Sabiha Khanum

Sabiha Khanum was the face of Pakistani cinema in the ’50s and ’60s – she was young, talented and breathtakingly beautiful. Hence, it didn’t come as a surprise to her fans when she tied the knot with an equally debonair Santosh Kumar and remained the undisputed first lady of Pakistani cinema till the late ’70s. Together with Santosh Kumar, Sabiha acted in numerous films, churning out one hit after another during her era. Even when new actors – Waheed Murad, Mohammad Ali and Nadeem – entered the arena and took centre stage, she remained in demand, if not as the leading lady then in prominent character roles.

Sabiha’s career can easily be divided into two phases – one where she was the protagonist and the other where she was either casted as the bhabi, the mother or the grandmother. At the time of her peak as a leading actress, she experimented with a variety of roles – from the mentally retarded girl in Gumnaam to the wife who suffers at the hands of her husband’s betrayal in Kaneez. It was when she was cast in character roles, she became a different person altogether and shined through. Be it the clueless mother in Pehchan who fails to identify the imposter or the unjustly treated sister-in-law in Dever Bhabi and Anjuman, she was so convincing that the viewers were often left in awe of her performance.

After the death of her husband in early ’80s, Sabiha shifted to the small screen and performed memorable roles in plays like Ehsaas and Dasht. She now lives with her daughter in the United States and appears occasionally on talk shows there.

Shamim Ara

One of the most versatile actresses of her generation, Shamim Ara has had the longest innings in Lollywood – first as an actress and later as a producer/director. Not only did she act in hit films opposite Mohammad Ali (Aag Ka Dariya, Humraaz, Saiqa), Waheed Murad (Doraha, Bewafa, Hill Station, Salgirah) and Nadeem (Suhaag, Angaray), she enjoyed a successful career well before the three men entered films. She was the Saheli for whom Nayyar Sultana’s character stayed away from her husband (played by Darpan), she played a double role in Khawaja Khursheed Anwar’s mystery-thriller Humraaz, was the courtesan in Aag Ka Dariya who captivates audiences with power packed dialogues and the deceived lover in her home production Suhaag opposite Nadeem and Zia Mohyeddin. When she turned to direction, she delivered hits like Jeo Aur Jeenay Do, The ‘Miss’ Series, Haathi Mere Saathi, Beta and Munda Bigri Jaye, which is ranked as one of the most successful Pakistani films of all times.

Rani

It is said that Bollywood actress Rekha was asked to watch Rani’s performance in Umrao Jaan Ada before she acted in Muzaffar Ali’s Indian Umrao Jaan. While that aspect remains debatable, there is no doubt that Rani remains a class act from her time. Born Nasra, she was amongst the first actresses to make a name for herself as a dancing star in Pakistan. Be it her role as the sultry siren in Anjuman, the vamp in Dever Bhabi, Laila in the classic romantic tale of Laila Majnoon, the naagin in Naag Mani, the bone of contention in Surayya Bhopali, and the romantic lead in countless films, she always managed to sway her audience. However, Umrao Jaan Ada remains her best work of all time.

Since she was an accomplished dancer, she had some of the best songs of the era filmed on her including ‘Tha Yaqeen Kay Aayegi Yeh Rataan Kabhi’, ‘Kaatay Na Katay Ray’, ‘Dil Dhadke Main Tumse Yeh Kaise Kahoon’ and ‘Izhar Bhi Mushkil Hai’ from the ’70s. She was married to renowned film director Hasan Tariq as well as famous cricketer-turned-politician Sarfaraz Nawaz, and lost her life to cancer. She too ventured into television acting in a couple of PTV plays during ’90s.

Shabnam

Shabnam (born Jharna) may not be rated as one of the best actresses in Pakistan but for those who have followed her work, she is a legend. Who can forget her role in Suroor Barabankvi’s Aakhri Station where she played a mental patient and delivered an enthralling performance, one that is not short of a benchmark for coming generations. Her hit pairing, first with Waheed Murad (Jahan Tum Wahan Hum, Samandar, Andaleeb, Naseeb Apna Apna, Bandagi, Saheli, Nishani etc) and later with Nadeem (Nazneen, Mann Ki Jeet, Pehchaan, Aaina, Bandish, Dehleez, Kamyabi, Faisla etc) helped in stretching her career as a leading lady over nearly three decades. She married music composer Robin Ghosh in the ’60s and currently lives a retired life in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Babra Sharif

She was certainly a breath of fresh air when she made her debut on TV through Miss 4 o’clock and Kiran Kahani. Short in height, fair in complexion and extremely attractive, Babra had the ability to execute any kind of role: a bubbly girl (Mera Naam Hai Mohabbat), avenging siren (Shabana) as well as a grieving mother (Zindagi). Babra was effortless whether she was required to pack a punch or two on the hero (Dekha Jayega), play the damsel in distress (Badalte Rishte), portray a foreigner (Khuda Aur Mohabbat) or save the world from an evil villain (The Miss Series). From the ’70s till the early ’90s, Babra was on top of her game combining her acting talent with her vivacious dancing skills. It was only after the arrival of new actresses that she decided to retire, but not before having it her way through Pakistan’s first sci-fi movie (Shaani), a horror flick (Sar Kata Insaan) and a comeback TV series (Nadaan Nadia). She is still remembered as one of the few actresses who were wooed by a generation of actors ranging  from Waheed Murad, Nadeem, Shahid to Asif Raza Mir, Faisal, Ayaz Naik and Waseem Abbas.

Near Misses: Nayyar Sultana, Zeba, Deeba & Sangeeta