Afsana (1970) - Synopsis

Saturday, March 31, 2012


This is a synopsis of the movie Afsana, released in 1970. Lead cast includes Waheed Murad, Deeba, Rozina and Nanha. 
Story and dialogue were written by Dr. Anwar Sajjad, and lyrics by Tanveer Naqvi and Tasleem Fazli.
The movie was directed by Luqman. The synopsis is divided in segments, using each song as a divider. Link to the complete movie at Youtube is provided at the end.


Contents:

1. Lost in love
2. Imaginary happiness
3. The accident
4. The new beginning
5. Happy again
6. Another accident in the making
7. Wind-up


1. Lost in love


Naheed, an underprivileged girl, wins an intercollegiate poetry competition against competitors like Nasir, a rich guy, and Ghazala, a rich spoiled girl. Nasir tries to get close to Naheed in spite of her ignoring him, but Nasir’s friend Badar is suspicious about her.

On Nasir’s request, he spies on her only to discover that she secretly sells dolls made by her mother. Nasir’s admiration for Naheed increases when he learns this.

However, Naheed’s upright nature repels his overtures so that he is left to express his feelings only to Naheed’s doll. Ghazala compels Badar to bring Nasir to her party who agrees to go only after securing a promise from Badar that he would help him in getting close to Naheed.
Disguised as Nasir’s father, Badar accompanies him to Naheed’s house when she is not home, and pretending to be an exporter, he offers Naheed’s mother a tremendous order for dolls along with some advance payment. Naheed returns before they have left, recognizes them, and shares everything with her mother as soon as they leave.

Nasir’s father returns from Murree in Nasir’s absence from house, and is surprised to find Nasir’s interest in dolls, when Naheed’s mother arrives to return the money. Nasir’s father makes an apology, and decides to punish Nasir. Unmindful of his father’s presence, Nasir comes home to sing his love to Naheed’s dolls.




Youn Kho Gayey Tere Pyar Mein Hum
By Mujeeb Alam



2. Imaginary happiness



Just then, Nasir’s father discloses the matter about the money Naheed’s mother returned, and slaps Nasir for his misconduct. Nasir informs his father about the depth and purity of his love for Naheed.


On his father’s insistence, he accompanies him to Naheed’s house and apologizes to Naheed’s mother. Sharing his life history with Naheed’s mother, Nasir’s father relates how as an orphan he went to Africa in search of employment where his business flourished. He married there but his wife died when Nasir was still very young. Desirous of his son marrying Naheed, he puts the proposal of marriage to her mother. It gets accepted. 


Naheed fantasizes about a happy ever-after with Nasir and sings a song in her imagination.




Hum Aap K Hain Janabe Aali
By Ahmed Rushdi and Mala


3. The accident



Receiving this news, Ghazala vows to make life difficult for the couple.

Hours after their marriage, Naheed and Nasir accompany Nasir’s father to his house in Murree. Badar is also with them while Nasir is driving the car. On the way they listen to a happy song on radio and soon afterwards meet an accident on the road.



Na Hum Tum Se Juda Hain
By Ahmed Rushdi


4. The new beginning



Nasir and Badar die in the accident. Nasir’s father is also in a critical condition but just before dying he manages to transfer all his property and wealth to Naheed on condition that she cannot sell it but can appoint a heir. He dies. The only survivor of the accident is Naheed, although she is disabled now – her legs have stopped functioning due to lack of blood circulation.

News of Nasir’s death reach Ghazala through newspaper. Just then, she catches hold of a cutpurse attempting to take away her hand-bag. Something about the culprit surprises her (although it is not revealed to the audience).

Naheed is living a solitary and grim life until Zafar, Nasir’s cousin from Africa having a very close resemblance to Nasir, comes to her place and tries to enliven her. He is also maintaining a secret correspondence about his activities with someone.

Naheed, truehearted to Nasir’s love, is hesitant to acknowledge Zafar’s warm feelings. In a rage she asks leave of Zafar but her mother asks him to stay. The couple expresses their concerns more openly at a picnic and later while watching a song and dance event in the marriage ceremony of their servants.


5. Happy again



Soon afterwards, their decision to get married is approved by Naheed’s mother and the wedding brings happy moments to their life. The happiness is expressed through a song which Zafar sings to Naheed.



Hum Ko Tumharay Sar Ki Qasam
By Ahmed Rushdi


6. Another accident in the making



This happiness is disrupted when Ghazala comes to meet Zafar secretly. She demands his meeting their chief in a hotel that evening.

