Agha G. A. Gul’s NAILA shot in full color–became the talk of the country with almost every female–then, vying and dying to see this Shamim Ara classic…of mid-sixties. I distinctly remember that I had to go to Rivoli Cinema Karachi–at least six times on a rickshaw to make the advance booking for my phoppis and khalas–and every time I returned empty handed as even advance booking was fully booked.
So touching and melodramatic was the movie NAILA that cinemagoers preferred to watch this movie several times…in a row.
Starring; Shamim Ara, Darpan, Santosh Kumar, Ragni and Kumar (the Sangtarash of Mughal-e-Azam..who had settled down in Pakistan then) mainly focused on the characters in the movie. Darpan (real name Ishrat) the younger brother to Santosh Kumar (real name Moosa Reza) played the actual role—the younger (step) brother of Santosh in the movie as well.
The story; Two step brothers..sons to Ragni, are in UK for higher studies. The movie opens with preparations seen for welcoming back the two from England after completing their higher studies. Their Mamoon’s daughter Naila (Shamim Ara) is all excited about her cousins coming back…and inside her heart—she has immense love for Santosh..which she finds hard to express–and at the function at her phoppis huge chachee’s huge mansion…she conveys her feelings by singing…the song which topped the charts then…for whole one year;
“MUJHEY ARZOO THEEH JISKI…WOH PAYAM AAGAYA HAI…
MERE DIL KI DHARKANON MEIN…TERA NAAM AAGAYA HAI”
NAILA was mostly shot at Lahore’s Evernew Studios–and outdoor scenes were done at Agha G.A.Gul’s house at Gulberge Main Boulevard-Lahore and at Murree at SAIGOL Lodge.
Agha Gul’s able son Sajjad Gul now runs EVERNEW PRODUCTIONS and has produced classic TV serials …top being “MEHENDI”…
NAILA the movie—is available on DVD.
-Raju