Zahid Khan and Firdous in Aansoo (1971)

Capsule Review: Based on Riaz Arshad’s novel “Andhi Jawani”, Aansoo was one of the best films made during the early period of colored Lollywood films. The film dealt with the sensitive issue of rape and its after effects. Farida (Firdous) gets raped by a stranger Akhtar (Masoud Akhtar) while travelling from Karachi to Rawalpindi by train. The trauma of rape effects her psychologically for the rest of her life. Firdous who was then a popular heroine of Punjabi films gave one of her best performances in Urdu films as a character artiste. Highlights of the film were its songs including Mehdi Hassan’s “Jaan e jaan to jo kahey” – Ummer Siddique

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1971, Genre – Drama, Country – Pakistan, Language – Urdu, Producer – Masood Khan, Director – S.A.Bokhari, Music Director – Nazir Ali, Cast - Deeba, Nadeem, Shahid, Mahpara, Firdaus

Shahid

His career spanned a mere decade, from 1973-1983. But female hearts fluttered aplenty during those ten eventful years! Shahid was the Don Juan of the Pakistani film industry during the 1970s. Like the quintessential star of that era, his off camera antics were almost as interesting as his reel life. He married four times. Three of marriages were to film actresses, namely Zamarrud, Ishrat Chaudhry and Babra Sharif. His 1977 marriage to Babs (Babra Sharif) lasted barely a couple of years. This file photo was taken at their Lahore home, just after their marriage. Shahid was known and almost revered for his offbeat east/west sartorial sense. He often paired the traditional kurta with western jeans. Here the smiling heart throb whose entry into Pakistani films was so momentous, it literally eclipsed the triumvirate of Mohammad Ali, Waheed Murad and Nadeem in the late 1970’s, is seen wearing a hippy-chic, mirror work embroidered Kurti paired with flat front flared pants; two and half inch heels and amber shades that were a style obsession with Shahid’s western peer, Ryan O’Neal.

Shahid made just over 200 films, most of them in Urdu. His first film as a hero was 1973’s Ek Raat opposite Deeba, who starred with him numerous times. But his career making role was as a villain, opposite Nadeem and Deeba in Aansoo. After chocolate hero Waheed Murad lost favor with fickle audiences, Shahid became the most romantic actor during his decade in films. However, when he first left movies, it was under the glare of scandal: Shahid was caught drunk in a Quetta graveyard with film actress Firdous; a blemish on his career that he never really recovered from. Director Syed Noor attempted to kick start Shahid’s flagged career by casting him in two movies, both released in 1997: Muhafiz and Zor. But this time, audiences did not allow Shahid a second chance, and he never made another Pakistani film again.