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film 'Aik Roaz', directed by Dawood Chand.
Zarina Agha appeared as lead actress in
both those movies, which were released before partition.
Salma also happens to be the niece of
actress Shahina.
Salma, who is a British citizen, spent
an extended period of time in England. Nurtured in the lap of artistic
culture and exposed in her teens to the showbiz atmosphere of Karachi
and Bombay, Salma soon mastered music and acting skills.
Technically speaking, Salma debuted in
a little known Nadeem Shravan song in 1978.
Young and promising but little known
Salma did her best in her first recorded song. Nobody imagined the star
those earlier days foretold.
In reality, director-producer, B.R.
Chopra, orchestrated Salma's destiny-her singing-acting career.
Hence, Salma debut in the film 'Nikah'
in 1982. Director- producer, B.R. Chopra, cast included Salma- Raj
Babbar, songwriter, Hasan Kamal, composer, Ravi. Salma was smartly
dubbed as 'Nilofar' in 'Nikah'.
Further, in 'Nikah', Salma performed
the role of a lifetime. The role that launched her as a mega star.
More films like 'Nikah' could hoist
the banner higher for women's films and sell more tickets.
There are scenes in 'Nikah' that exude
an overwhelming melancholy. Below are a few songs of 'Nikah'.
One is overpowered by the strains of
tragedy as one listens to 'Dil kay Armaan Aansuoon mein beh gaye hum
wafa kar kay bhi tanha reh gaye'.
'Dil kay Armaan' by far, the lyrics
were torn straight from Salma's soul. When it comes to singing, Salma
has a flawless track record of success.
She also had a knack for doing the
best in romantic numbers. The following song is a good example of her
understanding of words:
'Faza bhi hai jawan jawan hawa bhi hai
rawan rawan
suna raha hai ye sama suni suni see dastaan'.
She poured her heart out while
recording this song. The outcome was simply superb:
'Beetay huay lamhoan ki kasak saath to
hogi.'
Salma is known for her nuance
appreciation of music. The number below made her a glittering star on
the horizon of music:
'Dil ki ye Aarzu hai koi dil ruba
milay.'
The magnificence of her voice is all
the more evident in the score below:
'Ik baar milo hum say to sau baar
milain gey hum jaisay kahan tum ko talab gaar milain gey.'
Being a singing star always gave Salma
an edge over her competitors.
Her enormous success in 'Nikah',
propelled her to sign in for more films like 'Qasam paida karnay walay
ki,' in 1984.
Salma's controversial marriage to
entrepreneur, Mehmud Sipra, ended in divorce. Salma never even
recognized the legality of her nuptials to Sipra.
In fact, Salma's separation from Sipra
left deep scars in its wake. Her popularity flagged for a while, until
the directors grew confidant that the marital storm had passed and again
offered her the roles she deserved.
Salma is, indeed, very fortunate to
have strong mothers figure in her corner. Their relationship has been
most distinctive and resonant with the passage of time.
Salma's dedication was absolute in
director B.R. Chopra's film 'Tawaif', in 1985. There is something in
Salma's face that transcends the ordinary.
Additionally, she possesses an
extraordinary gift of audacity.
This explains in part, why so many
dedicated people always have been so willing to further her
singing-acting ambitions then and now.
Coming back to films, she also worked
in the 1988 movie, 'Mahaveera'.
Salma's first film in Pakistan was
'Hum Aur Tum'. Salma-Javed Sheikh played the lead romantic roles.
Director, Hasan Askari, composer, Robin Ghosh.
Interestingly enough, Salma and Javed
Sheikh paired together in quite a few films. In time, they developed so
much understanding, that it resulted in their marriage.
As luck would have it, their romance
in real life did not last long.
Consequently, Salma's marriage to
Javed Sheikh, too, resulted in a divorce.
Reverting to the movies, Salma's
character in the film 'Bazar-e-Husn', came precariously close to
reality. She played her part with such emotional involvement that the
public had rarely seen or heard anything quite like it in years.
'Bazar-e-Husn', starring, Salma-
Nadeem- Samina Peerzada, director, Javed Fazil. Salma and Nadeem
appeared in the lead romantic roles. While Samina Peerzada played the
screen wife of Nadeem.
Salma was always ambitious and
motivated. She owes much of her optimism, tenacity and admiral thoughts
to her mother.
Furthermore, hardships came her way.
She overcame them and excelled.
Hence, she holds a singular place in the hearts of her devoted fans.
After her commendable role in 'Bazar-e-Husn',
Salma produced the film 'Pati, Patni Aur Tawaif', in India, which was
based on the story of 'Bazar-e- Husn'.
Time passed by, and Salma started
taking interest in Rehmat Khan, coach of world squash champion, Jehangir
Khan.
She accompanied Rehmat on a show
business tour.
The sightseeing inspired Rehmat so
much that both Salma and Rehmat tied the knot.
