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Long story short, the then Indian
government did not grant permission to shoot the scene.
Dejected, the Hollywood team turned to
the Pakistani government for easy access to its Railway station.
Happily, the then Pakistani
authorities agreed and assured the Americans of utmost co-operation.
Excited, the Hollywood guys chose the
Lahore Railway station.
The signs 'Lahore Railway Station'
were temporaril replaced with 'Bhawani Junction' to make it look real
'Bhawani Junction'.
A Pakistani youth by the name of Abdul
Lateef Baloch was appointed production assistant in the film.
Additionally, Lateef also played the
role of a congress leader in the film.
A very pretty Christian girl, Perveen
Alexander, was dubbed as a budding reporter in the movie.
Thus, the gorgeous little lady,
Perveen Alexander, debuted in the film 'Bhawani Junction'.
Later, Miss Alexander achieved
tremendous popularity and came to be known as Neelo in the Pakistani
cinema.
Her striking beauty and very charming
face paved way to numerous romantic stories, which revolved around her.
Moreover, her celluloid persona earned
her various titles like 'Princess of romance' and 'Fatal attraction' to
name a few.
One captures the insinuating sparkle
that was always present in Neelo's eyes, when one watches her.
Whether she was on a movie shoot or
off-that reality, that she was influencing everyone in the audience is
very much alive today.
Below are seven movies in which Neelo
performed with affecting sincerity:
The Golden jubilee film 'Yakkay Wali',
theatrical release was on February 22, 1957, cast included, Neelo-
Musarrat Nazeer- Sudhir. Producer, Bari Malik, director, M.J. Rana,
music, Baba G.A. Chishti.
Neelo is an endearing dynamo as the
lover. She fell in love with Musarrat Nazeer, mistaking her for a boy!
Oh boy!
The beautifully produced super hit
movie 'Saat Laakh', October 9, 1957, starring, Neelo- Sabiha- Santosh-
Talish. Producer, Saif Uddin Saif, director, Jafar Malik, composer,
Rasheed Attre, popular song, 'Aaye mausum rangeelay suhanay', singer,
Zubeida Khanum, pictured on Neelo, dubbed as a mountain girl, waiting
for her lover.
'Zeher-e-Ishq', April 21, 1958, stars
included Neelo as supporting actress, Musarrat Nazeer- Habib. Producer,
Sultan Jeelani- Khursheed Anwar, director, Masood Pervez. Music- story-
screenplay, Khursheed Anwar.
In the film 'Jaan-e-Bahar', a song in
Raag Darbari, was pictured on Neelo, 'Ab to jee bhar kay khanjar chala
yain gey hum'.
'Koel', December 24, 1959, cast
included Neelo- Noor Jehan- Aslam Pervez- Nazar. Producer- composer,
Khursheed Anwar, director, Masood Pervez.
'Nagin', June 18, 1959, starring,
Neelo- Ratan Kumar- Yusuf Khan- Saqi. Producer, Wazeer Ali, director,
Khalil Qaiser.
'Neend', October 16, 1959, stars
included Noor Jehan- Aslam Pervez- Neelo. Producer, S.A.Malik, director,
Hasan Tariq, music, Rasheed Attre.
Neelo is apparently an actress, many
of whose movies celebrated silver, golden and diamond jubilees.
She conveys an almost desperate
eagerness to please.
This is part of her artistic makeup.
For Neelo, it is a challenge she meets
with ferocious gusto. Below are three of her innumerable success
stories:
The film 'Azra', April 20, 1962, cast
included Neelo- Aijaz- Nazar- Talish- Alauddin. Producer, G.A. Gul,
director, Munshi Dil, composer, Inayat Husain.
'Banjaran', September 14, 1962, stars,
Neelo- Kamal- Azad- Alauddin. Director, Hasan Tariq, music, Deebu Bhatta
Chariya.
In it she plays the role of a poor
innocent Banjaran, who fell in love with a man, taking him to be a
sincere person.
To her dismay, her lover proved to be
a dacoit, who plunders her home.
Neelo did full justice, while giving
lip service to this extremely tragic score, sung by Noor Jehan, 'Na
janay kaisa safar hai mera, jahan hai manzil, waheen lutera'.
The film 'Mauj Mela', February 26,
1963, starring, Neelo- Habib- Rani. Producer, Agha G.A. Gul, director,
Aslam Irani, composer, G.A. Chishti.
