Biography
Waheed
Murad |
|
Waheed Murad in
the film Armaan |
|
Born |
Waheed Murad |
Died |
23 November 1983(1983-11-23) (aged 45) |
Resting place |
Gulberg III Graveyard, Ali-Zeb Road, Lahore[22] |
Monuments |
Waheed Murad Road in Karachi |
Residence |
Karachi Lahore |
Other names |
·
Chocolaty Hero or
Chocolate Hero ·
Lady killer ·
Veedu |
Education |
Masters in English Literature from University of Karachi |
Alma mater |
University of Karachi (the first Pakistani actor that completed
Masters) |
Occupation |
Film actor |
Years active |
1959–1983 |
Known for |
His romantic & flirt acting that revolutionised acting style of
the Pakistani film industry in the 1960s. |
Notable work(s) |
·
Heera aur pathar ·
Armaan |
Home town |
Karachi |
Spouse(s) |
Salma Murad (married 1964) |
Children |
·
Adil Murad ·
Aaliya Murad ·
Saadia
Murad (died in infancy) |
Parents |
·
Nasir Murad (father) ·
Shireen
Murad (mother) |
Awards |
·
Sitara-i-Imtiaz o Life Time Achievement in films category (2010) ·
Nigar
Awards o Best Actor o Best Producer o Legend Award for life time achievement (2002) |
Waheed Murad (Urdu: وحید مراد) (2 October 1938
– 23 November 1983) was a Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer,
famous for his charming expressions, attractive personality, tender voice and
unusual talent for acting. Waheed is considered as one of the most famous and
influential actors of South Asia. He is often referred to as “the Chocolaty
Hero” or “Chocolate Hero”.
Born in Karachi, Sindh, British India,
started his film career as cameo in 1959 in the film Saathi,
when he was 21 years old. His full-time
film career began in 1962 with the film Aulaad,
in which he appeared in a supporting role.
He produced a film Heera aur Pathar in 1964, in which
he appeared in a leading role for the first time. He became the leading figure of film industry
after a series of commercially successful films during 1964 to 1971. His naughty facial gestures, romanticism and
alluring performance style during picturisation of
songs made him immensely popular--and controversial.
One of his biggest successful films is Armaan, which was produced by him, made a pivotal
impact on the sub-continental film industry such that the Pakistani film
industry was considered as the rising star and the film made him a superstar
overnight. Once, in an interview in 1967, he said that Dilip
Kumar, too, was not an immortal actor.
In November 2010, after a long period of 27
years after his death, the Pakistani President Asif
Ali Zardari awarded him the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the third highest honour and
civilian award by the State of Pakistan, given in the fields of literature,
arts, sports, medicine, or science.[10]
Contents
- Film career
- Film Art
productions
- Playback singers
- Personal life
- Legacy
- Awards
- Filmography
- Discography
- See also
- References
- External links
Film career
For a detailed filmography, see Waheed Murad filmography.
Waheed Murad started his film career by
joining his father's established 'Film Art' in 1961 as producer of the film Insaan badalta hai. In his second film as producer Jab se dakha hai tumhein
he cast Darpan with Zeba as
heroine. Afterwards, Darpan most of the time started
coming late at studio. Zeba suggested Waheed to cast
himself as hero in his next film. Waheed was not ready to sign himself in his
own movies. But when the same suggestion came from his old good friend Pervaiz Malik, he accepted it on the condition that if Zeba would be his co-star, Zeba
accepted in return (according to Zeba). As a result
he firstly appeared in a supporting role in 1962's Aulad.
The film was directed by his friend S.M. Yousuf. Aulad got much more acclaims from critics, and it
also got the Nigar award in the best film's category
for the year. Heera aur
pathar was his first movie as a leading actor and
considered to be his major breakthrough. He got the Nigar
award in the best actor category for the same film.
