presence. With the advent of
television in 1964, Nirala started participating in television
commercials, notably in the 'Lipton' tea advertisement with Rozina.
Nirala was a rich and rare assortment
of a humorist. Nirala and Lehri appeared together in the 1964 film 'Choti
behan', directed by A.H. Siddiqui.
Nirala went on to work in more than
one hundred films in his twenty-five year movie career from 1960 to
1985.
Nirala's real break came in the 1964
mega hit movie, 'Heera aur pathar'. Thus, he eventually attained
prominence through 'Heera aur pather.'
By a considerable ensemble of familiar
casts, including Nirala, the 1965 film 'Aisa bhi hota hai', boasts all
the right ingredients at precisely the right time.
Nirala's comic character in the 1966
film 'Joker', spotlights one of Pakistan's multifaceted talents.
Likewise, audience were drawn to
Nirala's 1966 movie 'Honahar.'
Perhaps, the moviegoers applauded
loudest for Nirala's role in the 1966 first platinum jubilee film of
Pakistan, 'Armaan'. In 'Armaan', director Pervez Malik made Nirala's
look divinely simple. He was dubbed as Waheed Murad's best friend and he
fell in love with Rozina.
Nirala cracked humor using his typical
facial expression, which also became one of his greatest personal
strength. His unrivalled ability to create fun and frolic enabled him to
perform in bright, vivid movies like the 1967 movie, 'Ehsaan.' In 'Ehsaan',
Nirala played the crazy guy, 'papan papito', sporting long hair.
Nirala drew plaudits all around
especially with his role in the 1967 film 'Phir subha ho gee.' The
stories of his movies were in the end bittersweet at best, which Nirala
handled in his plainspoken style. The 1967 film 'Doraha' is a case in
point.
Nirala played his role with great
effect in the three movies below:
'Zameen ka chand', 'Bin badal barsaat',
'Chori chori.'
Moreover, Nirala's reputation began to
grow with the theatrical release of the three movies below:
'Insaan aur gadha', 'Nawab Zada', 'Ghar
Damaad.'
He brought out all his wit in the
three films below:
'Raja', 'Ujala', 'Unjanay Raastay.'
It is impossible to overlook the star
power of the four 1967 films below, and Nirala did a wonderful job in
those films as well:
'Waqt ki pukar', 'Meray Laal', 'Meray
bachhay meri Aankhein.'
In the film 'Ustadoan kay ustaad',
1967, Nirala joined forces with another cinematic legend, Charlie.
One of Pakistan's favorite humorist,
Nirala's electrifying performance gave the films respectability and true
importance. The film 'Jahan tum wahan hum', 1968, is a quick example.
The 1969 film 'Assalamu alaikum'
brought more laurels to Nirala. Those were the golden days for Nirala,
when the audience loved to watch his movies. They were down right
rejoicing-glorying!
Nirala's three movies below of 1970
are stuffed with laughs:
'Naseeb apna apna', 'Phir chand niklay
ga', 'Jhug gaya Aasmaan.'
Incidentally, we have a huge number of
people who relate to Nirala's style of comedy. His acting flourished
with the release of the 1971 film 'Neend hamari khwab tumharay.'
Nirala was really tuned into the
rhythm of the particular genre-romantic comedy. He garnered more
popularity in the three 1973 movies below:
'Bay eman', 'Anmol', 'Sehray kay phool.'
Nirala was essentially a natural
artist, and there were genuinely sweet moments between him and the
willing audience.
The 1974 movies 'Dushman' and 'Usay
deikha usay chacha' are good examples of Nirala's artistry.
Nirala was a talker with a reputation
for wit. The 1975 films 'Ganwaar', and 'Dilruba' are appropriate
examples of his wit.
In real life, Nirala was an amazingly
humble person. The magnificence of his comic presentation is quite
evident in the 1976 movie 'Sacchai.'
His sense of humor remained intact
till his last days. The 1977 movie 'Suha jora', made Nirala more famous
than ever.
In the 1980s, Nirala moved to Karachi
and made stage appearances with comedian Umer Sharif.
Bad habits die-hard. Nirala was fond
of chewing beetle leaf or paan.
Excessive use of paan took its toll on
his health, which deterioted with the passage of time.
Nirala's sad demise on December 9,
1985, in Karachi, robbed Pakistanis of one of their finest comedy actor.
Nirala's last film was 'Choroan ka
badshah', which was released three years after his death in 1988.
To think of Nirala
after so many years is to embark on an exciting ride that harkens back
to the magnificent magic of yesteryear!
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