Neelo's heady rise to the top has a
lot to do to the performance that, against the odds, holds on to its
integrity.
She attained renown without resorting
to parody, caricature or imitation.
Neelo is definitely one to watch. Ultimately, so are the three movies
below:
The film 'Daman', October 4, 1963,
cast, Neelo, - Sabiha- Santosh- Waheed Murad- Lehri. Producer, Santosh,
director, Qadeer Ghauri, music, Khalil Ahmed.
Famous song, 'Na chura sako gey
daman', pictured on Sabiha Khanum.
The film 'Daachi', February 15, 1964,
stars, Neelo- Sudhir- Naghma- Munawwar Zareef. Producer, G.A. Gul,
director, Aslam Irani, composer, G.A. Chishti.
The film 'Jeedaar', November 19, 1965,
starring, Neelo- Sudhir- Habib-. Producer, Malik Mubarak, director, M.J.
Rana, music, Rasheed Attre.
Movie- goers sense her magic as soon
as the lights came up on Neelo at any given shot. She channels energy
with a rejuvenating life force all her own.
In Neelo's voice, the dialogues always
seem appropriate. Below are six more interesting movies of Neelo:
In director Ata Ullah Shah Hashmi's
film 'Naya Daur', she worked opposite Yusuf Khan as supporting actress.
In director Jafar Bukhari's film
'Unjaan', too, Neelo appeared as supporting actress.
In the films 'Kacchian Kalyan' and
'Nai Larki' directed by Ameen Malik, she worked as lead actress.
She worked as supporting actress in
the films 'Aakhri Nishaan' and 'Yaar Beli'.
Neelo's fame knew no bounds after the enormous success of director
Khalil Qaiser's super hit film 'Nagin'.
After the theatrical release of
'Nagin', Neelo worked as lead actress opposite Ratan Kumar in a few more
movies.
None of them could compete with
'Nagin' in popularity.
However, false romance scandals of
Neelo- Ratan Kumar surfaced in the public for a while and subsequently
subsided.
Her every little gesture shows an
actress's understanding of various film situations.
In her thirty- six years of movies,
1954- 1990, Neelo managed her performance in a way, so as to express a
genuine, intense joy and the effect was electrifying.
In real life, she often smiles
innocently as well. She dealt with her role in a magnificent manner.
Additionally, she never took refuge in
cheap celebrity imitation.
Below are five glaring examples of her
true caliber:
The films 'Ghunghat', 'Saathi',
'Insaaf', 'Qatal kay baad', 'Aladin ka beta'.
There is sophistication or nuance in
her acting. Like the character she plays in 'Taj aur talwaar', Neelo is
a genuine star triumphing over roles in movies like 'Naghma-e-sehra',
'Payal ki jhankar', 'Beti' and adding zest to such films like 'Gehra
Daagh', 'Husn-O-Ishq' and 'Mumtaz'.
This movie celebrity has every reason
to feel buoyant.
Film great Neelo reminds us of the
images of those artists and pioneers who still live in our hearts.
She used to be an actress wrapped in
beauty and elegance.
Her gorgeous appearance made pupils
snap to attention.
Below are six standout movies:
'Nehlay pay dehla', 'Mera mahi',
'Himmat', 'Doshiza', 'Nizam lohaar', 'Ravi Paar'.
Over the years, she swayed almost
imperceptibly from one role to another with utter ease.
Neelo was obviously an actress of
unbelievable beauty. Something nature had produced in one of her most
bounteous moods.
She became one of the most enchanting
stars of the 1950s and 1960s.
She continued to flourish as a star in
her later films like the seven below:
'Sheir dee bacchi', 'Night club',
'Sehti', 'Jaddi', 'Shera', 'Abba jee', 'Jug beeti'.
Her greatness shines through in movies like 'Aankh ka nasha', 'Pholay
Khan', and 'Subha kaheen shaam kaheen'.
Likewise, her acting potential is
quite evident in movies like 'Sheikh chilli', 'Changhez Khan' and 'Mr.
Allah Ditta'.
Furthermore, the choreography has zest
in Neelo's film 'Oonchay mehal'.
She acted in the film 'Budnaam',
co-starring Ejaz- Asad Jafri- Rangeela- Alauddin. Producer, -director,
Iqbal Shehzad, music, Deebu, released under the banner of 'Montana
films' on September 2, 1966.
