''Anarkali'' is a 1958 Pakistani

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

film, directed by

Anwar Kamal Pasha Anwar Kamal Pasha ( ur, ), (23 February 1925 – 13 October 1987) was the pioneer in the Pakistan film industry and an early Pakistani film director and producer from Lahore, Pakistan. Life and career Pasha was a graduate from the Forman ...

and starring

Noor Jehan Noor Jehan ( Punjabi: ) (born () Allah Rakhi Wasai ; 23 September 1926 – 23 December 2000; sometimes spelled Noorjehan),Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, ''Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema,'' British Film Institute, Oxford University Pres ...

and

Sudhir Sudhir is an Indian given name, Indian masculine given name. The Sanskrit word ' means "very wise", "resolute". Notable people with the name include: *Sudhir (Pakistani actor) (1922–1997), Pakistani actor *Sudhir (Hindi actor) (1944–2014), ...

in lead roles. Based on the Urdu play of the same name by

Imtiaz Ali Taj Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj ( ur, ; ; 1900–1970) was an Pakistani dramatist who wrote in the Urdu language. He is remembered above all for his 1922 play ''Anarkali'', based on the life of Anarkali, that was staged hundreds of times and was adapted ...

, the screenplay is written by Anwar Kamal Pasha with dialogues by

Qamar Ajnalvi Qamar Ajnalvi (قمر اجنالوی), born Abdus Sattar (July 1919 – 30 May 1993), was a Pakistani novelist who wrote in the Urdu language.

. The film revolves around the love of

Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

for a slave girl

Anarkali Anarkali () was a legendary woman said to be loved by the 16th-century Mughal Prince Salim, who later became Emperor Jahangir. According to some accounts, Anarkali was the nickname of the courtesan Nadira Begum or Sharf-un-Nisa, though scho ...

which creates a serious conflict between Prince Jahangir and his father,

Mughal emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

. The film was released on 4 June 1958 and its performance was 'average' at the Box Office. Made with a budget of high production, the film is usually compared with landmark Bollywood film, ''

Mughal-e-Azam ''Mughal-e-Azam'' () is a 1960 Indian epic historical drama film produced and directed by K. Asif. Starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Durga Khote, it follows the love affair between Mughal Prince Salim (who went on ...

'' which was also based on the same play. Film was praised for its music which was composed by

Master Inayat Hussain Master Inayat Hussain (Punjabi, ur, ; 1916 – 26 March 1993) was a Pakistani film music composer. Early life and career Inayat Hussain was born in the Bhati Gate area of Lahore in 1916.Rashid Attre Abdul Rasheed Attra (15 February 1919 – 18 December 1967), also known as Rasheed Attre, was a Pakistani film score composer.Nigar Awards The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards a ...

ceremony in 1958, it won two awards; Best Lyricist for

Qateel Shifai Muhammad Aurangzeb or Qateel Shifai ( ur, ), (24 December 1919 – 11 July 2001) was a Pakistani Urdu poet and lyricist. Early life and career Qateel Shifai was born in Haripur District as Muhammad Aurangzeb in 1919 in British India (now Paki ...

and Best Playback Singer for

Cast

as Nadira/

Prince Salim Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

* Himalya Wala as Emperor Jalal-u-Din Mohammad Akbar *

Shamim Ara Shamim Ara (22 March 1938 – 5 August 2016) was a Pakistani film actress, director and producer. She was known as ''The Tragic Beauty'' because of the tragic heroine roles she often portrayed in films. She was one of the most popular actresse ...

as Surayya * Ragni as Dilaram * Zohra Mirza as Jodha Bai *

M. Ajmal Mohammad Ajmal Qadri (popularly known as Ajmal) (17 May 1910 – 19 June 1988) was best known for his role as ''Kaido'' in classic Pakistani Punjabi film Heer Ranjha (1970 film). This film had super-hit music by music director Khwaja Khurs ...

as Abu'l Fazl * Fazal Haq as Daroga * Bibbo * G.N. Butt as

Man Singh Man Singh I, popularly known as Mirza Raja Man Singh (21 December 1550 – 6 July 1614) was the 29th Kachwaha Rajput Raja of Amer, later known as Jaipur state, in Rajputana. He was the most powerful and trusted general of the Mughal e ...

* Zarif

Soundtrack

Release

The film released on 4 June 1958. Its performance was rated as average at the box office and it had a theatrical run for 18 weeks in Karachi cinemas.

Production

's ''Anārkalī'' was adapted as a screenplay by director

for film ''Anarkali''. In 1940s, Mohammad Afzal, better known by his stage name Himalya Wala was selected to play the character of

Salim Salim, Saleem or Selim may refer to: People *Salim (name), or Saleem or Salem or Selim, a name of Arabic origin * Salim (poet) (1800–1866) * Saleem (playwright) (fl. 1996) *Selim I, Selim II and Selim III, Ottoman Sultans * Selim people, an e ...

's Rajput friend, Durjan Singh in

K. Asif K. Asif (born Asif Karim; 14 June 1922 – 9 March 1971) was an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who is known for his epic film, ''Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960). Early life Asif was born in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India to paren ...

adaptation of Taj's play (''

'') but due to political turmoil and worst conditions in the country that lead to

independence of Pakistan The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...

, the project was halted and he went on to star in ''Anarkali'', after he migrated to Pakistan. The film is compared with landmark Bollywood film ''

'' which was also based on same play by Taj and broke all the Box office records but ''Anarkali'' could not perform remarkably at the box office and had low production budget in comparison to its rival.

Reception

Film analysts criticized the casting of

as Jehan was in her 30's by then and chubby at that time. She nowhere resembled a young pretty female servant as is portrayed in the 1920s novel by the same name. The film music was however praised.

Awards and nominations

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

Nigar Awards The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards a ...

- Best Lyricist -

* Best Playback Singer - Noor Jehan

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1950s Urdu-language films Pakistani historical films Pakistani romance films 1958 films Nigar Award winners Pakistani black-and-white films