In 1966, he acted in Armaan
under his production which was directed by Pervaiz
Malik. Armaan broke all the box office records
at that time and completed 75 weeks in theatres, gave him the status of
superstar or perhaps the first superstar of Pakistani films. The film is a
romantic and melodious love story. The songs like Koko korina...,
Akele na
jana..., Betaab
ho udhar tum... and Zindagi
apni thi ab tak... sung by legendary
singer Ahmed Rushdi became extremely popular among
the youth especially among the college girls. He received two Nigar awards for the categories best producer and best
actor for the film Armaan. During the same
year, he starred in another superhit film Jaag utha insaan with co-star Zeba.
This fact is on record that in Zeba's success, Waheed
had a very important contribution as he cast her in his films and brought
country wide fame for her.
Waheed Murad
& Zeba in the film Armaan
(1966) |
In 1967, he appeared as leading actor in
masterpieces like Devar bhabi,
Doraha, Insaaniyat
and 'Maan baap.
Devar bhabi
is considered as one of his best movies and completed 50 weeks in the cinemas.
The story of Devar bhabi
is based on Indo-Pak's unjust social thoughts and norms. Insaaniyat
is also considered as one of his best movies in which he played a role of a
dedicated doctor.
From 1964 to 1968, Waheed Murad and Pervaiz Malik made blockbusters like Heera
aur pathar, Armaan, Ehsaan, Doraha and Jahan
tum wahan hum. The successful combination of
Waheed Murad, Pervaiz Malik, Masroor
Anwar, Sohail Rana, Ahmed Rushdi and Zeba created a number
of successful films. Waheed Murad brought Malik, Anwar and Rana
under the umbrella of 'Film Arts'. But in late 1960s, dissension grew between
Waheed Murad and other three team members of 'Film Art'. Pervaiz
Malik was not happy with Waheed's taking away the
credit for all the success of movies and giving little recognition to others.
So the Film Arts broke up and Pervaiz Malik started
creating his own projects with new actors. A total of seven films, including
two films, i.e., Usey dekha
usey chaha and Dushman released after a long gap of 6 years in
1974, were produced with the combination of Waheed and Pervaiz
(but not under 'Film Art' Production).
In 1969, Waheed produced, wrote and directed
his own movie Ishaara but the movie flopped at
box office. Andaleeb was released in 1969,
which was directed by Fareed Ahmed. Other co-stars
included Shabnam, Aliya, Talish and Mustafa Qureshi. Andaleeb proved to be one of the greatest films of the
year. Moviegoers loved his acting esp. in the song Kuch
log rooth kar bhi... sung by Ahmed Rushdi
in which Waheed is teasing Shabnam in his red sports
car.[1] Waheed Murad received Nigar award in the best actor category for that film.
Critics are unanimous that singer Ahmed Rushdi had a
significant role in the success of Waheed Murad, and that Rushdi's
voice was tailor made for him.
Waheed Murad & Shabnam in the film Andaleeb
(1969) |
From 1970 to 1979, many of his films were superhit like Naseeb apna apna and Anjuman in 1970; Neend
hamare khuwab tumhare and Mastana
mahi (Waheed's first
Punjabi film) in 1971; Baharo phool barsao in 1972; Ishq mera naa (Punjabi film) and Shama
in 1974; Jab jab phool khiley in 1975; Shabana
in 1976; Saheli, Parakh
and Khuda aur muhabbat in 1978; and Awaz
and Bahan bhai
in 1979. Mastana mahi
was Waheed's first Punjabi film, which was also
produced by him and directed by Iftikhar Khan. Mastana mahi was
purely a romantic musical film. Waheed received Nigar
award for the best actor for Mastana mahi.
