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Khurshid Anwar
Everything about the uniquely talented music director of the Indian subcontinent.
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CHINGARI An artist's comment on society
Reviewed by I. A. REHMAN
CREDITS: Banner: Z. A. Productions. Producers: Mian Zahoor, Bashir Asghar and Kh. Khurshid Anwar. Director: Kh. Khurshid Anwar. Story and Screenplay: Kh. Khurshid Anwar. Music: Kh. Khurshid Anwar. Songs: Qateel Shifai, Tanvir Naqvi and Faiz Ahmad Faiz. Photography: Azhar Burki. Audiography: S. Afzal Husain. Cast: Shamim Ara, Santosh, Deeba, Ejaz, Talish, Komal, Nighat Sultana, Khurshid Shahid and Jafari. Released in October 1964
The release of a Khurshid Anwar film is always a major event on our film calendar: that of his latest film, Chingari, bids fair to become a memorable one also. Chingari has all the qualities in greater measure of its predecessors: a musical score of rare virtuosity, mature craftsmanship, and a high standard of artistic integrity. What makes it stand out still higher is the significance of the theme for it touches upon an issue of life as important as any other, and compels the audience to reflect as to what kind of society they might become if they did not find their cultural bearings. The theme poses a challenge only a cultured mind and (in the present setup a filmmaker of some courage) would dare to meet. And not only Khurshid Anwar but the whole national cinema has reason to feel proud of the result achieved.
Like Fellini, Khurshid Anwar is deeply provoked by the corrosion of social, cultural and moral values in his society. But unlike the celebrated Italian he neither assumes the role of a detached observer nor succumbs to morbid despair. While warning the society against dangers ahead, he does not find to offer a more satisfying alternative. There has been some slogan mongering on the subject on both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border but Chingari must rank as the first positive, cogent attempt to analyse the problem and tackle it in a sound and rational manner.
The film is aptly subtitled the story of a smouldering society. The source of mischief is identified, through a beautifully assembled title montage, as the unobstructed cxposure of the youth to western sex literature alien music strip tease entertainment and the cult of exhibitionism.
A graphic presentation of the consequences of surrender to this cultural invasion forms the substance of the story. Two women, a young girl and her step-mother, are caught in the whirlpool of drink parties, twist dancing, and frivolous living. One vice attracts another and life is corrupted to the core. A virgin compromises her virtue and a husband is driven to crime by faithless wife. By the time, the characters concerned awaken to the ugly realities of their situation ghastly tragedy has engulfed hot only the guilty but also the innocent ones associated with them.
In contrast, there is another set of people equally educated and prosperous who continue to enjoy the blessing of tranquillity by pursuing their native cultural traditions. It is most significant that the writer does not cast his good set as a group of unenlightened obscurantists who blindly shun modernism. They are the people who have evolved a synthesis of the modern and traditional, who candistinguish love from lust and the joys of youth from a licence for waywardness.
The medium selected for bringing out the contrast between the two sets of values is music. It is an appropriate selection, for music is capable of making the required comparison and it is used by a man eminently qualified for the job. Khurshid Anwar has no hesitation in characterising alien music as a harbinger of cultural anarchy and pernicious influences, nor has he any difficulty in demonstrating the edifying and soothing effects of our own musical tradition. And while projecting the comparison he enlarges the scope of argument to include the criterion of artistic evaluation as well as the responsibility of the genuine artist. If the rejection of the concept of art as something divorced from the purpose of living is implied, the criticism of artists who turn away from contemporary life and peoplc's native tradition is pointed and explicit.
