Anwar Maqsood
by
Ally Adnan
Photographs by Ally Adnan
Writer, television host, comedian, satirist, humorist, actor and painter, Anwar
Maqsood is one of sho
usi ess
ost i
o ati e, unpredictable and funny stars in
Pakista . A re ipie t of Pakista s se o d highest i il a ard, Hilal-E-Imtiaz ()الااز,
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Anwar Maqsood is well known for his unique brand of humor, as well as his dramatic
work, both inside and outside of Pakistan. He has been associated with some of the
most successful programs on Pakistani television. These include the Zia Mohyeddin
Show, Fifty Fifty, Aangan Terha ()آنڑها, Loose Talk, Silver Jubilee, and Show Sha ()وا.
In an exclusive interview for the Friday Times, Anwar Maqsood talks to Ally Adnan
about show business in Pakistan, music, his family, and much else.
1.
Your association with show business started when there was little, if any, money
to be made in the field. Things have changed drastically over the years and a
career in show business is very lucrative today. How has money changed the
industry?
Money has made the industry vulgar. It has taken away class, refinement and
culture. People in the industry have changed. I remember times when people
like Parvez Malik, Sohail Rana and Masroor Ahmed used to sit at my home and
work on creating great music. I remember long sittings with actors like
Muhammad Qavi and Naveed Shehzad discussing screenplays in great detail.
People of that caliber no longer exist in the industry. Show business in Pakistan
is now inhabited by people one cannot even invite to his home, let alone work
with them on something of artistic merit. Of course, a few good people remain
but, for the most part, talent, intellect and class has disappeared from show
business in Pakistan.
The profusion of television channels in Pakistan has hurt the quality of
programming, which is abysmally low, to make just an understatement. Most of
the channels started operations with the sole goal of cashing in on the growing
success of television in Pakistan. They were launched because of greed and
avarice, and not because they were ready to produce quality programming.
Everything, seems to be done in a rush these days. No one seems to have the
time to focus on quality, excellence and merit.
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I wrote the long play, Daur-E-Junoon ()دورِوں, in 1983. It took me the better part
of the year to complete the script. Muhammad Qavi and Naveed Shahzad
rehearsed for a full two months before Muhammad Nisar Hussain became
comfortable enough to start filming. Today, a half dozen serials will be
completed in the time it took us to make the one long play. But excellence
requires time, patience and perseverance as much as it does talent, expertise
and skill. Work created in a rush is always ordinary and mediocre. This
mediocrity pervades the industry today. And money is the reason.
2.
What is the root cause of the mediocrity you talk about?
Poor scripts. No amount of bad acting can kill a good script. Poor production
cannot take away much from a good story. Unfortunately, good stories are no
longer written. Scripts are done piecemeal and given to actors on fragments of
paper, often moments before the camera starts rolling. Television channels do
not realize that good scripts are necessary for creating good plays. This the
primary cause of the mediocrity of our plays.
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3.
You had a very long and successful career at EMI.
Yes, I did. The time that I spent with Noor Jehan, Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hassan,
Farida Khanum and Iqbal Bano was great. We created great music under the EMI
label. Those were the best of times. Some of my fondest memories are from the
time when I worked for EMI.
4.
You introduced Munni Begum while at EMI.
Yes, I did.
The security guard at EMI was the one actually responsible for bringing me and
Munni Begum together.
5.
Romantically?
No, thankfully, no.
He told me about a singer who had come from
Bengal and sang for truck drivers at a small hill
in Sohrab Goth, each evening. My interest was
piqued and I went to listen to her sing. I found
Munni singing for large groups of people in
exchange for tips. She was not a great singer,
by any means, and certainly required proper
training, but her music was charming and
refreshingly different. I decided to introduce
her to the world of professional singing. We
recorded her first cassette at EMI a couple of
weeks later. It went on to sell more than six
hundred thousand copies in just two weeks
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and Munni became the top-selling artist very quickly. We made dozens of
cassettes together. I used to enjoy working with her.
6.
She certainly has a very good sense of humor.
She sure does.
I remember Sabir Sahib who was the director
of finance at EMI. He was a harmless man but
had the habit of touching women. I was
o er ed a out Mu i Begu s rea tio to
what was an innocent but offensive habit of
his. She took it in stride and told me that she
could handle him because she was used to the
tailors of Karachi who took greater liberties
while taking measurements.