During early 1970s, he had no or very little
choice in selecting his co-stars. Zeba, after her
marriage with Mohammad Ali, was not allowed to work as heroine with Waheed
Murad. Soon Shabnam's husband Robin Ghosh forced her to not work with Waheed. Even Nisho was not allowed to work with him. These were major
setbacks for Waheed's career. Most of the top
producers offered Waheed secondary roles in their films due to a monopoly
against him. In addition, Nadeem was giving him a
stiff competition in the 1970s.[1]
So Waheed had been cast by less popular directors and producers and had been
given the role of 'stereotypical romantic hero'. Films like Naag
Mani (1972), Mastani Mehbooba (1974), Laila
Majnu (1974), Izzat
(1975), Dilruba (1975), Raaste
ka pathar (1976), Mehboob mera mastana (1976), and Naag
aur nagan (1976) gave
him major setbacks. By late 1970s and early 1980s, Waheed was being cast in
supporting roles either with Nadeem or with Mohammad
Ali in the films like Parastish (1977), Aadmi (1978), Khuda
aur mohabbat (1978), Awaz (1978), Behan Bhai
(1979), Wadey ki zanjeer (1979), Raja ki aaye gi barat
(1979), Zameer (1980), Badnaam
(1980), Gun man (1981), Kiran aur kali (1981), Gherao
(1981), Ahat (1982) and Maang
meri bhar do (1983).
The films Hero (1985) and Zalzala
(1987) were released after his death. Films Muqaddar,
Aankhon ke taare, Aas paas and Andaaz were
either incomplete films or not released by the producers.[11] Hero was the last film of Waheed's life, directed by Iqbal Yousuf. The film was released after almost two years of Waheed's death in 1985. Another Waheed's
delayed film Zalzala was released after 4
years of his death in 1987, which was also directed by Iqbal
Yousuf. Zalzala did
nothing at the box office, however, Hero
completed its Silver Jubilee in Karachi. Muqaddar,
Aankhon Kay Taray,
Aas Paas and Andaaz were the films that were either left
incomplete or remain unreleased till todate.
Waheed Murad, in his 30-year career, paired
with several actresses like Zeba, Shamim
Ara, Rani, Naghma, Aaliya, Sangeeta, Kaveeta, Aasia, Shabnam, Deeba, Babra Sharif, Rukhsana, Bahar and Neelo. He acted in a
total of 124 films (2 films were released after his death) of which 38 were
black and white and 86 were in colour. Besides this
he also appeared in 6 films as a guest star including his ever first and
shortest appearance on silver screen in 1959's Saathi.
He acted in 115 Urdu films, 8 Punjabi films and 1 Pushto
film, and earned 32 prestigious film awards including ones for best producer
and for best actor.[6]
Film Art productions
Waheed Murad produced eleven films under his
father's established 'Film Art'. He was the youngest film producer in the
industry at that time. As producer, Waheed Murad was a successful producer. Most
of his produced films were either Golden Jubilee or Silver Jubilee. During the
1960s and early 1970s, he produced films like Insaan
badalta hai (1961) (his
first film as producer), Armaan (1966), Ehsaan (1967), Naseeb
apna apna (1970) and Mastana mahi (Punjabi
film of 1971). However, after Mastana Mahi he produced no film except Hero which was
produced in the 1980s and was released after his death.
As director, he had directed as well as
produced Ishaara (1969) with co-star Deeba. But the film failed to achieve the viewers'
expectances.
Playback singers
For a detailed discography, see Waheed Murad discography
In Waheed’s acting
career, most of the popular songs picturised on him
were sung by Ahmed Rushdi. Ahmed Rushdi’s
voice was considered as Waheed’s second voice. Waheed himself acknowledged that songs in Rushdi's voice made his work easier and that he was more
comfortable in acting with his songs. Rushdi sang
more than 200 duet and solo songs for him and played a significant role in his
success.[13]
Other playback singers were Mehdi Hassan, Masood Rana, Saleem Raza,
Akhlaq Ahmed, Mujeeb Aalam, Asad Amanat
Ali Khan, Bashir Ahmad, Ustad Amanat
Ali Khan and A Nayyar.