It is possible that some people will disagree with the thesis presented here in total or in part. But that is immaterial because this is the case of an artist putting forth his point of view and his convictions. The fact that matters is that Khurshid Anwar has blended image and sound to advance his arguments most effectively. This is film direction in the true sense of the word. He treats the allegory like story with remarkable singlemindedness. There is no, superfluous incident, no melodramatic digression (such as a less uncompromising artist might attempt when a girl beseaches the man she loves to marry her sister), no forced relief; and no concessions to the vulgar; His sole interest is to show, quite unobtrusively, the revolting nature of things he wants people to despise and the beauty of things they should appreciate. His montages are exceptionally effective especially where a twist dance is inter-cut with the wild frenzy of a mob incited to murder. All along, sound supplements the effect of the image and helps in recognising the character's motives. Whenever an evil thought crosses the misguided girl's mind, a shrill jazz tune is played on the soundtrack and every moment of tender love is illustrated with soulraising melody. The artistes play their assigned roles most convincingly. Deeba soars to stardom with a performance which is without blemish. She carries the major burden of the story with the assurance of a confident artist. Shamim Ara and Santosh display dignified restraint and Talish and Nighat do their bit adequately. Even Ejaz and Komal respond to their roles enthusiastically.
The music, as said earlier, reveals the wide range of the composer's genius. Less than that it could not have served the purpose of the story. It will be unfair to treat it separately but those who must do so should not fail to appreciate the haunting melodies exquisitely scored and rendered with feeling by Noor Jehan and Mehdi Hasan. The lyricists also get into the mood and find words to complement the effect of visuals and music. The film's technical values are excellent, the photography in particular.
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GHUNGHAT An artistically made film
Reviewed by Q. Z. MALIK
CREDITS: Banner: Select Pictures. Producers: Kh. Khurshid Anwar and Sultan Jilani. Director: Kh. Khurshid Anwar. Story and Screenplay: Kh. Khurshid Anwar. Music: Kh. Khurshid Anwar. Songs: Tanvir Naqvi and Faiz Ahniad Faiz; Dialogues: Naseer Anwar. Photography: Nabi Ahmad. Audiography: S. Afzal Husain. Cast: Nayyar Sultana, Santosh, Neelo, Laila, Bibbo, A. Shah and Talish. Released in November 1962
An off-beat, purposeful theme, mounted with the skill and precision of a surgeon, and treated with the warmth and imagination of a poet, Ghunghat comes gracefully to the screen like a cool, invigorating early-morning breeze after a stuffy and suffocating night, it rescue the Pakistan film industry from a very awkward position and promises to infuse new life into it. Ghunghat is not only a source of inspiration for the imaginative technicians but a slap on the face of the plagiarists and the box-office pundits.
Opinions have always differed as to who and what makes a good and successful film: is it the Producer, the Director, the Writer, the Music Director, the Star or the Technician? The few big names in modern cinema the world over tend to agree that it is the team that matters. It no doubt does, but there is one person in the team who has to use the team in transforming the film on paper to the film on celluloid: the Director. If the story, photography, performances, music, decor, sound, editing, processing all matter, it is the putting of all these together, the blending of all into a compact absorbing narrative, that matters most. This is most creditably effected in Ghunghat and is Khurshid Anwars major achievement, major because he is not only the Director, but the Producer, Script writer and Music Director too. While he has excelled in all the three latter departments, he has done much more in the former, the most challenging job. It was easy for Khurshid Anwar the Music Director to have dominated the film. What has actually happened is that Khurshid Anwar the Director is on top while at the same time Khurshid Anwar the Music Director is as appealing and refreshing and as hauntingly melodious as ever. There could be no more convincing proof of this mans versatility.
For his subject, Khurshid Anwar once again goes off the beaten track discerning flim-goers will not forget his Zehre Ishq. No one can honestly say that he slipped in that earlier experiment but for a slight mis judgment of his audience. Zehr-i-Ishq went across to the intelligentsia, but not to the masses. Khurshid Anwar realised his misjudgment and that realisation has aided him in infusing into Ghunghat an appeal that is almost universal:
A newly-wed, educated and sensitive Young girl is on her way with her husband to Her new and real home. She is clad in the traditional bridal attire and jewellery of her faith and culture. The traditional veil ghunghat is still hiding her face. She is sitting huddled up in the corner of her seat in a 1st Class railway coupe in the traditional posture of a newly-wed maiden. Outwardly she is calm, silent and motionless almost lifeless a true picture of the fabled Eastern bride, but within her an unfamiliar and strangely pleasant mixture of joy, excitement, misgiving and apprehension is wildly surging.
