As a nation, the newly created state of Pakistan was struggling to get on its feet in all fields during the 1950s. By 1960, relative stability had been achieved and a new breed of professionals had come to the fore to support the ‘retiring’ ones. From politics to sports, 1962 is considered ‘the’ year and in films, it also brought about a positive change — be it the production of the first Urdu film Chanda from East Pakistan, the debut of the chocolate hero Waheed Murad or the Bengali starlet Shabnam.

The biggest change, however, came in the shape of director Fazl Ahmed Karim Fazli’s Chiragh Jalta Raha (CJR), which produced mega stars, some that continue to shine at present.

While scouring through the travelogue of Pakistan penned by legendary Indian actor Balraj Sahini, this writer came across his description of CJR. The Rawalpindi-born Sahini made a short trip to Pakistan in 1962, and watched CJR in Faisalabad. In his book Pakistan — Ek Safarnama, the star of classic films such as Dharti Ke Laal (1946), Do Bigha Zameen (1953) and Kabuliwala (1961) was all praise for CJR that depicted the problems faced by a law-abiding family.

CJR was written and directed by an ex-Indian Civil Service/ Civil Service of Pakistan officer Syed Fazl Ahmed Karim Fazli, who was also a renowned poet and writer. I got in touch with the Fazlis and found my way to Bait-ul-Ghazal, their residence in the PECHS area of Karachi. Built in 1958, and situated in one corner of a 2,000 sq yard plot, the first glance at the double-storey house with its Moorish architecture transports you back in time.

Chiragh Jalta Raha was a trailblazer when it came to making films in Pakistan and launching the careers of many latter-day superstars. The filmmaker behind it was a forcibly retired bureaucrat…

The 73-year-old Rehmati K. Fazli, the younger son of Fazl Ahmed Karim Fazli and a film distributor/producer himself led me into the drawing room. Before I could sit down, pat came Rehmati’s suggestion, “Mohammed Ali used to sit on this sofa when he was associated with my father’s company Dabistan Mehdood.”

It immediately transported me to the days when Pakistan was ruled by ‘Field Marshal’ Gen Ayub Khan. On asking how a bureaucrat ended up as a filmmaker, Rehmati K. Fazli took me back in time.

Born in Azamgarh in 1906, Syed Fazl Ahmed Karim Fazli studied in Allahabad and Oxford. During his stay in England, for his Indian Civil Service training, he was fascinated by the arrival of ‘sound’ in films. Thinking it a medium to convey messages to the masses, on his return from England, he asked his younger brothers to become filmmakers.

The Fazlis made their first film Qaidi in 1938, which paved the way for ‘Muslim Social’ films in undivided India. Later, S.F. Hasnain (Fazli) and Sibtain Fazli formed Fazli Brothers Ltd in 1940.

The story of Fazli Bros next film Masoom (1942) was taken from a piece by the eldest of the Fazlis. S.F. Hasnain and Sibtain Fazli were quite active in Calcutta for few years, but relocated to Bombay, with the fear of bombing from Japan during World War II.

Years passed, Pakistan was created and the trio moved to Pakistan. When Fazl Karim Fazli was forcefully retired from the civil service in 1959, he decided to step into filmmaking. He founded his company, Dabistan Mehdood in 1959.

Fazl Ahmed Karim Fazli decided to assemble a new cast for his upcoming movie, which became CJR; he selected Anglo-Irish novelist Oliver Goldsmith’s The Vicar of Wakefield as the backdrop.

The story involves a family of five, headed by Shakir, an upright school headmaster. Shakir lives peacefully with his wife, two sons, Jameel and Munna, and daughter Saba. A corrupt politician wants his daughter to marry into Shakir’s respectable family to gain votes in elections, but Shakir refuses to be part of the game and, hence, begins the torment.

Shakir’s role was played by senior Radio Pakistan actor Waheed Mehmood. Veteran actor Kamal Irani plays the role of the Nawab of the town where Shakir’s family relocates. Mohammed Ali, the younger brother of the Nawab, plays the role of a spoilt brat who has eyes for Saba, played by Deeba Begum. Shakir, on one hand, has to survive and, on the other, has to shelter his family from the ruthless and corrupt political system.

Nihal Abdullah, a regular at Radio Pakistan, composed the music for CJR. The playback singers included Iqbal Bano, Kajjan Begum, Madam Noor Jehan and M. Kalim. Indian playback singer Talat Mehmood also rendered a couple of songs — he was on a private visit to Karachi when Fazl Karim Fazli convinced him to sing three songs for CJR.

The lyrics of the songs were by renowned poets such as Meer Taqi Meer, Ghalib, Ameer Khusrau, Jigar Muradabadi and Mahirul Qadri. Only the first mukhrra was taken from these legends, the rest of the songs were penned by Fazl Karim Fazli himself.

Pata pata boota boota (Meer), Ayi jo unki yaad (Jigar), Kahe ko biyahee (Ameer Khusrau) and Kuch hua haasil (Ghalib) topped the list of the CJR soundtrack, which comprised 14 songs. Ayi jo unki yaad by M. Kalim and Kuch hua haasil by Talat Mehmood are still popular among the listeners.

The movie premiered at Nishat Cinema on March 1962 and Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s sister Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah was among the noted guests. “Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah was very close to Abba and used to call him bhai saheb,” Rehmati K. Fazli remembers. “After every Eid prayer, we used to visit her at Mohatta Palace in Karachi. Eidi was always new notes of two rupees denomination.”

Then commerce minister and future prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto attended the premiere of CJR in Dhaka, held two months after the film’s release in west wing, while Gen Ayub Khan was present as a guest at the censor of the film in Pindi.

CJR was watched and liked by dignitaries as well as the masses and managed to inspire many others.

After CJR, Fazli made films such as Aisa Bhi Hota Hai and Waqt Ki Pukaar, a testament to his remarkable creativity. Sadly, he passed away on December 17, 1981 in Karachi.

Now, after decades, Karachi has again emerged as the hub of filmmaking. Serious issues such as those tackled in CJR are the need of the hour. After all, it was Chiragh Jalta Raha that made stars, and not vice versa.

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 13th, 2022