He enlivened the
silver screen with his extraordinary talent in picturisation
of romantic songs. Some of those popular songs are Tumhain
kaisay bata doon, Kuch log rooth kar bhi,
Dil tumko dey diya, Koko korina, Jhoom aye dil wo dera
jaan-e-bahar aye ga, Beetay huway khuch din aisay hain tanhai
jinhain duhrati hey, Mujhe tum nazar say gira to rahay ho, Yun kho gaiy teray
pyar mein hum, Socha tha piyar na karan
gain, Khamosh hein
nazaray and Aye abre
karam aaj itna baras.[12]
Personal life
Early life
Waheed Murad was born in Karachi, Sindh, British India on October 2, 1938. [4][22] He was
the only child to his father, Nisar Murad, a
well-known film distributor since before Pakistan’s creation, and to his mother
Shireen Murad, and the grandson of Zahoor Ilahi Murad, who was a
lawyer in Sialkot and an acquaintance of Sir Muhammad Iqbal.
[4] Waheed got early education from Lawrence College, Ghora
Gali, Murree till Grade 2,
completed rest of his schooling and matriculation in 1954 from Marie Colaco School, Karachi, [4][8][22]
did graduation from Sindh Muslim Arts College in Karachi, and then mastered in
English literature from University of Karachi. [4][22] A strong
educational background placed Waheed Murad at an advantage compared to other
film producers and actors of his time.
Since his childhood Waheed was being given an
exposure to leading actors of that time who used to visit his father regularly
and inspired him to pursue an acting career. In his childhood, he used to wear
a guitar around his neck and was famous as a good dancer among his friends. In
his school life he played parts in several plays, which made him more popular.
His best friends were Iqbal Yousuf
and Pervaiz Malik, who joined the same profession
Waheed joined, and were remained associated, esp. Iqbal
Yousuf, with him for the rest of his life.
Waheed Murad and Pervez Malik were childhood
friends. After completing graduation both expressed desire for higher education
abroad, since Wahid was the only child of his parents, he was not allowed to go
abroad, but Pervez Malik gone for masters in film production in California,
USA. Meanwhile, Waheed enrolled for Masters in English Literature at the
University of Karachi. He was the first actor who had a master’s degree in
Pakistani film industry. Pervez returned homeland four years later and became
the only film director to hold a master’s degree in film production from the
University of California.[14][15]
Marriage
Waheed Murad had a sort of liking towards
Salma, a daughter of Karachi based industrialist and a Memon
Ibrahim Maker, when both were in grade nine. Their marriage took place on
Thursday, 17 September 1964. The wedding ceremony was arranged at Nisar Murad's house at Tariq
Road, Karachi. He addressed his wife as Bibi
at home. They had two daughters (Aaliya and Sadia) and one son (Adil). Sadia died in infancy and both Waheed Murad and Salma
became inconsolable. However, their two children, Aalia
and Adil brought happiness and comfort to their
lives.
Days of struggle
By late 1970s, Waheed was being cast in
supporting roles either with Nadeem or with Mohammad
Ali, or being offered by 'B class' film directors. Most of the leading heroines
like Zeba, Shabnam and Nisho were not allowed to play lead roles with Waheed by
their husbands. The heart-throbing actor Waheed Murad
could not take such an ignominious treatment meted out to him by industry, but
kept silent and did not seek help from his friends. Pervaiz
Malik, who was became an established director and producer by late seventies,
wrote in a local newspaper: "Not even once during that time Waheed come to
me seeking work in my films."[1]
Waheed was becoming depressed. His close friends revealed that he was becoming
addicted to alcohol, oral tobacco and sleeping pills. Even his domestic life
suffered and his wife Salma left for the United States. A combination of bad
habits and stress caused ulceration in Waheed's
stomach in 1981. He suffered from bleeding and had to undergo stomach removal
to save his life. His many fans came to the hospital to donate blood to save
the life of their favourite hero. Although, he
recovered, he lost a significant amount of weight. Even then, Iqbal Akhtar and Iqbal Yousuf, who proved to be
real friends in difficult times, cast Waheed Murad in their movies. Waheed
appeared pathetic in Dil ney phir
yaad keya and Ghairao. Even his loyal admirers felt that it was
all over for him.