The bridegroom a wealthy young man with a fertile imagination that has won him recognition as short-story writer approaches and addresses her with gentleness and love. The picture of calm and storm stirs. . . This is the biggest day of my life and you my biggest possession, he says.. . I often asked my mother how my bride would look like and she told me: Your bride will be a Purban ki Rani. . . .Have you ever heard of Purban ki Rani? he asks. Her name was Usha Rani and she lived in Purban. . . everyone in that land of beauty calls her purban ki haw. When I was a little boy, I visited Purban with my parents. There, I heard her story and then I saw her in my dreams. She is dead long ago, but her spirit, they say still returns to Purban when the moon is full ... ah ever since my childhood she has lived in my thoughts and I have cherished her... . He breaks off and moves towards her with a longing in his eyes, pray lift your veil now, my bride, and let me see your face.. . .let me see her. . let me see Purban ki Rani .. . He approaches the bride but she huddles up in traditional modesty and resistance. Please, he pleads. The strange storm raging within appears to take hold of her, she lifts her head slightly and shakes it in alarmed pleading. The bridegroom gives in, smiles understandingly and moves towards his own berth. Alright, he says, I give in.. . dont lift your veil here. You must be tired. I will let you rest.. but at home, you will have to lift, it. . I make sure that the face I see is the one that I long to see. . . . the face of Purban ki Rani. The bridegroom stretches on his berth, turns on his side and eventually goes to sleep. The train rattles on. The storm within the bride bursts to the surface and grips her; but now it is something familiar, it is no longer strange. Her bowed head lifts and her motionless body stirs in nervous movements.
The trains rattles on a lifted shutter crashes shut. The bridegroom wakes up with a start . . -. . he notices the lavatory door bang loudly shut, then slowly open, and bang shut again with the motion of the train. He looks at the other berth and finds it empty. Rising, he moves to the lavatory and hesitatingly looks in. Suddenly, he stiffens and turns round to look at the empty berth, the bridal garlands scattered on it, the brides shoes on the floor board, the broken waterpitcher near the door, and his jaw sags in shock, he springs towards the emergency chain and pulls it. . . .the train squeals to a halt, the Guard arrives, and on his heels, the bridegrooms father from the adjoining compartment. . . .Father, stammers the bridegroom, Naheed my bride she she has disappeared.
This is the base from which Khurshid Anwar proceeds to unravel a strange story with such warmth understanding and skill that the audience remains spellbound to the final fade out.
There is not much of a story in the general sense, but the idea that has inspired this versatile writer, music director, producer, director has received such masterly treatment at his hands that one remains absorbed to the end.
The substantial part of the picture, however, is the world of spirits, which appears to be more realistic than the matter-of-fact scenes of every day life, which only serve as a backdrop, against which the main emotional experience is projected. This world of spirits is a dream world conjured up by the artistic genius of Khurshid Anwar by an exquisitely sensitive blending of ethereal patterns of melody with suggestive pictorial imagery. The result cannot be analyzed in terms of independent elements of experience. It is a totality of experience, which is the hallmark of all that is really good in art.
The biggest technical achievement of the director in collaboration with the cameraman, is the atmosphere of mystery that has been captured in the outdoor location sequences of the pictute. It is comparatively much easier to create such an effect on the artificial sets, where the studio lights are urnder the control of the cameraman and a limited space facilitates the manipulation of artificial mist. But to successfully launch such a ventute in the wide expanses of a mountain is an achievement of which our film industry, can well be proud.
One of the major highlights of the picture is Nabi Ahhmads photography, a highlight, one may say but it has all the delicate shades of mpod, that, the director appears to convey. If was no mere accident that white mist was used in all scenes suggestive of the purity of Ushas spirit and dark foreboding mist when The hero brings his wife to the forest lake with the intention of murdering her.
Performances unmistakably bear the impress of directorial suggestions, particularly in the delicate, nuances of gestures, except in the case of the versatile Talish who gives a spontaneous portrayal of a comic character. But credit goes to Nayyar Sultana for having integrated the suggested gestures with feeling and giving the most convincing performance of her stereotyped actions. Santosh could not have done better in the role of an escapist dreamer.
