Narendra Modi’s government abrogated Articles 35-A and 370 of the Indian Constitution and took away the autonomy of the Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK), on August 5, 2019. This step, taken four years ago, has brought extreme changes in the demography of the Indian-occupied region, bifurcating it into IOJK, and Ladakh.

IOJK lost its statehood status and had been made a union territory, meaning Indians can now purchase land in the state, which has thrown up new challenges for the struggle for freedom in Kashmir.

This was predicted more than 50 years ago by maverick film director/ dialogue writer Riaz Shahid, whose film Yeh Aman not only depicted the atrocities of the Indian armed forces but also the freedom movement was presented on celluloid in a positive way.

Hailing from a Punjabi Kashmiri family, Riaz Shahid was a journalist long before joining films. On the advice of ‘Shair-i-Inquilab’ [Poet of Revolution] Faiz Ahmed Faiz — his senior at Progressive Papers — Riaz moved to films.

Riaz Shahid’s Yeh Aman, released more than 50 years ago, remains the only Pakistani film about the struggle for freedom in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. It fell prey to convoluted politics even the

With movies such as Shaheed (1962), Firangi (1964) and Khamosh Raho (1964), Riaz soon made a name for himself as a film director. The tremendous success of Zarqa (1969), a story about a female freedom fighter in Occupied Palestine of the 1940s, allowed him to work on Gharnata (a film about the downfall of Muslim rule in Spain) and Yeh Aman (on the oppression in Kashmir), in succession.

Elaborate sets were placed in Lahore’s Evernew Studios. Jamil, who became famous after appearing in Ali Sufyan Afaqi’s film Saza, was signed as a lead in both films. Jamil is the father of Bollywood actresses Farah and Tabu, and one cannot ignore the strong resemblance the daughters bear to the actor who failed to make it big in Lollywood.

Nisho was signed on for the main role. “After the success of Baazi and Rangeela, I was signed to star in Aman, which later became Yeh Aman. Riaz Shahid was looking for a face resembling Neelo bhabhi’s and selected me for the role. As I was not allowed to mingle much in the very early days of my career, Riaz Shahid took me under his wings and extracted a performance beyond my capabilities,” Nisho relates, speaking to Icon from Lahore.

Other than the lead pair, Iqbal Hassan, a lead actor from Punjabi films, and Sangeeta were also roped in. Iqbal was used to perfection without the regular antics of a Punjabi actor. Sangeeta, also in her initial acting days, was cast as Shanti, who preferred a Muslim-ruled Kashmir than a Dogra-controlled one. Allaudin and Agha Talish excelled as always in their respective roles.

When the script was being penned, the Tashkent Accord was in effect, which kept propaganda to a minimum. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had launched the Pakistan Peoples Party and knew the importance of the burning issue of Kashmir. Riaz Shahid, who had already written against imperialist forces in the past, decided to make a film on the freedom struggle of Kashmir.

Set in IOJK, the story revolves around residents of a small town living under a corrupt military rule. The protagonist of the film is a simple but cowardly shikara-owner (a shikara is a traditional Kashmiri boat) who turns into a revolutionary due to circumstances. The antagonist was the Indian military, busy in killing old men, harassing and raping young women, demolishing homes and taking the youth as prisoners in the region.

Produced by Abida Riaz, the off-screen name of actress Neelo and wife of Riaz Shahid, the characters were named to perfection: the first to appear on screen is Amna (derived from Aman). Amna and Shanti (also meaning peace) are childhood friends, played by Nisho and Sangeeta, respectively. Amna gets married to Ramzana, the shikara-owner who is soon picked up by the occupying Indian forces. Refusing to spy for the regime, Ramzana has to pay a high price.

Meanwhile, Shanti, the daughter of Tehsildar Pandit Premnath (played by the unforgettable Agha Talish) is in love with Salama, brother of Amna and son of Abdullah (Alauddin in the role of an ageing mujahid).