Together they stayed in India for
quite a while after their marriage. Salma also had a daughter with
Rehmat Khan.
Talking of movies, reward cannot be
separated from risk. She was absolutely, unequivocally, as successful as
an actress could be in the Indo- Pak cinema of the 1980s and 1990s.
Below are more movies in which Salma
acted:
'Aag He Aag', 1988, directed by Javed
Fazil.
'Taqat Ka Tufaan', 1989, directed by
Sangeeta, stars included Salma- Nadeem, Ghulam Mohyedin.
Salma may have understood better than
most of us that great achievement always takes a toll.
Despite the toll she paid along the
way, her singular appearance and etiquettes persists to this day. Her
visit to Pakistan serves as a cultural re-awakening for moviegoers.
Below are more success stories of
Salma:
The films 'Number One', 1990,
director, Saeed Ali Khan, Salma and Izhar Qazi played the lead roles.
'Hum Aik Hain', Director, Iqbal
Kashmiri, Salma- Javed Sheikh played the lead roles.
'Bhabhi Dee Chooriyaan', director,
Iqbal Kashmiri, Salma- Javed Sheikh appeared in lead roles.
Salma's blue eyes sparkle when she
talks about her life accomplishments.
She said that the admiration and
gratitude of her adorers are endless. They have always counted on this
time- honored symbol of success.
More movies of Salma are listed below:
'Damoar Intiqam', Pushto film,
director, Iqbal Kashmiri, Salma- Javed Sheikh played the lead roles.
'Aik say barh kar aik', director,
Nazar Shabab.
'Daagh', director, Aslam Daar.
At the pinnacle of her fame, Salma
worked in the film 'Gehra Raaz', in 1996.
Salma the star also served as an
ecumenical bridge between the east and the west.
Below are movies, which did exude much
hope:
The films 'Ghareeboan Ka Badshah',
director, Pervez Malik.
'Sheirni', directed by Dawood Butt.
'Da Bhabhi Bangri' directed by Saeed
Ali Khan. Pushto version of director Iqbal Kashmiri's film 'Bhabhi Dee
Chooriyan'.
'Qatiloan kay Qaatil', director, M.A.
Rasheed, Salma- Javed Sheikh played the lead roles.
Salma won the Nigar Award for best
actress in the film 'Bazar-e- Husn', in 1988.
She has splashed moments of strength, defiance and passion both on and
off- screen.
She keeps that trinity of emotions
running all the time. Pursuing tragedy or romance, she is equally bold
and beautiful. She moved boldly in matters of style as well.
Salma was more than up to the
challenge for the movie- shoot of the films below:
'Phoolan Devi', director, Masood Butt,
cast included Salma- Javed Sheikh.
'Aakhri Shikaar' director, Dawood
Butt, stars included, Salma- Javed Sheikh.
'Cobra', director, Shahid Rana, Salma-
Ghulam Mohyedin in the lead roles
Nasal voiced Salma produced her first music album 'Abba and Agha' along
with her sister, Sabina.
Likewise, her new album, 'Mein Nay
Kholi Dil Ki Kitaab' is worth mentioning.
Through long hours of practice, Salma
made her mark in the music world. Those who perform it best, like Salma,
can be heard joyously. In case of Salma, the melodies were easily learnt
and applied.
From the poignancy of 'Jalwa-e- gul ko
bulbul bohut hai shama ko giryaye shaam' to the grandeur of Qateel
Shifai's 'Ghunguru toot gaye', Salma was successful in all instances.
Salma's superior quality songs found
their way to our brains by way of our hearts. The following two examples
will elaborate this point:
'Chehra chupa liya hai kisi nay hijab
may'.
'Jahan Aaj hum milay hain.'
After a lapse in her singing career,
she performed in the U.S.A. in the year 2003. It looked as if she had
been tested, she came out strong.
Salma sings what people want to hear.
Wherever Salma set her foot, she earned plaudits from the public.
Salma's three past live shows are
mentioned below:
Musical-show-live-in-concert, Sunday,
October 14, 2001, at Regal Constellation Hotel, Toronto.
Salma- Ghulam Abbas musical program
was held at the Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento on Friday, July
25, 2003.
Salma's musical concert was held at
Chandni Restaurant, Fremont, Newark, San Francisco Bay Area, on
Saturday, August 9, 2003.
It seems that Salma's career might
have stood in the way of her personal happiness. The trouble was that
she was a victim of image. Because she was promoted as a sort of siren
and played all those romantic roles, people made the mistake of thinking
she was like that off the screen. Such gross misconceptions disheartened
Salma. She is reported to have said, 'No one ever wanted to know the
real me at all'.
She also shared her notions regarding
human values, relationship and passion. Most of all, she talked about
longings-persistent yearning or desire that cannot be fulfilled.
Salma Agha: Do not cut
loose from your longings- for what are we without our longings?
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