''Lakhon Mein Aik'' (; ) is a 1967 Pakistani

romantic musical film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

directed by Raza Mir and written by

Zia Sarhadi Zia Sarhadi ( ur, ضیا سرحدی; born Fazl-e-Qadir Sethi 1914 in Peshawar, North West Frontier Province – 27 January 1997 in Karachi, Sindh) was a Pakistani screenwriter and director of films in the Indian Film Industry, whose career ...

. Set 20 years after the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

, the film stars

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 ...

and Ijaz as

star-crossed "Star-crossed" or "star-crossed lovers" is a phrase describing a pair of lovers who, for some external reason, cannot be together. The term also has other meanings, but originally means that the pairing is being "thwarted by a malign star" or ...

lovers. It was released on 28 April 1967 and became a commercial success, winning six

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 ...

including Best Actress for Ara.

Plot

In 1947, following the

, communal riots emerge in

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

. A Hindu family tries to flee to India but is accidentally separated from their young daughter, Shakuntala. Shakuntala and a Muslim boy Mahmood fall in love but then they are separated and feel agony while they are separated.

Cast

as Shakuntala * Ijaz as Mahmood / Dildar Khan * Talish as Ahmed * Saqi as the

Pathan Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

truck driver *

Mustafa Qureshi Mustafa Qureshi is a Pakistani film and television actor. He has acted in more than 600 movies, in Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi languages. He is best remembered for playing the antagonist Noori Natt in ''Maula Jatt'' (1979). He was born into ...

as Madhu

Production

''Lakhon Mein Aik'' was written by

and directed by Raza Mir, who co-produced the film with Afzal Hussain. Cinematography was handled by Kamran Mirza, and editing by Rehmat Ali.

Themes

''Lakhon Mein Aik'' is set 20 years after the

which happened in 1947, though historian Karan Bali notes that the events of 1947 "play a key role in kick-starting the doomed Indo-Pak love story". He also considers that though Pakistani people view the film as unbiased and balanced, from an Indian perspective it "does not really appear quite as so" since the majority of Muslim characters are portrayed as sympathetic, and "every Hindu, barring the heroine and her father, is seen as negative or evil".

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by

Nisar Bazmi Nisar Bazmi (1 December 1924 – 22 March 2007) was a composer and music director of Indian and Pakistan film industry.

Release and reception

''Lakhon Mein Aik'' was released on 28 April 1967 and became a commercial success. Filmman of ''

The Statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

'' said it "does make a departure from the general run of Urdu films but somehow clings to the hackneyed twists and turns.

Accolades

The film won in six categories at the Pakistani

: Best Actress for

, Best Supporting Actor for Saqi, Best Sound, Best Camera, Best Female Singer for

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 Best Lyricist for

Fayyaz Hashmi Fayyaz Hashmi ( ur, ; 1920 2011) was a Pakistani poet and screenwriter who worked both in the Indian and Pakistani film industry. He penned some memorable songs such as the famous nazm Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo and ''Tasveer teri dil mera beh ...

Impact

The cross-border romance theme of ''Lakhon Mein Aik'' later inspired the Indian filmmaker

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

with the idea of the film '' Henna'' (1991). The film was adapted by Sangeeta as a television series which aired on TV One.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 2968820 1960s romantic musical films 1960s Urdu-language films Films scored by Nisar Bazmi Films set in the partition of India Nigar Award winners Pakistani black-and-white films Pakistani romantic musical films