Unknown to all, Salama (another name derivative of peace) is the guerilla leader Nasir (the one who brings victory) who leads a group of fighters against the occupying regime. Towards the end of Yeh Aman, Ramzana is deprived of both hands, Amna of her voice and Shanti of her dignity, symbolising that breadwinners are no more capable of earning, and women have no say or honour in the occupied valley.

Famous for defying dictators, Habib Jalib’s poetry matched Riaz Shahid’s dialogues at every step. Lines such as “Hansti gaati roshan waadi taareeki mein doob gayi [a valley full of light and joy has been plunged into darkness and sorrow]” from the song ‘Zulm rahay aur aman bhi ho’ [That cruelty remains while peace prevails too], followed by dialogues such as “Kashmir ki shanti mar gayee [Kashmir has no more peace]” and “Jis Kashmiri ko apnay mulk se pyaar nahin, usse na pyaar karnay ka haq hai na zinda rehnay ka [Any Kashmiri who doesn’t love his land is neither entitled to love nor to live]” not only keep the pace going but the adrenaline high as well throughout the duration of the film.

Brilliant songs such as ‘Jab tak chand luteray mere watan ko ghairay hain, apni jang rahay gi’ [Our fight will continue till robbers continue to threaten my land] by Mehdi Hasan and penned by Jalib were not surprising.

However, Riaz Shahid turned lyricist for the Mujeeb Alam-Madam Noor Jahan duet, ‘Khichi hui hai dil pe mere khooni surkh lakeer’ [A blood-red line is etched on my heart], which mocked the Line of Control.

If ‘Raqs zanjeer pehen kar bhi’ challenged the rule of martial law in Zarqa, ‘Zulm rahay aur aman bhi ho’ (rendered twice in Yeh Aman) questioned the United Nations about war and peace gelling together.

Released on Eid-ul-Fitr, on November 20, 1971, Yeh Aman was supposed to awaken the nation, but failed to strike a chord at the box office. Perhaps, because the nation was occupied with matters in East Pakistan at the time. With an excellent background score, meaningful songs, powerful dialogues and excellent cinematography, the film could have done wonders for the local industry.

Actor/ director/ producer Shaan Shahid, son of Riaz Shahid, was an infant at the time of Yeh Aman’s release. “References to India were completely removed from the movie and you cannot see Indian flags in the film, despite the atrocities by them in the Occupied valley,” he says.

“There were also cuts in some dialogues, and even objections with the film’s title were raised. The main narrative was changed and the film failed to achieve the desired objective. As a Kashmiri, my father thought it his duty to present to the world the Kashmir issue but, sadly, hurdles were created in the way,” Shaan recalls now.

Yeh Aman, however, won four Nigar Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Sangeeta), Best Screenplay (Riaz Shahid, posthumously), Best Art Direction (Habib Shah) and Best Sound Editor (A.Z. Baig). Yeh Aman lost most of the awards to Dosti, made on the friendship between the East and the West wings of Pakistan. When the ceremony was held on December 26, 1972, in Lahore, Bangladesh had just celebrated its first independence day, nullifying the effects of Dosti. Riaz Shahid lost his battle for life due to leukaemia in October 1972. It is widely believed that he had contracted cancer during those tense days when his film was being butchered by the Censor Board in Islamabad.

“I am still amazed that the shoot was conducted way back in the ’60s,” says Shaan in appraising the film now. “The way the frames were exposed, the use of track and camera angles were way ahead of their time. After more than 50 years of its release, Yeh Aman serves as the sole voice of the Kashmiri people from Pakistan.

“However, the rulers of the time were not sincere with it. If you watch Zarqa and Yeh Aman, you will notice that my father kept the option for a sequel open. I have the scripts ready for the sequels, but lack of finance and interest by the ones with power is keeping me from going ahead.

“Making a rom-com, is easy but nobody dares to attempt an action film,” says Shaan, who still believes not much has changed in the political scenario of the country.

The situation is still the same in IOJK and Palestine as both regions continue to to fight the war of survival and independence, despite the passage of over half-a-century.

Sadly, in Pakistan as well, the powers that be have yet to realise and believe in the power of cinema.

Published in Dawn, ICON, Aug 6th, 2023