Syed Suleman (29 December 1938 14 April 2021), also known as S. Suleman or Sullu Bhai, was a Pakistani film director. He also appeared in

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

films with minor roles before migrating to Pakistan and after migration, he directed around forty-eight films in

Pakistan film industry Cinema of Pakistan, popularly known as Lollywood ( ur, ), refers to the filmmaking industry in Pakistan. Pakistan is home to several film studios centres, primarily located in its three largest cities – Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad. ...

, including two

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

films between 1961 and 1998. He made his acting debut with an Indian film ''Mela'' playing the younger role of

Dilip Kumar Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from lat ...

. He made his directorial debut with ''Gulfam'' (1961) while his last film as a director is ''Very Good Dunya Very Bad Log'' (1998). ''Zeenat'' (1975) is the first film of Suleman which helped him to earn his first

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 Director. He also directed

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

TV serials after leaving Pakistan film industry.

Early life

He was born as Syed Suleman in

Hyderabad State Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and t ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

(in modern-day

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

, India). Following the partition, he migrated to Pakistan along with his two brothers. He married actor, dancer Zareen Panna in the mid-60s with whom he had five children, including three sons and two daughters. S. Suleman first worked as an assistant to the veteran film director Anwar Kamal Pasha. He is the recipient of ten Nigar Awards, he was the younger brother of Santosh Kumar and Darpan.

Career

He first appeared in films in 1947, when he played

's younger role in film ''Mela'' (1948). After moving to Pakistan following 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: ...

, he ventured in Pakistan films in the mid-50s. He initially worked at the editing department, and later a Pakistani film director and producer Anwar Kamal Pasha made him assistant director for film ''Sarfarosh'' (1956) starring Suleman's elder brother Santosh Kumar and sister-in-law

Sabiha Khanum Sabiha Khanum ( ur, ; born Mukhtar Begum; 16 October 1935 – 13 June 2020), was a Pakistani film actress. She is also known as the "First Lady of Pakistani Cinema", and is often recognized for her role in Pakistani cinema during the 1950s an ...

. He later worked as an assistant director of ''

Saat Lakh ''Saat Lakh'' () is 1957 Pakistani Urdu film directed by Jaffer Malik and produced by Saifuddin Saif. It stars Sabiha Khanum and Santosh Kumar in the lead with supporting role by Nayyar Sultana and guest appearance by Neelo. The film is prima ...

'' (1957) and ''Saathi'' (1959). Following the promotion of ''Saathi'', he made his directorial debut with ''Gulfam''. In 1963, he collaborated with Darpan for ''Baaji'' (1963) and ''Taangewala'' (1963). In 1966, he directed ''Tamasha'' that flopped at the box office. A year later, the film flopped he collaborated with a writer Agha Hasan Imtisal and a music director

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

for the production of ''Jaise Jante Nahin'' (1969), ''Bewafaa'' (1970), ''Sabaq'' (1972), and ''Shararat'' (1976). ''Bewafaa'' was the only film of Suleman starring

Waheed Murad Waheed Murad ( ur, ; 2 October 1938 – 23 November 1983), also known as Chocolate Hero, was a Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Famous for his charming expressions, attractive personality, tender voice and unusual talent for a ...

. Noted Pakistani film director Syed Noor first had assisted him in film direction before launching his own career independently. After creating ten films in collaboration with

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

and

Zeba Shaheen Bano (born 10 September 1945), known professionally as Zeba ( ur, ), is a Pakistani actress. She was one of the top stars of the Pakistani film industry in the 1960s and the early 1970s.Nadeem Baig and

Shabnam Jharna Basak (born 17 August 1946), known by her stage name Shabnam, is a Bangladeshi–Pakistani stage and film actress. Actor Waheed Murad introduced her to the Pakistani film industry by offering her a lead role in his film ''Samundar'' in 1 ...

. He also introduced Ghulam Mohiuddin to films with ''Anarri'',

Babra Sharif Babra Sharif ( ur, ), (born 10 December 1954) is a Pakistani film actress, most known for her roles from the mid-1970s to the 1980s. She started her career in television commercials. She has worked with many famous names of her time, including S ...

with ''Intezar'' (1974),

Waseem Abbas Waseem Abbas ( ur, وسِیم عبّاس) is a Pakistani television, film actor and director. He is known for his roles in television dramas for PTV and other networks, including ''Samundar'', ''Raat'', ''Ashiyana'', ''Family Front'', '' Landa ...

with ''Manzil'' (1981). Some singers also made their debut with Suleman's films such as

Mujeeb Aalam Mujeeb Aalam (2 September 1948 – 2 June 2004) was a Pakistani playback singer who had a short film career. His singing style was a mixture of Mehdi Hassan and Ahmad Rushdi's style. He sang dozens of hit songs in late 1960s. However, he l ...

with "Main Khushsi Se Kyun Na Gaaon" from ''Lori'', Tahira Syed with "Yeh Mehfil Jo Aaj Saji Hai" from ''Muhabbat'', and

Zil-e-Huma Zil-e-Huma( ur, ) (26 February 1944 – 16 May 2014) was a Pakistani singer and daughter of Noor Jehan. Early life Born to Jehan-Rizvi family, she was the youngest daughter of Noor Jehan and Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi from Noor Jehan's first ...

with "Sulagh Raha Hai Tann Mera" from ''Very Good Dunya Very Bad Log' Following the introduction of

Videocassette recorder A videocassette recorder (VCR) or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other source on a removable, magnetic tape videocassette Videotape is magnetic tape ...

(VCR) in Pakistan, he directed action-thriller films ''Manzil'' (1981) and ''Tere Bina Kya Jeena'' (1982) starring Muhammad Ali. After making 48 films, he left film industry and joined television where he directed serials such as ''Colony 52'', ''Kiya Yehi Pyar Hai'' and ''Ana''.

Filmography

Television

*''Colony 52'' (2004) *''Kiya Yehi Pyar Hai'' *''Ana'' (2004) *''Abdullah Karwani *''Taal Wala'' *''Kuch Dil Ne Kaha'' (2006)

Death

He was suffering from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

and

kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can ...

for some time before his death. He was admitted to a private hospital in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

where he died on 14 April 2021.

Awards

He was the recipient of twelve awards, including ten

Nigar magazine ''Nigār'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistan-based entertainment magazine published weekly from its head office in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. History and profile ''Nigar'' was the brainchild of Ilyas Rashidi, also known as the 'Pioneer of Film Journalism' ( ...

, one Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) award and the Pride of Performance award by the

government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1938 births 2021 deaths Pakistani male film actors Film directors from Lahore Pakistani people of Hyderabadi descent Nigar Award winners Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of the Pride of Performance