The audiography of the picture is of a surprisingly high standard, particularly in the recording of songs. There are a few lapses in the mixing at some places but, keeping in mind this sadly mishandled technical aspect of Pakistani pictures in general, recordist Afzal Hussain deserves the gratitude of the industry.
Khurshid Anwars music is as original and appealing as it has always been. But this fine his imagination gives shape to a weird experience and his keen and deft sense of orchestration blooms forth into such strange flowers as can grow only in a fairyland. The eerie yet sublime and soothing sound patterns, in which bass flute plays an important part are Khurshid Anwars latest contributions to the repertoire of Oriental music.
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JHOOMAR Shows the way
Reviewed by I. A. REHMAN
CREDITS: Banner: Noor Minar Pictures. Producer: Kh. Khurshid Anwar. Director: Masud Pervez. Story and Screenplay: Kh. Khurshid Anwar. Music: Kh. Khurshid Anwar. Songs: Qateel Shifai. Dialogues: S. Imtiaz Ali Taj. Photography: Nabi Ahmed. Audio- graphy: S. Afzal Husain. Cast: Mussarat Nazir. Sudhir, Laila, Bibbo, Rakhshi, Ghulam Mohammad and Alauddin. Release in November 1959
THE most characteristic feature of the work of Khurshid Anwar-Masud Pervez unit is their endeavour to broaden the scope of filmic expression to bring screen spectacle closer to natural drama. With their technical skill and understanding of the medium they combine an admirable courage to experiment.
In their latest presentation, jhoomar, they have tackled one of the most fundamen- tal problems faced by film-makers in Pakistan as well as in India-the accommodation of music in the narrative. In the traditional set- up musical pieces are separate patches, put in rather arbitrarily, which hold up action and impair rational development. Some people have thought of overcoming this basic set-back by either eliminating the musical score altogether or by treating it as a part of the background music. Neither of the propositions satisfies the makers of Jhoomar, convinced as they are of the important place of music in our films. They have, therefore, launched a two pronged drive, purification of the film music and its adjustment as an integral part of the theme. This effort is more pronunced in Jhoomar than before and it is more successful as well.
Here is a musical score which does not distract by being a separate patch, which does not contradict characters or situations, but which furthers development, which, in short, just tells part of the story, of course, in notes. This achievement alone is sufficient to raise jhoomar far above the level of the traditional film. Here is something to learn from, for the public as well as the film-makers.
But this attempt at rationalising music- drama relationship, while most important from the point of view of those students of film art who want to bring local films in conformity with reason, is not an isolated factor. It is in fact part of a bigger scheme which aims at naturalising the whole content of the feature film. This may sound as a plati- tude to the theorist but anyone who knows what cinema in this country means can realise what a major task it is.
In Jhoomar this process is conducted in two parallel channels.
Firstly, the story is reduced into ele- mental human feelings and urges-brother's love for a sister, a. woman's urge to love and be loved, the conflict between social values and moral values, and courage to own and shoulder one's responsibility. These attributes are given to different characters with utmost care-a rustic for the elemental values, a con- scious being for qualities acquired.
Secondly, contents-characters and inci- dents resulting from the interplay of their emotions and thoughts-are placed at a locale which strictly corresponds to the subject. While basic instincts and emotions are projected the background is an undeveloped hill tract where the rustic cultivator tills the soil and where nature's beauty has not been spoiled by man's craze for artificial comfort. When the drama is created by the conflict of man's acquired sense and values the scene shifts to the city where physical objects-the buildings, the cars, the furniture-are also the products of human effort.
THE RESULT
This much for the discriminating approach to the theme of 'Jhoomar'. The result-the spectator's standard for judging the film-amply proves the soundness of the approach
The film opens on a fast note. The scene is the bungalow of a rich man (Nazir Bedi) who is worrying about his daughter (Rakhshi). She has gone much too far in imitation of Western manners. The father is grieved and he decides to marry her off to a trusted young man, Sudhir. There is cleavage between the newly-wed couple from the very start and soon there is a disaster, a disaster which shatters the nerves of Sudhir Bedi advises him change of climate, offering him his hunt- ing lodge in the hills.
