Armaan (1966 film)
Encyclopedia
Armaan is a Pakistani
black-and-white film produced by Waheed Murad
and directed by Pervaiz Malik. It was the first Pakistani film to complete 75 weeks in cinemas and, thus, became the first Pakistani "Platinum Jubilee
" film. The film was picturized in black-and-white prints in Karachi
.
) living in Murree with her aunt (Bibbo) and her two daughters Dolly and Seema. One Morning she is told to escort Seema home as she has returned from a trip. When she arrives, a tearful Seema tells her of an affair she had with a man called Sohail. As a result of the affair she had become pregnant, however she abstained from telling Sohail as he had finally found the job of his dreams and was going away to work. So she had the baby, hid the child from the world and awaited Sohail's return. But he never came. She entrusts Najma with the responsibility of taking care of the child and keeping her secret. Najma agrees and takes her home, and she leaves the baby with an old peasant in the hills for safekeeping.
Meanwhile, in Karachi, the son of Seth Khan Bahadur (Zahoor Ahmed), Nasir (Waheed Murad
), leads a privileged life and is habitual of going to nightclubs and various parties with his friend Shahid (Nirala
). One day, after coming home late from a night club, his father catches him red handed and proceeds to scold him. After this he tells Nasir that his late friend's wife has sent a letter to him proposing marriage for one of her two daughters and Nasir is to leave the next day for Murree
. Nasir is reluctant but has no choice so he agrees, however he is given the choice to choose between the two daughters. Nasir takes his friend Shahid along and on the way switches roles with him, thereby exempting himself from marriage.
Upon reaching their destination Shahid and Nasir become acquainted with the family and Shahid, acting as Nasir, immediately takes a liking to Dolly. Nasir(acting as Shahid), however, takes a liking to Najma and the two fall in love.
After a while the Shahid and Nasir are told that Seth Khan Bahadur has been invited to Murree to finalize the marriage. Nasir, the real Nasir, comes to the house disguised as his father and successfully fools everyone. However, his real father arrives and exposes the whole truth.
After his father has told him off, Nasir tells him of Najma and how the two are in love and she is the perfect person to take as a wife rather than Dolly or Seema. His father, seeing how serious he is, joyfully agrees. However, when his father talks to Najma's aunt, she reacts strangely and says that Najma is not the innocent girl she seems to be. She then calls the old peasant, who Najma left Seema's baby with, into the room carrying Seema's baby. Najma's aunt asks her to put the baby in his mother's arms. She then puts the baby in Najma's arms, and Najma, bound by her promise to Seema, says nothing. Nasir is shocked by this ill news and refuses to accept it. He desperately tries to persuade Najma to deny the accusation. Najma, sworn to secrecy tells Nasir to forget her. Nasir is crushed and leaves in anger.
Nasir, returned to Karachi, is overcome with depression and resorts to drinking to forget his sadness. His father worries for him and asks him to marry Seema. In Murree, Seema says no to the marriage but is forced into it by her mother. She ventures to find Najma, who now lives with the old peasant and her nephew. She asks Najma to break her promise, but Najma stands by it and tells her to marry Nasir as it is for the best. Finally Seema agrees.
Meanwhile, in Murree, the nephew of the old peasant tries to force Najma to marry him and in the struggle she apparently kills him. Then she runs away to Karachi with the baby and arrives at Nasir's house.
Nasir is infuriated at her arrival and is repulsed because she brought the baby as well. Seema however persuades Nasir to give Najma shelter in their house. This allows her to be close to her baby as well.
Meanwhile, Seema's long gone lover, Sohail returns only to find her married to Nasir. He tries to meet with her but Najma stops him just in time and pleads to him to go back, but doesn't tell him what has happened as she is bound by her promise. Nasir thinks that Sohail is Najma's lover when he sees them talking and falls into another misunderstanding.
Sohail however, keeps writing letters to Seema which the household servant gladly takes to Seema every time, hiding them from Nasir. One day however, he is caught red handed. But Nasir is unaware that the letters were meant for Seema and not Najma. He confronts Sohail at his house and questions his relationship with Najma. When Sohail reveals the truth, he is awe struck.
He confronts Najma and asks her what gave her the right to toy with his emotions and weave this web of lies. He also reveals to Seema's mother who has arrived that Najma had hidden the truth all along and the baby is Seema's. This way she kept away shame from their household. Seema's mother expresses her gratitude to Najma, but tells her to leave because in her midst they would always live in shame. Najma, now dejected by Nasir and completely helpless accepts this.
