Habib was born Habib-ur-Rehman in Gujranwala. He started his acting career from Luqman’s Lakht-i-Jigar (1956). He was attending a shooting with his college mates when the director singled him out and offered him a role in the film. Habib did marvelously and soon made his place among the other leading men at the time, namely Sudhir and Ejaz. He worked in almost 600 movies and delivered hundreds of super hits.

Habib married Naghma Begum who was also a very popular actress but they later divorced. During Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s era PTV Lahore centre used to screen Punjabi movies on Sunday that had mass appeal due to Naghma/Habib and Munawar Zarif. Habib was gentle by nature and he never resorted to cheap or vulgar roles, while his speech and dialogue delivery in emotional roles saw him at his very best. When it came to regional cinema, Habib also appeared in two Sindhi films, Allah Bachayo and Baghi.

A few years back at the Jinnah Library in Gujranwala, my friends and I noticed Habib in the library. I requested him to spare time to refresh old memories. He obliged. I asked him to compare cinema then and now and he lamented that there is no comparison. “In our time more than 100 movies released every year. The floors of Bari, Shahnoor, Evernew, A.M. Studio remained jam-packed. “We kept the studios alive through sincerity and dedication. We took acting as a mission.”

Habib narrated some interesting events, “When Dilip Kumar visited Lahore, he patted my shoulder and said ‘Tum ne Devdas main mujh say acha role kya’. I played the title role of the lover who turns to alcohol to drown his sorrow in the Pakistani version. He also said that his peers were so committed and professional that Munawar Zarif was running a high temperature but both the producer and director wanted to wrap up shooting as scheduled, and requested him to complete his last shot. Amazingly Munawar came, kept smiling on set and completed his work. The very next day he died!”

With a career that spanned over 60 years, the legend that we know as Habib was a diverse performer with the looks and charms of a real star

Habib always used to wonder why Lollywood hawks demanded financial help from the government when they themselves are responsible for its decline. “During our time teamwork, solid scripts and dedication from everyone present helped us recover our spending and earn handsome profits. In a way cinema would extend financial support to the government by taxes.”

Don’t you think Gujjar movies badly damaged the reputation of Pakistani cinema, I asked him. “Gujjar movies to hamaray waqt main bhi banti theen. But the Gujjars of our time were brave and ghairatmand as compared to today’s ghundagard.”

Habib was all praises for ex-wife Naghma even after their divorce. “I have no grudge against anyone. Allah ko shayad hamara itna saath hi manzoor tha.”

Images on Sunday sought out some prominent Lollywood personalities. Here is how they remember their friend and colleague.

Pervaiz Rana

“I joined the film industry as an assistant producer in the Punjabi film Mukhra Chan Verga. Habib was playing the leading role. Throughout the film he used to keep mum, sit in seclusion and was always punctual. If he was asked to come on set at 6’o clock, he was there. Secondly, he never frowned over latecomers. He married Naghma without a scandal. I would say that he was a role model in the true sense of the word and newcomers should follow in his footsteps in their professional and personal lives.”

Shahzad Gul

“When I commenced production and took over the Evernew Studios office, Habib was on his way out. But his colleagues and assistants still raved about him. He used to okay his shots in a single take which saved his producers/directors from all kinds of trouble. Frankly speaking, the main reason behind the barrenness of our film studios today is that we don’t have Habib jaisay log who not only kept our studios buzzing with activity but also kept our films alive. My good wishes to his family.”

Tariq Aziz

“Oh, what a wonderful person! He was a refined (educated) person among jahils (illiterates). I worked with him in two films and found him quite civilised and sympathetic. His best quality was that he never refused to oblige anyone under any circumstances. He once graced my programme Bazm-i-Tariq Aziz despite the fact that he had a very tight schedule. Aanay ka matlab jana hota hay so Habib completed his term and departed. But the real question is that how people remember you after you die. And you can see, everyone is now praising that noble person.”

Bahar Begum

“I did a number of movies with Habib. He was down-to-earth, cooperative, always punctual and a very sensible human being. He was a symbol of sharafat in Lollywood. Once we were shooting at Jhelum with Sultan Rahi. We used to come back to Lahore after pack up and return the next day. One day when we reached early in the morning (it was still dark), I saw Habib strolling in the courtyard of the rest house in costume. He smiled and told me that he was ready for his shot. I told him that it would take Rahi sahib and I one hour to get ready for the shot. ‘No problem, madam. Take your time. I’m ready’ he said. He was so noble that when he fell in love with Naghma, he married her and set an example for others. Despite their differences, he was there smiling and welcoming everyone on the day of their daughter’s marriage even though she used to live with her mum, Naghma.

“Sadly, no ladies from the film industry bothered to offer their condolences in person on his passing away. I was the only one sitting in the ladies’ section.”

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, March 13th, 2016