Waheed Murad in his
last film Hero (1985) with Babara Shareef |
In 1983, Anwar Maqsood
– a famous TV writer and anchor and a close friend, invited Waheed to his TV
comedy show Silver Jubilee. At only 90 pounds, Waheed appeared
pencil-thin on the screen, but attempted to put up a brave front.[1][16]
However, the keen observers could see that
Waheed would be unable to spellbind the public as he did in the past. Only
during the singing of Tumhe kaisey bata doun...
by Aalamgir in the Silver Jubilee show, Waheed's smiles reflected a shadow of his former
self-probably in his mind he was still the young hero 20 years earlier.
Babra Sharif, a top actress of the time, revealed that during
filming of a scene of Hero, Waheed lost his balance while walking
briskly toward her and fell down. He took several minutes to catch his breath
prior to standing up on his feet again.[1]
In July 1983, Waheed was driving his car too fast, one of his favourite
hobbies, his car struck a big tree. Waheed had a narrow escape, but was left
with a large scar on his face. A few days after the accident, Waheed asked his
friend Pervaiz Malik for a role. Malik knowing that
Waheed was not ready for an acting assignment said, "Veedu you get better and you will be the lead in my next
film." With his still razor-sharp mind, he replied, "You give
me the role and I will get better." He was going to Karachi to get the
scar fixed in order to complete the last few scenes of Hero when he met
the chief editor, Ilyas Rasheedi,
of the film magazine 'Nigar' at the airport. Rasheedi wrote in his magazine:
"By chance a famous film producer was also present
in the waiting area and Waheed put him on the spot by asking if he had a role for
him for Javed Sheikh's father in his movie. The
producer had a difficult time dodging Waheed."[1]
During the flight Waheed was very bitter. He
told Rasheedi that he was reduced to working in a Pushto film produced by Badar Muneer, who used to be his car driver and help him with his
household work in the late sixties, and subsequently became a successful movie
star.
Last days and death
Waheed's son Aadil was in Karachi
staying with his grandmother. A day before his face surgery, Waheed celebrated
his birthday. He bought several gifts for Aadil and
wished him a happy year. He returned late to spend the night at Anita Ayub's mother Mumtaz Ayub's home. When Waheed did not wake up until late, the
door had to be forced open and Waheed was found lying on the floor, dead for
several hours. A paan leaf with 'something' in it was
found in his mouth. Nobody knows for sure if it was a heart attack or suicide.[1][17]
Waheed was buried near his father's grave in Gulberg
Graveyard, Ali Zeb Road, Lahore.
A few months before his death, Waheed Murad
as well as other actors and singers had appeared on a show to pay Ahmed Rushdi a tribute, many of those same people appeared on the
show six months later, reminiscing about Waheed.[18]
Legacy
His contribution to art and films in Sub-Continent
is unanimously considered as revolutionary by all the film critics. His acting style is being taught in Indian
and Pakistani film institutions.[23] He is considered as one of the pioneering Rock
n' Roll stars of Pakistan. Due to his romantic and alluring style of acting, he
became famously known as the “Chocolaty Hero” and “Lady Killer”. His hair cut,
dressing style and even his conversation style were very popular among the
youth. One can say that he was the cultural icon of the Pakistani Film
Industry. Once he went to Saddar area of Karachi in
his white car. Realizing that it was his car, a group of 30 college girls
covered the vehicle with lipstick kisses.[12]
The rise and fall of Waheed is quite similar
to that of Elvis Presley and analogies have been drawn between these two icons.
