Syed Ishrat Abbas ( ur, ), (1928 – 8 November 1980) better known by his stage name Darpan ( ur, ), was one of the original romantic heroes of the "golden age" of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post ...

(also commonly known as

Lollywood Lollywood ( ur, , translit=lâli vuḍ) refers to Pakistan's film industry based in Lahore, previously the base for both Punjabi and Urdu language film production. Lahore has been the center of Pakistani cinema since the partition of ...

Background

Syed Ishrat Abbas was born into a middle-class

Shia Muslim Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...

family originally from the United Provinces of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, where he was born in 1928. His older brother, Santosh Kumar, was also a film actor. Another brother, S. Sulaiman, is a film director.

Career

Darpan was introduced in the film ''Amanat'' in 1950 and went on to feature in the Pakistani Punjabi film ''Billo'' in 1951. After starring in a few more films produced 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. ...

, he decided to try his luck in India, where he only had moderate level of success. Notable films from this period include '' Barati'' (1954), and '' Adl-e-Jehangir'' (1955) opposite

Meena Kumari Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Popularly known as ''The Tragedy Queen'', she was active between 1939 and 1972. Kumari is widely considered one of ...

. Darpan came back to Lahore after a few years, where the film industry was then booming, and he acted in ''Baap Ka Gunah (1957)''. He had a breakthrough with his self-produced film ''Sathi''. ''

Raat Ke Rahi ''Raat Ke Rahi'' is a 1959 Indian Hindi drama film written and directed by Naseem. It was a Pushpanjali production with music by Bipin Babul and lyrics by Vishwamitra Adil. The cast included Shammi Kapoor, Jabeen Jalil, Nazir Hussain, Achal ...

(1960)'', ''Saheli'', ''Gulfam'', ''Qaidi'', ''Anchal'', ''Baji'', ''Shikwa'', ''Ik Tera Sahara'' and ''Naela (1965)'' were some big films in which he played vital roles. Critics applauded his lead role performance back in

's film ''Saheli (1960)'' in which he starred alongside

Nayyar Sultana Nayyar Sultana (born Tayyaba Bano; 1937 – 27 October 1992), sometimes referred to in Pakistan as ''Malka-i-Jazbaat'' (Queen of Sentiments), was a Pakistani film actress. She became one of the foremost screen actresses of Lollywood in the 1 ...

and

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 ...

. He won a Best Actor

Nigar Award 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 ...

for his performance in ''Saheli (1960)'', as well as a Presidential award. His last big film as hero was ''Payal Ki Jhankar'' in 1966. He was the hero in two of

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 ...

's produced films ''Insaan Badalta Hai'' and ''Jab Se Dekha Hai Tumhen''. He played the villain in ''Ik Gunah Aur Sahi'', and was a supporting actor in ''Khuda Te Maan'', ''

Jub Jub Phool Khile Jub Jub Phool Khiley was a Pakistani film in Urdu language, released on 21 November 1975. It starred Zeba, Mumtaz, Waheed Murad, Mohammad Ali and Nadeem. The film went on to be a super-hit at the cinemas all over Pakistan and completed 50 w ...

(1975)'' and a few other films.

Family life

Darpan was a good-looking and attractive man with hazel eyes and a rich playboy's smile. At first glance, he seemed like a non-serious flirt and a 'lady killer'. At least, that was his 'professional image as an actor'. He used to play non-serious fun-loving roles in the movies quite unlike his older actor brother Santosh Kumar who used to take serious romantic roles in the Pakistani movies of the 1950s and 1960s. When it came to marriage, Darpan fell for a shy, typically eastern and a lady-like fellow actress,

. They had been paired together earlier in a super-hit Pakistani film ''Saheli'' (1960) which also starred

and was directed by veteran film director

S. M. Yusuf Shaikh Muhammad Yusuf ( 17 August 1994), known professionally as S. M. Yusuf, was a Pakistani film director and producer. He made fourteen films in British India and later after the split of India subcontinent, he worked in Pakistani cinema a ...

