingly. She advises her husband to not reveal the truth, but one day doctor's servant explains the story to Razia's friend, leading her to know about her new husband. She speaks to Razia over phone in an attempt to make an apology for marrying the identical doctor unknowingly. While on the phone, she hears arguments between Jamila's brother and Razia when her brother enters in the room and threats to rape her friend. On hearing this, she subsequently arrives Razia's home with a weapon and kills her own brother.

## Cast

[edit]

* Shamim Ara as Jamila[1][2]
* Nayyar Sultana as Razia[1][2]
* Darpan as two doctors (dual role)[1][2]
* Aslam Pervaiz as Aslam, Jamila's brother[1][2]
* Bahar Begum[1][2]
* Agha Talish
* Nirala
* Faizi
* Sharara
* Hasrat Lakhnavi
* Salma Mumtaz as Jamila's mother[1]
* G.N. Butt
* Bibbo
* Rakhshi
* Zamurrad
* Imdad Hussain
* (Guests: Lehri, Saqi, Ali Baba, Faizi, Sultan Rahi (extra actors))

## Soundtrack

[edit]

All music is composed by A. Hameed[1][2].

SaheliNo.| Title| Lyrics| Singer (s)[6][1]| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Hum Ney Jo Phool Chuney, Dil Mein Chubhay Jaatein Hain[1]"| Fayyaz Hashmi[1]| Naseem Begum|
2.| "Kaheen Do Dil Jo Mil Jatey, Bigadta Kya Zamane Ka[7][1]"| Fayyaz Hashmi| Saleem Raza, Naseem Begum|
3.| "Hum Bhool Gaey Har Baat, Magar Tera Pyaar Nahin Bhoolay[1]"| Fayyaz Hashmi| Saleem Raza, Naseem Begum|
4.| "Mukhray Peh Sehra Dalay, Aa Ja O Aanay Walay[8]"| Fayyaz Hashmi| Naseem Begum and chorus|
5.| "Saheli, Chun Le Apna Sathi"| Fayyaz Hashmi| Naseem Begum, Irene Perveen and chorus|
6.| "Yeh Dunya Gol Mol Hai"| Fayyaz Hashmi| Fazal Hussain and chorus|

## Release and box office

[edit]

The film was released on 23 December 1960. It became golden jubilee hit of the year by completing 50 weeks in the Karachi circuit. It was also released in the International Film Festival of India in the following year.[9]

## Awards

[edit]

Year  | Awards  | Category  | Awardee  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

1960  | Nigar Awards | Best director  | S. M. Yusuf[1] |
Best actress  | Nayyar Sultana[1]
Best actor  | Darpan
Best supporting actress  | Shamim Ara[1]
1961  | Presidential Award | Best Film[10] | S. M. Yusuf and F. M. Sardar[10] | [10][11]
Best Director  | S. M. Yusuf[10]
Best Actress  | Shamim Ara[10]
Best Supporting Actress  | Nayyar Sultana[10]
Best Supporting Actor[10] | Talish

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Aijaz Gul (1 March 2016). "'Saheli' screened". The News International newspaper. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Kamran Asdar Ali (3 August 2014). "COLUMN: On female friendships (Detailed film review of Saeli (film))". Dawn newspaper. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
3. ^ "16 movies that prove Lollywood and Bollywood have been empowering women since 1957 (film review of Saheli)". The Express Tribune newspaper. 8 March 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
4. ^ a b Barclay, Katie; Meek, Jeffrey; Thomson, Andrea (28 October 2019). Courtship, Marriage and Marriage Breakdown: Approaches from the History of Emotion. Routledge. ISBN 9781000734027 - via Google Books.
5. ^ a b "کیا آپ نے پاکستان کی یہ دس 'بہترین' فلمیں دیکھی ہیں؟" - via BBC News (Urdu) website.
6. ^ Arunachalam, Param (14 April 2020). BollySwar: 1981 - 1990. Mavrix Infotech Private Limited. p. 1320\. ISBN 9788193848227 - via Google Books.
7. ^ "Kahin do dil jo mil jatey – Shamim Ara and Darpan in Saheli (1960)". Cineplot.com. 2 July 2011. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
8. ^ Asif Noorani (9 September 2018). "FLASHBACK: TALES FROM THE PALANQUIN (scroll down to Saheli's Mukhre pe sehra daale aaja o aaney waley)". Dawn newspaper. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
9. ^ Pakistan Quarterly - Saheli and S. M. Yusuf. Vol. 12–13\. Pakistan Publications. 1964. p. 53.
10. ^ a b c d e f g "Awards for Film Industry including Saheli (film) (فلمی صنعت کے لیے صدارتی ایوارڈز تقسیم ہوئے)". Tareekh e Pakistan website. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
11. ^ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997 - Saheli (film). Oxford University Press - The University of Michigan Library (digitized 21 May 2008). p. 85, 86 and 88. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Saheli is an Urdu or Sanskrit word usually used to address a female's friend

## External links

[edit]

* Saheli at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Nigar Award for Best Film (for Urdu films)

* Saat Lakh (1957)
* Aadmi (1958)
* Raaz (1959)
* Saheli (1960)
* Shaheed (1961)
* Chanda (1962)
* Baaji (1963)
* Khamosh raho (1964)
* Naila (1965)
* Armaan (1966)
* Chakori (1967)
* Saiqa (1968)
* Zarqa (1969)
* Anjuman (1970)
* Dosti (1971)
* Baharo Phool Barsao (1972)
* Aas (1973)
* Bahisht (1974)
* Mera Naam Hai Mohabbat (1975)
* Aaj Aur Kal (1976)
* Aaina (1977)
* Mutthi Bhar Chawal (1978)
* Khaak Aur Khoon (1979)
* Saima (1980)
* Qurbani (1981)
* Sangdil (1982)
* Dehleez (1983)
* Doorian (1984)
* Naraaz (1985)
* Hum Ek Hain (1986)
* Choron Ki Barat (1987)
* Bazar-e-Husn (1988)
* Shaani (1989)
* Insaniyat Kay Dushman (1990)
* Watan Kay Rakhwalay (1991)
* Mr. 420 (1992)
* Haathi Mere Saathi (1993)
* Sarkata Insaan (1994)
* Jungle Ka Qanoon (1995)
* Sargam (1995)
* Hawaen (1996)
* Deewane Tere Pyar Ke (1997)
* Nikah (1998)
* Jannat Ki Talash (1999)
* Tere Pyar Mein (2000)
* Khoey Ho Tum Kahan (2001)
* Yeh Dil Aap Ka Huwa (2002)

*[lit.]: literal translation
*[No.]: Number
*[Ref.]: References
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