Laal take off on an ideological musical odyssey

With their debut record, Umeed e Sahar, Laal is all set to revolutionize Pakistan's musical landscape. The band talks about where they see this revolutionary road taking them.

• Download Mp3 Songs Of Bebut Album Umeed e Sahar By Laal Band

A lady killer floored by the lady

It's definitely interesting to note that when Darpan, the younger brother of Santosh, moved into-big-time Pakistani cinema, he was exactly opposite to what Santosh represented with large, hazel eyes, that almost seemed fluorescent, a rich playboy's smile and slightly insensitive delivery. Darpan seemed more of a heart-less lady killer at first. When you find out that Darpan began his film career with Amanat in 1950, you'd find it strange that he hardly betrayed any signs of copying any American, European or Indian cinema giant. In Hollywood, it was the roaring period of Humphrey Bogard, Sydney Greenstreet and Clark Gable, while in India Prithvi Raj, Nazeer, Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand were raging. But Darpan showed no indications that he followed either of them. In a rough way, you can say that he probably saw more of Clarke Gable than any other star, because he was the handsomest, hazel-eyed star of Hollywood in those days!

Santosh and Sabiha

EVEN WITH Ali-Zeb taking over as the most hit real-life pair of Lollywood, there was no lowering of the plus points in favour of the eternally famous Santosh-Sabiha pair, both, off and on the Pakistan silver screen. The real name of Sabiha was Mukhtar Begum, while Santosh was actually Moosa Raza. From the very first film they did together in Pakistan, Anwar Kamal Pasha's Do Aansoo, they came together like those ideally-suited pairs that seem heaven-sent. It was magic from the word go. Although they had acted together even before Do Aansoo, in Masood Parvez's Punjabi hit, Beli, but Sabiha had a very small role in that film, and Santosh was starring opposite a hazel-eyed beauty called Shahina in it.

Mohammad Ali and Zeba

WHAT MORE AFFINITY could any two stars ask for than being introduced in the same film together. Mohammad Ali and Zeba began their careers from intellectual and film director, Fazal Karim Fazli's much discussed film of 1962, Charagh Jalta Raha. Though they were not the hero and heroine of the film, they had both come from Karachi. Mohammad Ali had been working at Radio Hyderabad, along with Mustafa Qureishi, but was picked up for the film from Karachi. Similarly, Fazli Sahab's father, famous poet and script-writer, Hakeem Ahmed Shuja contacted Zeba from Karachi, where she was known as Shaheen. Both the stars were highly trained and well-versed in the disciplines that were needed in media.

Similar Magnetic Polls Repel Each Other!

WHEN NOOR JAHAN came down from India with her well-known director husband, Shaukat Hussain Rizvi, she had a brilliant records of celluloid exploits to her name. She was hailed as a future diva as a song-thresh by none other than Mukhtar Begum; she acted as Baby Noor Jahan in films, and she grew up to be the finest singer-actress of the early Indian Talkies of the Forties. Her celebrated hubby had seen her grow into a Paras Pat-thar, which made her co-stars superstars. Khandan was the film that brought these two highly talented people together, and they married soon. But, when they came to Pakistan, their attraction signals soon started getting weak. The reason, that's what Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi says in his book, was that Noor Jahan was always getting romantically linked with her heroes, including Ajay Kumar (Dupatta), Jahangir Khan (Chan Ve), who was Shamil Khan's father, Santosh Kumar (Intezar) etc. So, after the Nazar Mohammad (cricketer Mudassar Nazar's father) episode, which gave the afore-mentioned a lame leg, Noor Jahan and Shaukat Rizvi were divorced. Shaukat Rizvi married another famous film actress, Yasmin, and they lived happily ever after. However, when Noor Jahan married a second time, with the handsome young man, Ejaz Durrani, a similar scenario wasn't to be!