Death

He died in

on 8 November 1980 at age 52.Darpan's 32nd death anniversary today
Geo News (TV channel), Published 8 November 2012, Retrieved 16 July 2022

Awards and recognition

for Best Actor for film ''Saathi'' (1959) *

for Best Actor for film ''Saheli'' (1960)

Filmography

Darpan did a total of 67 films - 57 films in Urdu language, 8 in Punjabi language and 2 films in Pashto language.

In India

Barati (1954 film) ''Barati'' is a 1954 Bollywood comedy film directed by J.K. Nanda. It stars Darpan, Chand Usmani, Johnny Walker, Om Prakash in pivotal roles. Darpan, a leading Pakistani actor, performed the lead role opposite Chand Usmani. Cast * Darpan * ...

* Adl-e-Jehangir (1955)

In Pakistan

* 1950 ''Amanat'' * 1951 '' Billo'' * 1957 ''Baap Ka Gunah'' * 1957 ''Noor-e-Islam'', with Swaran Lata and

Naeem Hashmi Naeem Hashmi (died 27 April 1976) was a Pakistani film, television and stage actor, writer, poet, producer, and director. He was known for his roles as a villain in the late 1940s and 1950s, but he later took character roles in over 100 films. ...

* 1958 '' Mukhra'' * 1958 ''Rukhsana'' * 1959 ''Sahara'' * 1959 ''

Khullja Sim Sim ''Khullja Sim Sim'' (transl. ''Open Sesame'') is an Indian television game show which originally aired on STAR Plus for the first two seasons, premiered on 27 July 2001. The first season was hosted by Aman Verma and the second season by Hussa ...

'', with Yasmeen and Naeem Hashmi * 1959 ''Shama'', with

Neelo Neelo Begum (born Cynthia Alexander Fernandes; ''née'' Abida Riaz; 30 June 1941 – 30 January 2021) was a Pakistani veteran film actress. She made her film debut in 1956 with Hollywood film ''Bhowani Junction''. She was known as ''The Qu ...

, Swaran Lata and Naeem Hashmi * 1959 ''Saathi'', with

Husna Husna was a Pakistani actress in the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. She was first introduced as a child star in film ''Jan-e-Bahar'' (1958) and played the daughter of Sudhir and Musarrat Nazir. She appeared in such films as ''Changez Khan'' (1958 ...

and Naeem Hashmi * 1960 ''Noukri'' * 1960 '' Saheli'' * 1961 ''Insaan badalta hai'' * 1961 ''Gulfam'' * 1961 ''Lakhon Fasane'' * 1962 ''Qaidi'' * 1962 ''Mousiqaar'' * 1962 ''Aanchal'' * 1963 ''Jab se dekha hai tumhen'' * 1963 ''Yahudi ki larki'' * 1963 '' Baji'' * 1963 ''Shikwa'' * 1963 '' Dulhan'' * 1963 ''Ik Tera Sahara'' * 1963 ''Tange Wala'' * 1964 ''Baap ka Baap'' * 1964 ''Shikari'' * 1964 ''Inspector'' * 1964 ''Shabab'' * 1965 ''Koh-e-Qaaf'' * 1965 '' Naila'' * 1966 ''Al-hilaal'' * 1966 ''Hamrahi'' * 1966 ''Jalwah'' * 1966 ''Mere Mehboob'' * 1966 ''Payal Ki Jhankar'' * 1966 ''Mojza'' * 1967 ''Sham Savera'' * 1967 ''Bahadur'' * 1967 ''Sitamgar'' * 1967 ''Shola Aur Shabnam'' * 1968 ''Baalam'' * 1968 ''Ik Musafar Ik Haseena'' * 1968 '' Saiqa'' * 1969 ''Meri Bhabi'' * 1969 ''Fasana-e-Dil'' * 1970 ''Hamjoli'' * 1973 ''Azmat'' * 1973 ''Khuda Te Maan'' * 1974 ''Jawab Do'' * 1975 ''Izzat'' * 1975 ''Ik Gunah Aur Sahi'' * 1975 ''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Darpan 1928 births 1980 deaths Muhajir people Pakistani male film actors Nigar Award winners Pakistani Shia Muslims 20th-century Pakistani male actors Male actors from Lahore Male actors in Urdu cinema People from Lahore