Her efforts took on a new intensity
and Neelo proved her worth in the movie scene.
She was instantly distinct in her role in the Punjabi film 'Lado',
released on August 26, 1966, starring, Neelo- Habib- Rangeela- Munawwar
Zareef- Alauddin.
Producers, Chaudhry Meraj Din- Safdar
Masood, director, Sharif Nayyar, composer, Master Abdullah.
Director Najam Naqui brings a
consummate understanding and a lush imagination to the film 'Payal ki
jhankar', released under the banner of 'Ever new pictures' on November
18, 1966. Cast included Neelo- Darpan- Deeba- Nazar- Talish. Producer,
G.A.Gul, music, Rasheed Attre.
Neelo's Punjabi film 'Dil da jani',
holds interest, thanks to her fiercely committed and convincing
performance. Released on March 23, 1967. Stars included Neelo- Habib-
Saloni- Rangeela- Alauddin. Producer, Aftab, director, Riaz Ahmed Raju,
composer, Wazeer Afzal.
Legendary director- writer, Riaz
Shahid, became Neelo's prince charming.
A tragic incident happened one of
those days. Neelo was compelled to sing and dance at a musical
get-together, which was also attended by Riaz Shahid among others.
Neelo's song- cum dance was totally
unacceptable to Riaz. Hence, he lost his temper and started ignoring her
thereafter.
Desperate to get Riaz's attention,
Neelo tried to commit suicide by swallowing sleeping pills.
She was rushed to the hospital and
within minutes doctors successfully brought her back from the clutches
of death.
Here is the silver lining to the true
story. Neelo's unrequited love for Riaz became crystal clear to him.
Because Neelo's sacrifice worked as a litmus test.
Soon Neelo embraced Islam and married
Riaz Shahid. Riaz gave Neelo her new Islamic name, Abida, and Neelo
became Abida Riaz.
They lived a storybook life. It was
the extraordinary power of love, which brought them closer than ever to
each other.
Riaz's hearty tone made Neelo soar,
while he gave her the meaning and drive of a true performer.
Neelo returned to extremely serious
melodrama with what she called her dream role.
Her title role of 'Zarqa' in the
greatest movie of her career, 'Zarqa', made her the superstar and a
favorite of the Pakistani cine-goers.
The film revolves around the
Palestinian - Israeli conflict. A parable about a prisoner of war,
played by Neelo, is a pleasure to watch.
She brilliantly projected the sadness
and suffering that were an integral part of the prisoner's makeup.
As the story goes, Neelo as 'Zarqa'
was captured by the enemy and ordered to dance.
Upon refusal, she is whipped on the
back, until she can take it no more.
With this superfluous song played on
the background:
Aaj qatil ki ye marzi hai keh sarkash
larki
Saray muqtal tujhay koroan say nachaya jaye
Mauth ka raqs zamanay ko dikhaya jaye
Is tarhan zulm ko nazrana diya jata hai
At the end of the lyric, 'Zarqa'
utters the word 'Allah' with excruciating pain, which was simply too
much for the public to endure as well.
That is what made Neelo the darling of
the Pakistani movie buffs.
In 'Zarqa', the role of a lifetime, in
which her most memorable performance never lets the audience forget that
she is acting and gunning for a third Nigar Award, too.
'Aaj qatil ki ye marzi hai', the notes
flew in the air with a pitch so accurate that they caused physical
sensations.
The film carries such unexpected
bursts of pain and misery that they hijack ones heart.
Further, the whole performance was
dream like.
It was an otherworldly experience. But
that also added enormous credibility to Neelo's work.
Eyes misting, the public was spell
bound, since Neelo came too close to reality.
Furthermore, she had never been as close to perfection, as she was in
'Zarqa'.
Riaz Shahid production, 'Zarqa',
Pakistan's first diamond jubilee film, theatrical release was on October
17, 1969. Cast included Neelo- Ejaz- Nasira- Saqi- Alauddin- Talish-
Yusuf Khan- Zulfi- Ilyas Kashmiri- Fomi- Fazal Haq- Aslam Pervez.
Producer-director- writer, Riaz Shahid, composers, Rasheed Attre-
Wajahat Attre, songwriter, Habib Jalib.
After working in 'Zarqa', Neelo call
it quits.