In that meeting, Zafar is reminded of his life as a thief before Ghazala took him to the chief, owing to his likeness to Nasir (and in this flashback the audience is informed that Zafar was the cutpurse whom Ghazala caught on the day she received the news of Nasir’s death). He got trained duly so that he could carry out their plan of taking over the wealth inherited by Naheed from Nasir’s father. Zafar is not willing to betray the trust of Naheed anymore but he finds himself to be helpless.

In Zafar’s absence, Naheed receives a letter written to him by Ghazala and delivered belatedly. It reveals the truth about their plans to her. Zafar returns drunk and murmurs his reluctance to kill his wife while Naheed overhears. Naheed’s reflection on this is that her life is of no value before the relationship which exists between her and Zafar. Later, she writes her will accordingly.

The next day, Zafar meets the gang, and is forced to kill Naheed soon. On his refusal the Chief threatens to reveal his reality to Naheed.

That evening, Ghazala keeps calling Zafar and pressing the matters. To avoid picking up the phone anymore, Zafar places the receiver off the hook. Just then, Naheed insists on going for a walk. Since the call was not disconnected, Ghazala gets to hear the route over the phone line.

Naheed hands over her will to a servant. While Zafar pushes her wheelchair on what Naheed is presuming to be the last evening of her life, she sings back the song which Zafar had sung to her soon after their marriage. The gang moves along secretly, following them through the hills.




Hum Ko Tumharay Sar Ki Qasam
By Mala


7. Wind-up



The gang hits Zafar to unconsciousness. Naheed has closed her eyes, anticipating that Zafar would throw her wheelchair down the hill. So, she doesn’t get to see it when Ghazala commits the crime instead.

On being brought back to consciousness, Zafar is confused about what happened. He holds himself responsible for the death of his wife and, filled with grief and remorse, he refuses to transfer her wealth to the Chief. He is beaten up but to no effect. Ghazala tries to resolve Zafar’s guilt by confessing her act of pushing Naheed’s wheelchair. Accompanied by Naheed’s servant, the police reaches the place and catches her just as she is inadvertently confessing her crime. The rest of the gang is arrested too but Zafar is spared.






Link to complete film Afsana on Youtube

On Direct Vision

Saturday, January 28, 2012

By Ibn al-Haytham (Muslim scientist and philosopher) from "On Direct Vision"

"Sight perceives [beauty] by perceiving each one of the particular properties of which the manner of perception by sight has been shown. For each of these properties separately produces one of the kinds of beauty, and they produce [other] kinds of beauty in conjunction with one another....
Position produces beauty and many things that look beautiful do so only because of order and position. Beautiful writing is also regarded as such because of  order alone. For the beauty of writing is due only to the soundness of the shapes of letters and the composition....
Separateness produces beauty. Thus dispersed stars are more beautiful than the nebulae and the Milky way.... For this reason, too, blossoms and flowers dispersed in meadows look more beautiful than when they are gathered and crowded together.
Continuity produces beauty. Thus meadows with continuous and dense vegetation are more beautiful than those in which the vegetation is interrupted and discontinuous. And of the meadows that look beautiful than the others."
Copied from: Lost History-by Michael Morgan

FRAGRANCE OF LOVE

Wednesday, January 18, 2012





There was uncertainty, there was no unity.
Political power lost, social rights taken away.
Destiny not clear, sky without much hopes…
Strength and confidence still resides in some
Such strength only Love can give birth to and foster;
Love cast its spell
The fragrance spread, reaching every nook and corner of garden
And the moment arise when, lost in the charming scent
Flocks move towards one destiny…
Blind faith in the power of Love
Steers their boat towards the shore
Uncertainty vanished as if it never existed
Every breath carrying the trust of the other
A caravan moved, towards an unknown world
But the elegant march showed no signs of fear
Freedom was at hand, freedom to Love
To choose, decide, to practice what is dear
Love is the source, Love is the way
Love is power, Love is what await…

If this is the story of the struggle for Pakistan
The Dawn of 1946 would have found its passionate lovers singing with zeal something similar to ther verses below as their anthem of Love...

یوں کھو گئے تیرے پیار میں ھم
 اب ہوش میں آنا مشکل ہے
 تب آنکھ ملانا مشکل تھا
 اب آنکھ بچانا مشکل ہے 
سانسوں کی مہک سانسوں میں رچے
 جذبات میں اک ہلچل سی مچے
 دھڑکن کے سوا آوآز نہ ہو
 چاہت کے سوا کچھ بھی نہ بچے
یوں خود کو بھلانا مشکل ہے
یوں کھو گئے تیرے پیار میں ھم
دشوار تھے رستے الفت کے
 کاٹے ہیں بڑی ہی مشکل سے
 لے آیا ہے ہم کو شوق جہاں
 اس پیار کی رنگیں منزل سے
 اب لوٹ کے جانا مشکل ہے
قسمت کا لکھا ٹل سکتا ہے
 دریا الٹا چل سکتا ہے
 جم سکتی ہے سورج کی کرن
پانی سے دیا جل سکتا ہے
 پر تجھ کو بھلانا مشکل ہے
یوں کھو گئے تیرے پیار میں ھم

(These are the lyrics of the song You Kho Gayey Tere Pyar Mein from film Afsana)


Probably nothing could relate to their feelings truer than the verses above!!