Here ends what should be taken as a pro- logue to the story. From the moment action is shifted to the hillside a different world is revealed to the audience. It is a beautiful valley. It green slopes, majestic trees, and singing streams. The people there are simple and honest. From the very beginning the audience is conscious of a true, natural, and fresh atmosphere. The sunrise, the flocks of sheep moving out for grazing, the music of the brook, the birds and the flowers-and the people-all make up the picture of a charming haven. Throughout it is looked at through the eyes of the principal characters-their joy is reflected in the flowers in bloom, and their grief transforms the silent trees into symbols of sorrow.
That this effect is maintained all along is mainly due to the efforts of the director, the photographer, and the artistes. From their bearing, dress, and speech the players look part of the countryside. One has to believe they are real people in a real place.
Into this valley comes Sudhir, a nervous wreck. Allauddin, a tenant, looks after him. Allauddin's sister. Musarrat,-a simple, un- spoiled, uninhibited daughter of spring- consoles him. It is love but their is hardly a conventional scene. There is restraint, but within reasonable limits, there is villainy but it can hardly be called that. The situation becomes tense; Allauddin sticks to his honour, Musarrat must follow her love, and Sudhir has a load on his conscience.
The scene once again changes to the city. Here takes place the grand clash of characters, their desires and the bondage to conscious thought. Here also the writer finally empha- sises the sanctity of marriage bond and the virtue of standing by one's duty. All the forces are brought together in a gripping court sequence, revealing what is high not noble about love, truth and sacrifice-the prime values of a living soul.
A GOOD SYNTHESIS
The film has the impact of romanticised realism which is the synthesis of compact screen-play, mature direction, correct port- rayal, appropriate music, and highly imagi- native camera-work. It moves along smoothly, stirring and entertaining the audience as it progresses Since the characters have been established as creatures with normal desires, qualities, and failings, and as there is nothing unnatural about the situations, the audience can share the happiness the pathos, and the tension that is there.
The scriptwriter adheres to the theme faithfully. There is not the least digression, every scene has some meaning.
The director follows the script, in letter and mood, and with the excellent support of the cameraman creates warm scenes of life.
The music is subservient to the same mood. The basis is classical and folk, the main ingredient is melody, with rhythm conform- ing to the situation or mood of the person concerned. As usual in Khurshid Anwar's scores the silent pause has its own value, it gives meanin2 to the notes. And it is a delight to watch young singer Nahid Niazi's growing command over expression. The recording also is good.
The players have to depict a variety of characters. Musarrat and Sudhir appear more active in the sense they translate their thoughts and emotions in various forms of physical expression ---they laugh and jump with joy, when they are hurt they cry like simple folk, and if they intend to do wome- thing their intention finds unmistakable expression. It is most refreshing to see Musar- rat shorn of false glamour, looking every bit a mountain belle. Hers is a great perfor- mance and there is something to note when it is remembered that her previous best per- formance was in 'Zehr-i-lshq' In histrionics, however, Allauddin reaches a new height. The director has accommodated the star's irrepressible zest for always doing something and in turn he has brought restraint when required. No doubt, it is a superb piece of acting. As compared to these two stars, bubbling with life, Sudhir's character will look less active. There is a reason. He lives in a shell, guarded by his conscience. His conflict is purely mental, it can be felt and not seen. That the impression is near the object is a tribute to the star who is generally considered a 'very acting' type. Smaller roles are filled with distinction by Rakhshi, Ghulam Moham- mad, Azurie, Diljeet and Laila.
Mention has already been made of Nabi Ahmad's excellent photography. In the strictly technical field his contribution rates second to none. His imaginative placing and sense of lighting give the film both mobility and substance.
That the film fulfils the high expectations from the team behind it is not to be denied It shows the way how to sensibly combine art with entertainment. The unit will improve the scheme and perhaps other will also join them. The fact to be remembered is the principle laid down in 'Jhoomar'-if the artist has to compromise with the box-office the compromise has to be on the artist's terms.
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