Neelo and Riaz Shahid loved each other
dearly. To an extent that Riaz must have confided in Neelo:
When my last breath escapes me it will
whisper your name.
When the soft breeze fans your cheek
it shall be my breath.
Neelo was great first as mother, then
as an actress.
Their first child was a girl and they
named her 'Zarqa', in memory of their greatest achievement.
Zarqa grew up, married and settled in
life.
Neelo also had two sons from Riaz,
Shaan, who is now a great Pakistani film actor and Sarosh, who also
worked in two Pakistani movies.
Unfortunately, Riaz Shahid, who had
been suffering from leukemia passed on October 1, 1972.
Neelo was literally devastated by his
untimely death.
In order to live a respectable life
and to raise her three children, she returned to show business.
Attractive, as she was, filmmakers
welcomed her whole-heartedly.
The first film in which she worked after her come back was the mega hit
film 'Khatarnaak'.
Neelo enjoyed a second coming with her
starring role in 'Khatarnaak', released on August 23, 1974.
'Khatarnaak' successfully completed
diamond jubilees in Karachi and Lahore. Cast included Neelo- Yusuf Khan-
Aneeta- Nazli- Mustafa Qureshi. Producer, Shahid Afzal, director, Rehmat
Ali, music, Safdar Husain.
Besides acting, Neelo also produced a
film 'Baheesht', director, Hasan Tariq, composers, Rasheed Attre- A.
Hameed. Writer, Riaz Shahid, released on November 29, 1974.
In some ways, her character is deluded
and committed to her art. She, too, makes the most of the opportunity.
Neelo's acting is so dazzling, she
transforms it into great Pakistani entertainment.
Below are five examples:
'Jatt kurian to darda', released on
October 15, 1976. Cast included Neelo- Kamal- Nisho- Najma- Rangeela-
Nayyar Sultana- Munawwar Saeed. Producer- director, Kamal, music,
Wajahat Attre.
'Ajj dian kurian', November 22, 1977,
stars included Neelo- Kamal- Nisho- Naghma- Badar Munir- Jamshed Ansari-
Rangeela. Producer - director, Kamal, composer, Wajahat Attre.
Punjabi film 'Ghunda', March 10, 1978,
starring, Neelo- Sultan Rahi- Najma- Iqbal Hasan. Producer, Jamal
Masood, director, Masood Bin Aslam, music, Safdar Husain.
'Barood ki chaoon', 1989, cast
included Neelo- Nadeem.
The direction is full of skillful
touches. It does not become boring.
The stories are simultaneously
resplendent and heart breaking.
Older readers may remember, Neelo's
talent is so huge, it transcends ones neuroses.
Her character was touching in the five
movies below:
'Director Jafar Bukhari's film
'Izzat'. Also movies like 'Balunat Koar', 'Sultana Daku', 'Sar ka
badla', 'Mera naa paatay Khan'.
In Neelo's films there is a sweet open
tone and a freshness that never sounds forced.
Below are five examples of her
versatility:
The films 'Malik zada', 'Danka', 'Meray
badshah chaman Khan', 'Inqilaab', 'Shareef shehri'.
The film 'Nagina' was presumably the
last movie in which Neelo appeared as an actress.
'Nagina' was released on October 5,
1990, starring, Neelo- Madiha Shah, Shaan. Producer, Arif Chaudhry,
director, Altaf Husain, music, M. Ashraf, double version, Urdu and
Punjabi film.
Below is a look back at her Nigar
Awards:
Neelo won the Nigar Award for best
supporting actress in the film 'Koel' in 1959.
Neelo won the Nigar Award for best
supporting actress in the film 'Daman' in 1963.
Neelo won the Nigar Award for best
actress in the film 'Zarqa' in 1969.
Neelo won the Nigar Award for best
producer and best film of the year 'Baheesht' in 1974.
Neelo won the Nigar Award for best
actress in the film 'Khatarnaak' in 1974.
Neelo won the Nigar Award for best
actress in the film 'Jat kuryan tu darda' in 1976.
Half a century has elapsed since her
first film was shown in theaters.
Similarly, she did the most cherished
role of her life thirty- five years ago in 'Zarqa'.
To date, her devoted admirers could
not get Neelo off their minds.
Her life is a glorious tale of warmth and gratitude.
Now, in the twilight of
her life, Neelo is like a traveler caught between relief and loss within
sight of her journey's end.
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