The trust is bestowed to the lovers of every Times, and every breathe of the lover carries the fragrance of its beloved, in every effort they make...

Restricting the Boundless

Saturday, December 17, 2011

What are the possibilities of human imaginations and creativity? Has he got the powers to conquer all that he comes across?

This question needs to be answered carefully.
The attempt to restrict the boundaries of human capabilities and weaving fascinations about the unseen, declaring it unconquerable by the powers of a man can have serious results.
Such an endeavor which narrows the range of individual possibilities may end up emanating feeling of powerlessness, decreased self-efficacy, leading to utter hopelessness and a helpless state of mind.
Even a handful of individuals with such an approach can disrupt the natural social life. Social values and norms may take a shape in which the skills of a man are now attributed to the powers of some character of a fanciful world. A time comes when ‘change’ becomes unlawful and every zealous creature is considered a ‘rebel’. Insecurity about the future rises and the commutative social achievements decline.
Further the limited perceptions about man affect the religion too and the sky-soaring messages contained in it are limited to mere practices loaded with calculations.
A time comes when a person, ignorant of his own position in the space of the universe and the role he is meant to play in the destiny of the earth and the skies, not believing that the right of choice, the ability to learn and analyze and the skills to create can position man above all creations, may limit his perceptions about the Creator, be it limiting His attributes, defining some face or form for Him, limiting the vastness of His character, or considering Him in need of small items like food.
The situation reaches a pitfall here, creating confusion as to the origin of man and the nature of the universe and its contents. The skills of man are challenged and the initiating question facing us again, as if left unanswered.
To prevent anarchy, to be able to conquer whatever is contained in the earth and skies, and to be on a closer ties to God, man needs to know his own importance, and develop confidence on the trust which God put on him… something which no mountains could sustain, but man found himself willing to shoulder.

Beginning to Discover Waheed Murad

Tuesday, November 22, 2011


Legacies should be transferred from one generation to the other in a way that neither their originality nor their impact alters. And to adopt something that comes from the time preceding us, we need to live that time, feel it, evaluate it according to the preceding as well as the current circumstances, and have a look at where it projects, before beginning to like or dislike it.

Waheed Murad is a legendary icon who had to offer a lot not only to the people of his own time, but for many generations to come after him.
Developing an inspiration for him needs us to embark on a journey to his world, which may lead us to ‘a castle of many mirrors’ where we can reflect on ourselves and our surroundings in a much better way.
Let’s begin NOW…
The initiating step on this journey can be the intro as to who Waheed Murad was, and what position he held in our society. Without having adequate knowledge about him the gap can not be bridged, and our goal can never be achieved.

‘Why’ Waheed Murad held a certain social position (i-e being a role-model) is then to be answered in order to move a step forward towards Waheed Murad.

All these are the words a beginner would hear from someone ‘else’ most probably someone not from his own age-group (or generation you may call it). Hence totally relying on someone else for a choice seems little difficult.
Providing easy access to Waheed Murad’s work, especially on forums youngsters are more likely to visit, can be of help so that the discovery is more like one’s own.

Before anyone can discover anything, all doubts pertaining to it should be eradicated. To achieve this, the process of discovery can take a bit-by-bit start, so that the feeling of something being ‘imposed’ is not there, and a beginner can actually ‘enjoy’ being a part of the process.

For example in Waheed Murad’s case we can start with his songs (which I am sure would appeal to most of us because of their eternal melodies and lyrics), moving on to the music videos (which are so light-heartening and full of energetic performances that they become irresistible) giving way to his movies.

Also the general perception about someone not from one’s own time might engender a feeling that the issues s/he touched in their work must be the ones faced not by us but by the earlier generations. This belief need to be uprooted, and a ‘proper’ intro to the work of Waheed Murad can do it all.

Only when a beginner’s mind will try discovering Waheed Murad for herself/himself would s/he be able to relate to his ideologies or work. But this discovery needs a guide, like anyone new to a city needs one. The guide can relate what people at the time of WM liked most about him, how he affected their lives, and what he stood for. Without a guide/companion the search can turn futile.

So this journey basically requires us to be a part of a process in which the psyche and the trends of the young audience should be considered and molded in a way that would benefit all of us.