It was back in 1989, during a social studies class when all students were asked a peculiar question. Name 'the' Pakistani actress who by faith was a Buddhist. My professor nearing the age of retirement was thrilled with his curve ball of a question; I along with my classmates however, was as clueless as could be.
No one knew at the time, but the answer was Shabnam.
As an 11-year old, I was more into cricket than movies. The golden days of Pakistan film industry had not yet been glorified by NTM, Pakistan's first Private TV channel.
At that moment I decided to have all the answers in case such a question is put in front of me, again. Flash forward 28 years, I found myself preparing questions for the host, who was to interview Shabnam on the sidelines of the 8th Karachi Literature Festival.
The legendary Pakistani actress was in Karachi to attend the 3-day Literature Festival held from 10th till 12th February at Beach Luxury Hotel.
She was a guest from Bangladesh, which she made her home in the mid 90s, but the treatment she got from the crowd was over-whelming.
Despite being part of the press corps, we had to wait for over an hour, to get a 20-minute interview on KLF's opening day. On the second day, she was interviewed by veteran actress Bushra Ansari. It was an amazing session where Shabnam's answers to the questions of Bushra Ansari, took us down memory lane.
It seemed like yesterday, when in 1983, Shabnam and Robin Ghosh were guests at PTV's celebrated Silver Jubilee show, hosted by Anwar Maqsood. Bushra Ansari appeared on stage for a skit with Zeba Shahnaz. They made fun of the guests which also included the legendary cricketer Javed Miandad.
A session titled 'Cinema across Borders' was held on the final day of KLF'17 with actor Nadeem Baig and Shabnam. Both have worked together in over 50 movies from 1968 till 1995. People wanted to hear about their movies, but the golden chance was wasted.
Also joined in by Asif Raza Mir and Indian journalist Priyanka Jha, all joined in to speak about the current state of Pakistan's film industry as well as the recent ban on Indian films. Mustafa Qureshi, who joined the discussion midway, demanded 'a movie for a movie' in India, which was met with harsh response from the crowd.
This was Shabnam's first visit to Pakistan without Robin Ghosh, who is no more with us. Last year on 13th February, he died in Dhaka, aged 76.
Just a day after the Karachi Literature Festival concluded, music lovers remembered him on his first death anniversary. He can be termed as one of the best musicians to have composed for Pakistani films. Shabnam and Robin were married for over 50 years and the reason for their successful partnership was, that they never interfered in each other's work – something Ghosh once revealed in a TV interview.
Robin started out as a music composer with Chanda in 1962, the same film that saw Shabnam debut as a leading lady. He ascended to the top composing music for a few East Pakistan Urdu productions, but migrated to West Pakistan with his wife. He was at the peak of his career in the 70s with hits like Chaahat, Aina, Amber, Nahin Abhi nahin and Bandish.
With the music scene deteriorating in the mid 80s, an 'already-selective' Robin reduced his workload and passed on the reins to the younger generation.
The interview we had with Shabnam was the highlight of KLF for us. She tried answering all the questions I put forward with grace and humour. On one hand, she was in tears remembering Robin Ghosh but on the other, was ecstatic at the response from Karachiites. Shabnam also revealed she was ready to resume work in Lollywood if good offers come her way. It must be taken as a golden opportunity for an industry which is in need for success. It is about time that the generation which grew up watching her movies on TV, utilize her experience and abilities to get the film industry back to the glorious days when Shabnam ruled.
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