Born on July 24, 1937, in a small town in the North-West Frontier Province named Abbottabad (now in Pakistan), he lived in an era when patriotism was not associated with any political party.
Rather, it was a true-blue emotion of love for one’s country. Nevertheless, he had the courage to take a stand against the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s draconian Emergency.
In one of his last interviews with The Tribune, he spoke about how nationalism was as vital in cinema as in society. More than one film of his, be it ‘Upkar’, back in 1967, set against the backdrop of Indo- Pakistan 1965 war, or Kranti (1981), a historical drama, he directed and produced with patriotic spirit. Songs like ‘Mere desh ke dharti sona ugle’… have over time become patriotic anthems, remembered with the same fervour today as when it became the highpoint of the film ‘Upkar’.
Though in popular memory his image as a patriotic hero, mouthing stirring monologues and lip-syncing equally inspiring songs, is indelibly etched, very few can forget his other successful films. Like Gumnaam, a murder mystery or the thriller ‘Woh Kaun Thi’ with yet another melodious gem ‘Lag ja gale ke…’ reprised n number of times. Though his career started rather dismally in 1957 with Fashion Brand, followed by a string of flops, he went on to deliver more than one blockbuster in a career spanning decades.
