Iahore’s film industry, often dubbed Lollywood, has been going through ‘nazuk morrhs’ [delicate periods] every now and then, just like the country itself. The ‘50s was the era of struggles, followed by a prosperous ’60s with meaningful cinema. The ’70s and ’80s saw the rise of ‘gandasaculture’ and, after prolific actor Sultan Rahi’s death, a mini-revival of the late ’90s tried to breathe life to what was a brand on its last breaths.

But for Pakistan, it all started with the success of Sassi — the country’s first Golden Jubilee film, which came out in 1954. Actors such as Santosh Kumar, Darpan and Sudhir ruled the box office till the mid-1960s, ably replaced by Muhammad Ali, Nadeem and Waheed Murad, who gave hits until Gen Ziaul Haq imposed martial law in late ’70s.

Syed Kamal, the only ‘survivor’ from the ’50s, shifted abroad when the film industry was brought to a standstill. However, one man not only played a huge role in the careers of these acting legends, but has also been witness to the changing tides in Lollywood. Remarkably, he is still active and is currently working on filmmaker Saeed Rizvi’s project Checkpost.

The 89-year-old Iqbal Rizvi, considered an ultimate guide to Lollywood, has seen it all as a part-time actor, an occasional director and a full-time writer. From Darpan to Waheed Murad, from Syed Kamal to Sangeeta, and even the Sheikh brothers — Javed and Saleem Sheikh — Iqbal Rizvi had been pivotal in starting their careers. Born in February 1934 and fast approaching his 90s, he still enjoys a crystal clear memory.

The 89-year-old fi lm veteran Iqbal Rizvi is rightly considered the ultimate guide to Lollywood and has seen it all as part-time actor, occasional director and a full-time writer

Talking to Icon from Lahore, Rizvi recalls his earlier life. “I was addicted to movies long before I entered my teens. We lived in Aligarh, India, and every Friday I used to watch a film in the cinema with my friends. Darpan [real name Ishrat] was my distant cousin and we had struck up a friendship when he enrolled in my school for a brief period.

“The ‘Santosh’ family relocated to Lahore soon after Partition, and we came over in 1954. I got a job as an assistant to editor Al-Hamid, and hence embarked on my long journey.”

The mid-’50s saw Darpan trying to establish himself as a lead actor in films. He turned to his friends for help, among them Iqbal Rizvi. “I suggested he form his own production house, and told him to ask for 3,000 rupees from producer/director Nazeer, in whose film Darpan was playing the main lead.

“Nazeer was famous for never paying on time, and I tricked him to believe that Darpan was suffering from a serious kidney ailment, and needed money for a surgical procedure. For the first time in his life, Nazeer paid the amount in full, fearing Darpan’s inevitable death might halt his underproduction film, Noor-i-Islam.

“From that money, we bought some raw material for shooting and signed up-and-coming Neelo for a mere 501 rupees. I became the writer, Al-Hamid the director and S. Suleman [Darpan’s younger brother] was taken on as his assistant, and Saathi (1959) came to be.

“A romantic comedy, it clicked as it was different from the costume dramas and swashbuckling flicks of that era. Saathi’s success prompted us to go for another film, and thus the 1961 costume drama Gulfaam came to be.

“S. Suleman directed that movie, which had Darpan and Musarrat Nazir in lead roles. As Nisar Murad was influential in the release of both films, I happened to meet his son, a young Waheed Murad who was making his mark as a producer. Impressed by my working style, Waheed Murad asked me to move to Karachi and join his Film Arts Productions.

“I penned the dialogues of the 1961 film InsaanBadalta Hai, wrote the story of the 1963 film Jab Se Dekha Hai Tumhe and even enacted the role of a eunuch, while Heera Aur Patthar was supposed to be a milestone in my career. I not only wrote the story, but shot most of the film, until an altercation had me replaced by Waheed Murad’s friend, Pervez Malik. I also penned the dialogues of Armaan (1966) but my name was forced out of the credits.”

Iqbal Rizvi did manage to direct Azadi Ya Maut, a patriotic film that came out near the time of The Tashkent Accord in January 1966, a couple of months before Armaan. Karachi was a well-established film centre by then and Iqbal Rizvi a must for movies produced in the metropolis.

He shuttled between the films of Waheed Murad and Syed Kamal, moving completely to the latter’s productions by the ’70s. He wrote the dialogues of Kamal’s productions Shehnai (1968), Honeymoon (1970) and Insaan Aur Gadha (1973), while he and Kamal collaborated for Hum Dono (1966), Nayi Laila Naya Majnoo (1969) and Pakistan’s first road movie, Road To Swat (1970), which were not Kamal’s productions.

A close friend of Sangeeta’s father, Tayyab Rizvi, Iqbal moved back to Lahore soon after the Karachi film industry crumbled; and then began the most productive phase of his career. He was a must for the films which had Sangeeta and Kavita in the lead. Be it yielding the director’s loudspeaker for the vengeful Tere Mere Sapne (1975) or Muhabbat aur Mehngai (1976), or suggesting Rajinder Singh Bedi’s novel Aik Chadar Maili Si for Sangeeta’s Mutthi Bhar Chawal (1978) or writing the story and dialogues for the Nadeem-Kavita starrer Mian Biwi Razi, he was always there as a mentor to the Rizvi sisters.

The rise of Kavita, post-1977, can be credited to Iqbal Rizvi, who penned powerful characters for one of the most beautiful leading actresses of her time. He also directed Girehbaan with Faisal Rehman and Babra Sharif in lead roles. However, the death of Aslam Pervaiz delayed the project. The scenes by the villain, known as Prince, were eventually re-shot with veteran TV actor Farid Nawaz Baloch.

By the late ’80s, Iqbal reduced his film work and restricted himself to select projects. He wrote dialogues for Saeed Rizvi’s Sarkata Insaan (1994) and Tilismi Jazeera (1998), while his last film for Sangeeta was the Saud-Shaan-Saima starrer Khilona (1996). He also wrote the story of Javed Sheikh’s Chief Saab (1966), which helped in establishing Saleem Sheikh as a lead.

During his trip to Karachi in late 2017, I asked him whether the Sudhir-Waheed Murad-Hanif-Iqbal Yusuf starrer Josh was an amalgamation of Hollywood’s The Magnificent Seven and Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. He simply smiled and said, “Bhai, aisay hi banti thienuss zamanay mein films [That’s how films were made back then].”

For someone who has seen the ups and downs of Pakistani cinema, is a walking encyclopaedia of Lollywood and has changed himself with the times, it is sad that Iqbal Rizvi has not yet received any state award in recognition of his services. Maybe it has something to do with lobbying, or the everlasting ‘nazuk morrh’.

Published in Dawn, ICON, September 24th, 2023