Guzri Baatein Beeti Yaadein
By Ilyas Rashidi
Nigar Publications, Karachi
232pp.

Be it the birthday of your favourite actor, death anniversary of someone whom you once idolised on screen, information regarding an upcoming film, statistics regarding movies of yore, gossip of the past and scandals of the present, the weekly Nigar magazine is the most authentic resource on film for all in Pakistan.

Enlightening readers for years, Nigar is all set to complete its 75 years of publication in 2024. To commemorate the platinum jubilee, the sons of Ilyas Rashidi — the founder of Nigar — decided to compile the writings of their late father, as Guzri Baatein Beeti Yaadein. The book’s first volume is the first of many more to come.

Like its title, the book is full of anecdotes and shows the relations between the press and the movie stars. With seven chapters dedicated to films — and one to the origin of Nigar, the book has a lot to tell.

The story of Ejaz Durrani, a struggling actor who left college to pursue acting, takes up the lion’s share of this volume. Ilyas Rashidi narrates his story in quite a filmi fashion, beginning with the very first day of shoot, when Ejaz was pitted against the veteran Meena Shorey.

A first volume of a compilation of Ilyas Rashidi’s writings, originally published in the weekly film magazine Nigar, vividly brings forth a bygone era

The chapter not only elaborates on how Ejaz ventured into production, but also touches upon the infamous Ejaz-Firdaus affair, and the jail sentence he had to serve in the UK.

The well-connected Rashidi also introduced Ejaz Durrani to Pakistan’s ‘Melody Queen’, Madam Noor Jehan, who was in the middle of obtaining a divorce from producer Shaukat Hussain Rizvi at the time.

Rashidi takes the reader down memory lane, leading to how the struggler and the superstar became a couple. Details about the ‘back-dated’ divorce papers, the clash of dates for the Ejaz/Noor Jehan wedding and the premiere of Noor Jehan’s film Neend, the way the news of their marriage became public and the agreement that Ejaz and Noor Jehan had before the nuptials, not only takes the reader back to the 1950s, but also brings a smile to the face.

Rashidi also traces the humble beginnings of ‘Putli Bai’ and ‘Shaheen’, and how he played a role in making them ‘Shamim Ara’ and ‘Zeba’, respectively. The manner in which he describes these events, reminds one of how a screenplay takes a film forward.

Rashidi minces no words when writing about how he was dumped by Shamim Ara, whom he had mentored. However, Zeba seemed to remain in his good books. He takes the credit of introducing Zeba to Waheed Murad, whose association not only helped her acting career but also helped Waheed establish himself as an A-list producer.

The interesting anecdote when Rashidi was introduced as a shoe dealer to the newcomer Zeba is hilarious. Rashidi wanted to see how Zeba behaved with a person who may have nothing to do with films. The leading lady passed the test with flying colours, although she and her mother were initially fooled by the journalist.

Enlightening readers for years, Nigar is all set to complete its 75 years of publication in 2024. To commemorate the platinum jubilee, the sons of Ilyas Rashidi — the founder of Nigar — decided to compile the writings of their late father, as Guzri Baatein Beeti Yaadein. The book’s first volume is the first of many more to come ... Like its title, the book is full of anecdotes and shows the relations between the press and the movie stars. With seven chapters dedicated to films — and one to the origin of Nigar, the book has a lot to tell.

The Karachi and Lahore of the ’50s can easily be visualised through the pages of the book. Lahore at the time had some burnt-out studios after the riots of Partition but Karachi would have had to start afresh if films were to be produced from there.

Rashidi, who was settled in Karachi, not only recounts the events that led to establishing a film centre there, but also the key role he played in the entire process, through his magazine. The book also brings to the fore names of those who helped in making that dream come true.

Actress Shabnam’s initial life, conversion, marriage to Robin Ghosh and shunning of her original name also get a detailed account in one of the book’s chapters.

The story of Allaudin, the actor who started out as a singer, rendering a few songs in India, and who went on to become one of the most bankable actors in Lollywood, would also be interesting to read for those interested in the history of Pakistani cinema.

Rashidi saw him on screen and looked forward to meeting him in person. He recounts the complete pandemonium when Allaudin, who was settled in Lahore, visited the Nigar office in Karachi. Their 40-year association ended with the stalwart’s death.

Riaz Shahid, the firebrand writer, was another good friend, who always welcomed Rashidi with open arms whenever he travelled to Lahore.

Even in the age of the internet, there are many here — such as this scribe — who still rely on Nigar for its exclusive photos and its informative articles. I still buy the special Waheed Murad and Nadeem editions of Nigar, which have information that I won’t be able to find anywhere else.

Considered a pioneer of film journalism, Ilyas Rashidi was the one who initiated the Nigar Awards, way back in late 1950s. In the absence of any regular national film awards, they became the golden standard for film awards in Pakistan and could be compared to India’s Filmfare awards.

Guzri Baatein Beeti Yaadein is more than a memoir. It is a must buy for those who have an interest in the olden (and golden) days of Pakistani cinema.

The reviewer writes on old films and music and loves reading books. X: @suhaybalavi

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, October 29th, 2023