The defenders, real to reel

Tvtime

Tele-dramas that have honoured Pakistan’s real heroes, immortalizing them on screen.

The whole country is celebrating Defence Day today, paying tributes to the jawans who guard the borders while the rest of Pakistan sleeps. There couldn’t have been a better time for Urdu 1 to air their Tele Film Ek Thi Marium which follows the life and death of Marium Mukhtiar, the first female fighter pilot of the Pakistan Air Force, who lost her life in the line of duty. On the occasion of September 6, Instep selects 5 top TV productions that have honoured the men in green…

Major Raja Sarwar Shaheed

Lead role: Saleem Nasir

Writer: Lt. Colonel Ismail Siddiqi

Director: Kunwar Aftab Ahmed

Saleem Nasir was one of the most versatile actors of his generation; he could steal the show as the Mamoon in Ankahi or Akbar in Aangan Terrha but the role of Major Raja Sarwar Shaheed remains one of the most memorable of his career. The play was produced in early 1980s and featured a star cast including Usman Peerzada, Khalid Butt, Khalid Hafeez, Talat Hussain, Shakil and Agha Waheed Ur Rehman who all played Army Officers to perfection. Sakina Samo played Begum Karam Jan, the wife of the Shaheed while the late Imtiaz Ahmed was the trainer at the Signal School. The dialogues, the acting and the action sequences were top notch and the long play is still termed as one of the best PTV Productions even after more than 35 years.

Major Tufail Mohammad Shaheed

Lead role: Zille Subhan

Writer: Zaheer Bhatti

Director: Qasim Jalali

Unlike the rest of the Nishan e Haider plays, this one was more like a Tele Film as the narrative was shown to be in flashback and the pace was extra ordinarily quick. Character actor Zille Subhan was chosen to play the role because of his remarkable likeness to Major Tufail as well as his acting prowess; late actress Tahira Wasti played the Maharani of Joypur while the dashing Asif Raza Mir donned the uniform of the Indian Army playing Major Dev Brahmin; Late Ghayur Akhtar was Tufail’s younger brother through whose eyes we see the story while pop singer Hasan Jehangir made his acting debut as a Bengali in the play.

You might find the background score of many Hollywood films including Star Wars in the background but trust me, that is covered by the brilliant performances. The explosions, the action scenes were as good as real while the highlight of the play was the 3-minute fight between Major Tufail and his Indian counterpart where the expressions of Zille Subhan and Asif Raza Mir were priceless. And who else could have played the role of Tufail’s superior than the magnificent Sikandar Shaheen who excelled in every frame he was in.

Rashid Minhas Shaheed

Lead role: Pilot Officer Farooq Iqbal

Writer: Mumtaz Mirza, Shehzad Khalil

Director: Shehzad Khalil

The play that broke the notion that real life officers can’t play law enforcement officers on screen; it was also way ahead of its time because of its aerial photography that was at par with international standards, although it may look dated now, after 30 years. Late Shehzad Khalil used real life Air Force men for the roles of Rashid Minhas and his friends and most of the shooting was done on real locations. Veteran actress Nayyar Kamal played the shaheed’s mother and she emoted the role brilliantly. The play had a nice cast considering Zafar Ali was the father, Huma Akbar was the sister and a relative newcomer to the scene Marina Khan (whose own father served in the Air Force) was the love interest of Rashid Minhas. The execution of the aerial fight between Mati Ur Rehman and his protégé as well as Tina Sani’s rendition of Aye Rah-e-Haq Kay Shaheedo were so good that they still haunt those who had seen the play when it was aired.

Ek Thi Marium, directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, follows the life and death of Marium Mukhtiar, the first female fighter pilot of the Pakistan Air Force, who lost her life in the line of duty.

Major Raja Aziz Bhatti

Lead role: Nasir Sherazi

Writer: Asghar Nadeem Syed

Director: Mohammad Saleem Tahir

Nasir Sherazi hosted a weekly current affairs show, Haft Roza on Pakistani television and not even in his wildest dreams could he have thought of playing Major Raja Aziz Bhatti on screen but that’s what he did and excelled in, despite not being an actor in the first place. The script of this long play was by far the most superior in terms of dialogues as it made many cry, especially when the body of the Shaheed Major was taken away for burial. Technically it was also advanced as the play was produced in the late ‘90s and that too after a long gap since Nishan-e-Haider productions.

Alpha Bravo Charlie

Writer & Director: Shoaib Mansoor

Alpha Bravo Charlie may not be based on real life soldiers but due to its brilliant script, excellent direction and high production values, it will find its way on any list honouring the uniformed heroes. The play was a sequel to Sunehrey Din and like the preceding serial, it had loads of happy moments; it was the sad ones including the scenes shot in Bosnia and Siachen for which the people still remember it. Even after nearly 18 years, people still wonder as to why Gulsher had to die when he could have escaped; why didn’t Faraz get married and was it really Kashif who was hanging from a helicopter on his way to Siachen. Well Gulsher (Qasim Khan) is still alive and serving in the Army; Faraz (Faraz Inam) is settled abroad and Kashif (Abdullah) left the Army to pursue a career in showbiz which didn’t go beyond one episode of Gulls and Guys and a TV serial Chalte Chalte opposite Nadeem Baig and Natasha Hussain, directed by Farooq Mengal.

Omair Alavi is a freelance broadcast journalist who can be  contacted at omair78@gmail.com