When she leaves, she is found by the old peasants nephew who hadn't died after all. Their chase proceeds to a railway track above a river and both of them fall over. When this news reaches Nasir he is devastated. Meanwhile amidst all the depression, Seema takes poison and dies as well.
Nasir and his family, along with Shahid, travels to Murree
where Nasir drowns in depression and becomes an alcoholic. He spends his time in the valleys of Murree where he hallucinates that Najma is present among the trees. One day when Shahid is out on a stroll he sees Najma on crutches, it turns out that the fall from the rail track didn't kill her, but broke her legs. Shahid persuades her to come home with him and marry Nasir who is depressed all the time and also tells her about Seema's death.
Both of them proceed to Nasir's home, only to find him missing. His father and Seema's mother welcome her with open arms, but tell her that Nasir has left the house without telling anyone and in his condition, he might do something desperate.
Najma rushes to find him trying to commit suicide on the cliffs. She sings to him and asks him to come back. Nasir sees her and the two embrace each other.
. It completed 34 weeks in Naz Cinema and 76 weeks in other cinemas in Karachi and became Pakistan's first Platinum Jubilee film.
. The soundtrack is perhaps the most memorable in the history of Pakistani cinema and many of the songs are cited as classics in film music. The soundtrack features the voices of Ahmed Rushdi
, Mala
, Naseema Shaheen and Khurshid Shirazi. Sohail Rana won the prestigious Nigar Award for Best Musician in 1966 for composing the soundtrack and Ahmed Rushdi
won the Nigar Award for Best Male Singer in 1966 for singing the song Akele Na Jaana.
, became a new style icon. His distinctive hairstyle became a popular fashion with young men.
The film proved to be a giant success in Pakistan and earned many awards. The actors and singers that contributed to the success of this film gained new heights in popularity. The dynamic duo of Waheed Murad and Ahmed Rushdi became a trend setter for all times to come.
:
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
black-and-white film produced by Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad was a legendary Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Waheed is considered to be one of the most famous and influential actors of subcontinent. Born in Sialkot, Pakistan, he was the only child of well-off film distributor Mr. Nisar Murad. He got early education from...
and directed by Pervaiz Malik. It was the first Pakistani film to complete 75 weeks in cinemas and, thus, became the first Pakistani "Platinum Jubilee
Platinum Jubilee
A Platinum Jubilee is a celebration held to mark an anniversary:* 70th in Commonwealth realms usage. For example, on 6 February 2022, Queen Elizabeth II could celebrate her Platinum Jubilee in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and rest of the Commonwealth realms. She would...
" film. The film was picturized in black-and-white prints in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
.
Plot
The film tells of a beautiful but underprivileged girl Najma (ZebaZeba
Zeba is a film actress from Pakistan. Her real name is Shaheen, but she adopted the name Zeba. She starred in the 1966 film Arman which was produced by actor and producer Waheed Murad.-Film career:Zeba started her career from Karachi...
) living in Murree with her aunt (Bibbo) and her two daughters Dolly and Seema. One Morning she is told to escort Seema home as she has returned from a trip. When she arrives, a tearful Seema tells her of an affair she had with a man called Sohail. As a result of the affair she had become pregnant, however she abstained from telling Sohail as he had finally found the job of his dreams and was going away to work. So she had the baby, hid the child from the world and awaited Sohail's return. But he never came. She entrusts Najma with the responsibility of taking care of the child and keeping her secret. Najma agrees and takes her home, and she leaves the baby with an old peasant in the hills for safekeeping.
Meanwhile, in Karachi, the son of Seth Khan Bahadur (Zahoor Ahmed), Nasir (Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad was a legendary Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Waheed is considered to be one of the most famous and influential actors of subcontinent. Born in Sialkot, Pakistan, he was the only child of well-off film distributor Mr. Nisar Murad. He got early education from...
), leads a privileged life and is habitual of going to nightclubs and various parties with his friend Shahid (Nirala
Nirala
Nirala is a Urdu word, its meaning is 'rare'.Nirala was a Pakistani comedian film star of the 1960s. He only appeared in the urdu films made in Pakistan. His very first film was Aur bhi gham hain...
). One day, after coming home late from a night club, his father catches him red handed and proceeds to scold him. After this he tells Nasir that his late friend's wife has sent a letter to him proposing marriage for one of her two daughters and Nasir is to leave the next day for Murree
Murree
Murree city is a popular hill station and a summer resort, especially for the residents of Rawalpindi/Islamabad, and for the cities of the province of Punjab, Pakistan...