According to a film critic, Waheed Murad was like Elvis Presley who enjoyed
early success, the status of being the most mesmerising
personality of his country. He earned great fame and then faced a sudden fall
and had an untimely death.[19] Despite the Islamisation
of Pakistani society, downfall of Pakistani film industry, destruction of major
cinemas of Karachi and Lahore, and dominancy of Bollywood films, his films are
still shown on film festivals, cinemas and TV and are well received.[1]
Rajesh Khanna, an
Indian actor, said in his interview with Shama Delhi
magazine:
"After seeing a lot of movies of Waheed Murad, I admit
he was a really great actor and I admire his matchless acting performance."[20]
Ilyas Rashidi, the founder of Nigar Awards, wrote in his magazine:
"Waheed Murad was a born hero."
Ghulam Mohiuddin, a Pakistani film
actor, said:
"Waheed Murad was not an individual but he was an
era in his own right which ended when he was sidelined by those who took over
the industry in the early 1980s, ... he was a great
artiste, who recreated the image of a romantic hero. His acting was natural; he
had a great deal of musical sense and was matchless when it came to picturising a song."[19]
Lehri, a Pakistani film comedian, said:
"He was a great companion, an unforgettable friend
and a humble man so rich in terms of money and fortunes."[19]
Sangeeta, a Pakistani film director and actress, said:
"For me, it was a great time when I had been working
with him."[19]
In the recent Hollywood film Agent Cody Banks
2: Destination London, actress Leilah Isaac’s
character Sabeen remembers Waheed Murad. Frankie
Muniz, reprising his role as Agent Cody Banks, discloses to his cosmopolitan
band members that he is a secret agent. To this, a Nigerian boy claims to be
Spider-Man while another girl calls herself Lara Croft. As the actors associate
themselves with their favourite comic book characters,
Sabeen says: "And I’m Waheed Murad." This
entices all to ask "what?" to which she replies, "Famous Indian
actor!"[21]
Waheed Murad was a superb actor and probably
one of the best whoever graced Lollywood. His failure
in movies was not owing to lack of talent. In fact, he
was the most stylish and original actor in Pakistan. He improved the image of
industry by shining through their mediocre scripts; they repaid him by
contributing to his downfall. Bad luck, his own strong personality and rendezvous
with several actresses also ruined him. He, however, still lives on in the
hearts of millions of fans. As his daughter Aaliya
said:
"If Dad knew that he had such a following, he would
not have died."[1]
Awards
For a detailed list of awards, see List of awards and nominations
received by Waheed Murad
Filmography
For a detailed filmography, see Waheed Murad filmography.
Discography
For a list of his songs, see List of Waheed Murad
songs.
See also
- Adil Murad (external link)
- Cinema of Pakistan (external link)
References
1.
Waheed Murad's Official Website -
Waheed Murad's Biography
2.
Chowk: :
Rise and Fall of a Silver Screen Hero.
3.
Waheed Murad. IMDB
4.
Pakistani
film heroes in the 60's. Pakistan Film Magazine
5.
Pakistani
film magazine: Waheed Murad
6.
President confers Sitara-e-Imtiaz on Waheed Murad
7.
President to confer Sitar-e-Imtiaz
posthumously to Waheed Murad
8.
Waheed Murad:
Movies. Anis Shakur
9.
The man who changed cinema -DAWN Images; November 26, 2006
10.
Ahmed rushdi's songs for Waheed
11.
Remembering the chocolate hero: Waheed Murad | DesPardes.com.
12.
Marghadeen: Portrait of Artist as
Waheed Murad
13. Remembering Waheed.http://anisshakur.tripod.com/id31.html
14.
Chocolate Hero Waheed Murad’s 75th
Birthday. Despardes.com
15.
OBITUARY: Farewell, Pervez Malik
17.
Waheed Murad Interview YouTube
18.
Fame and fidelity -DAWN Magazine; March 11, 2007.
19. Waheed Murad - Urdu Article by Fareed
Ashraf Ghazi
20.
KARACHI: Murad remembered as a legend -DAWN – Local;
November 24, 2007.