. Nasir is reluctant but has no choice so he agrees, however he is given the choice to choose between the two daughters. Nasir takes his friend Shahid along and on the way switches roles with him, thereby exempting himself from marriage.
Upon reaching their destination Shahid and Nasir become acquainted with the family and Shahid, acting as Nasir, immediately takes a liking to Dolly. Nasir(acting as Shahid), however, takes a liking to Najma and the two fall in love.
After a while the Shahid and Nasir are told that Seth Khan Bahadur has been invited to Murree to finalize the marriage. Nasir, the real Nasir, comes to the house disguised as his father and successfully fools everyone. However, his real father arrives and exposes the whole truth.
After his father has told him off, Nasir tells him of Najma and how the two are in love and she is the perfect person to take as a wife rather than Dolly or Seema. His father, seeing how serious he is, joyfully agrees. However, when his father talks to Najma's aunt, she reacts strangely and says that Najma is not the innocent girl she seems to be. She then calls the old peasant, who Najma left Seema's baby with, into the room carrying Seema's baby. Najma's aunt asks her to put the baby in his mother's arms. She then puts the baby in Najma's arms, and Najma, bound by her promise to Seema, says nothing. Nasir is shocked by this ill news and refuses to accept it. He desperately tries to persuade Najma to deny the accusation. Najma, sworn to secrecy tells Nasir to forget her. Nasir is crushed and leaves in anger.
Nasir, returned to Karachi, is overcome with depression and resorts to drinking to forget his sadness. His father worries for him and asks him to marry Seema. In Murree, Seema says no to the marriage but is forced into it by her mother. She ventures to find Najma, who now lives with the old peasant and her nephew. She asks Najma to break her promise, but Najma stands by it and tells her to marry Nasir as it is for the best. Finally Seema agrees.
Meanwhile, in Murree, the nephew of the old peasant tries to force Najma to marry him and in the struggle she apparently kills him. Then she runs away to Karachi with the baby and arrives at Nasir's house.
Nasir is infuriated at her arrival and is repulsed because she brought the baby as well. Seema however persuades Nasir to give Najma shelter in their house. This allows her to be close to her baby as well.
Meanwhile, Seema's long gone lover, Sohail returns only to find her married to Nasir. He tries to meet with her but Najma stops him just in time and pleads to him to go back, but doesn't tell him what has happened as she is bound by her promise. Nasir thinks that Sohail is Najma's lover when he sees them talking and falls into another misunderstanding.
Sohail however, keeps writing letters to Seema which the household servant gladly takes to Seema every time, hiding them from Nasir. One day however, he is caught red handed. But Nasir is unaware that the letters were meant for Seema and not Najma. He confronts Sohail at his house and questions his relationship with Najma. When Sohail reveals the truth, he is awe struck.
He confronts Najma and asks her what gave her the right to toy with his emotions and weave this web of lies. He also reveals to Seema's mother who has arrived that Najma had hidden the truth all along and the baby is Seema's. This way she kept away shame from their household. Seema's mother expresses her gratitude to Najma, but tells her to leave because in her midst they would always live in shame. Najma, now dejected by Nasir and completely helpless accepts this.
When she leaves, she is found by the old peasants nephew who hadn't died after all. Their chase proceeds to a railway track above a river and both of them fall over. When this news reaches Nasir he is devastated. Meanwhile amidst all the depression, Seema takes poison and dies as well.
Nasir and his family, along with Shahid, travels to Murree
Murree
Murree city is a popular hill station and a summer resort, especially for the residents of Rawalpindi/Islamabad, and for the cities of the province of Punjab, Pakistan...
where Nasir drowns in depression and becomes an alcoholic. He spends his time in the valleys of Murree where he hallucinates that Najma is present among the trees. One day when Shahid is out on a stroll he sees Najma on crutches, it turns out that the fall from the rail track didn't kill her, but broke her legs. Shahid persuades her to come home with him and marry Nasir who is depressed all the time and also tells her about Seema's death.
Both of them proceed to Nasir's home, only to find him missing. His father and Seema's mother welcome her with open arms, but tell her that Nasir has left the house without telling anyone and in his condition, he might do something desperate.
Najma rushes to find him trying to commit suicide on the cliffs. She sings to him and asks him to come back. Nasir sees her and the two embrace each other.
Release
Armaan was released by Film Arts on 18 March 1966 in Naz Cinema in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
. It completed 34 weeks in Naz Cinema and 76 weeks in other cinemas in Karachi and became Pakistan's first Platinum Jubilee film.
Music
The music of the film is perhaps the most memorable of all. The brilliant soundtrack composed by Sohail Rana contributed enormously to the film's success and is considered to be his magnum opusMagnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
. The soundtrack is perhaps the most memorable in the history of Pakistani cinema and many of the songs are cited as classics in film music. The soundtrack features the voices of Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
, Mala
Mala (Pakistani singer)
Naseem Nazli popularly called Mala was a Pakistani playback singer of Urdu and Punjabi films. In 1960s, Mala had a hit pair with famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi and they gave numorous hits to Pakistan film industry. She sung many super hit songs in almost two decades singing career in the...
, Naseema Shaheen and Khurshid Shirazi. Sohail Rana won the prestigious Nigar Award for Best Musician in 1966 for composing the soundtrack and Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
won the Nigar Award for Best Male Singer in 1966 for singing the song Akele Na Jaana.
Music
- "Akele Na Jaana" (Ahmed RushdiAhmed RushdiAhmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
) - "Akele Na Jaana" (MalaMala (Pakistani singer)Naseem Nazli popularly called Mala was a Pakistani playback singer of Urdu and Punjabi films. In 1960s, Mala had a hit pair with famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi and they gave numorous hits to Pakistan film industry. She sung many super hit songs in almost two decades singing career in the...
) - "Ko Ko Ko Reena" (Ahmed RushdiAhmed RushdiAhmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
) - "Zindagi Apni Thi Ab Tak" (Khurshid Shirazi and Ahmed RushdiAhmed RushdiAhmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
) - "Betaab Ho Udher Tum" (Ahmed RushdiAhmed RushdiAhmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
) - "Jab Pyar Mein Do Dil" (Ahmed RushdiAhmed RushdiAhmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
) - "Meri Qismat Bata" (MalaMala (Pakistani singer)Naseem Nazli popularly called Mala was a Pakistani playback singer of Urdu and Punjabi films. In 1960s, Mala had a hit pair with famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi and they gave numorous hits to Pakistan film industry. She sung many super hit songs in almost two decades singing career in the...
) - "Oont Pey Betha Mera Munna" (Naseema Shaheen)
Popularity
The songs became extremely popular among the youth and the 28 year old hero, Waheed MuradWaheed Murad
Waheed Murad was a legendary Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Waheed is considered to be one of the most famous and influential actors of subcontinent. Born in Sialkot, Pakistan, he was the only child of well-off film distributor Mr. Nisar Murad. He got early education from...
, became a new style icon. His distinctive hairstyle became a popular fashion with young men.
The film proved to be a giant success in Pakistan and earned many awards. The actors and singers that contributed to the success of this film gained new heights in popularity. The dynamic duo of Waheed Murad and Ahmed Rushdi became a trend setter for all times to come.
Nigar Awards
In total, the film won 6 Nigar awardsNigar Awards
The Nigar Awards, the official awards of Pakistani film industry, are the oldest awards to honour the show business personalities of Pakistan. The awards were first introduced in 1958 by Ilyas Rasheedi, the editor of weekly Nigar magazine, with a purpose to recognize the achievements of those who...
:
| Award | Awardee |
|---|---|
| Best Movie for the year 1966 | Producer: Waheed Murad Waheed Murad Waheed Murad was a legendary Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Waheed is considered to be one of the most famous and influential actors of subcontinent. Born in Sialkot, Pakistan, he was the only child of well-off film distributor Mr. Nisar Murad. He got early education from... |
| Best Director | Pervaiz Malik |
| Best Actress | Zeba Zeba Zeba is a film actress from Pakistan. Her real name is Shaheen, but she adopted the name Zeba. She starred in the 1966 film Arman which was produced by actor and producer Waheed Murad.-Film career:Zeba started her career from Karachi... |
| Best Musician | Sohail Rana Sohail Rana Sohail Rana is a Pakistani music composer for films. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films like Arman and Doraha. He is now based in Canada.-Early Life and career:Sohail Rana was born in... |
| Best playback singer | Ahmed Rushdi Ahmed Rushdi Ahmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor... (for the song: "Akele na jana") |
| Best comedian | Nirala Nirala Nirala is a Urdu word, its meaning is 'rare'.Nirala was a Pakistani comedian film star of the 1960s. He only appeared in the urdu films made in Pakistan. His very first film was Aur bhi gham hain... |