Munni Begum was also an incorrigible liar. She
had no sense of time and no discipline
whatsoever. She would often disappear after
making commitments and not show up for
scheduled recording sessions. She would
explain her disappearances with very wild and totally false stories. She was
aware that I could tell when she was lying. That, however, did not stop her from
spinning unbelievably fantastic tales to explain her erratic behavior. She must
have buried her grandmother, grandfather, uncle, aunt and several other
relatives at least a dozen times each, during the few years that we worked
together.
7.
What do you thi k as the reaso
ehi d Mu
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i Begu
s tremendous success?
I think that it was the poetry she selected. It was simple and easy to understand.
Listening to her songs did not require effort or knowledge. She sang a lot about
wine and intoxication. People who enjoyed drinking wanted to listen only to her
in their parties. I think that her voice was also new and different from what
Pakistanis had heard heretofore. They were attracted to its unique quality.
8.
You also worked with Noor Jehan while at EMI and afterwards. What was your
relationship with Noor Jehan like?
It was a great relationship. She was intelligent, talented and a lot of fun. She
appeared on television three times and was interviewed by me in one of the
programs.
9.
Did you like working with her?
No, not at all.
10.
Why?
Noor Jehan was impossibly difficult to work
with.
She
was
temperamental,
unpredictable and volatile. She had a nasty
temper and a remarkably foul mouth. No
one could ever make her do what she did
not want to do. She could be unbearably
obstinate at times. Yet, despite all her
idiosyncrasies, she was a wonderful
person, a truly great singer and a sincere
friend. Working with her, albeit difficult
and trying, was highly rewarding.
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11.
What do you like a out Noor Jeha s si gi g?
The emotion, the feeling and the passion.
I remember that becoming totally enraptured
when I first heard the song, Vay Lagiyan Di Laj
ئ
)وےلگییاںدیجرھ یfrom Chor Nalay
Rakh Laeen (لا
Chatar ()وراےر. The emotional content of the
song was magical. I could not listen to another
song for months after I heard the song. It still
captivates me. There are many other songs of
hers, mostly Punjabi ones that I find haunting
and listen to, all the ti e. Noor Jeha s oi e is
able to evoke feelings – of happiness, of love,
of eroticism, of patriotism, and of grief – that
o other a . Her so gs tou h o e s heart.
That is the quality that makes her the great singer that she is.
Madam was a true empress who ruled the music industry for over five decades.
Fierce jealousies and rivalries exist in the business. It is an industry full of goons,
hoodlums and criminals. The competition is fierce. Survival is tough. Ethics,
laws, rules and codes of conduct do not exist. Anything goes. Men have found it
difficult to survive in the decidedly perilous world of music. Yet, Noor Jehan
ruled it for over half a century with a uniquely becoming but decidedly impudent
imperiousness.
12.
You did manage to make her very angry once by releasing several cassettes of
Musarrat Nazir in a short period of time?
Oh yes. Mada
as li id he she sa Musarrat Nazir s assettes ei g
released by EMI. She called Arshad Mahmood, who used to work at EMI in those
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days, and chewed him out. She vowed never to work with EMI again. No one at
EMI was able to placate her anger. The task of calming her down finally fell in
my lap.
13.
Were you successful in calming her down?
Yes, I was. I told her that comparing Noor Jehan with Musarrat Nazir as a singer
was like comparing Zeba with Nasira as a star. She saw the sense in my argument
and calmed down.
14.
Where is Musarrat Nazir nowadays?
She has become very old and lives with her equally old husband in Canada, near
Viagra Falls.
15.
Do you mean Niagara Falls?
If you say so.
16.
It seems that you like to work more with newcomers than with established
actors.
I do not like to work with stars. I cannot deal with arrogance, misbehavior and
indiscipline. I like professionalism and believe that people should be reliable,
dependable and trustworthy. I enjoy associating with people who are polite,
cultured and well-mannered. A lot of the stars, the big ones in particular, lack
these qualities, nowadays. I avoid working with them.
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17.
The misbehavior that you talk seems to be more common in the younger
generation of actors.
Yes, that is true.
18.
Why?
These kids have never read a book. They have never had an original thought.
And they have never learned to be introspective. They do not understand our
culture, values and morals.
19.
Why do they not understand these?
They do not understand these because of easy
money. When one does not have to earn
money, when one is handed everything on a
plate and when one has never had to work
hard for anything, the first thing that is lost is
respect. Intellect is next, followed by ethics,
morals and principles. We are left with people
who are unaware of the difficulties involved in
making money the honest way. They equate
success with monetary worth. They do not
worry about the legitimacy of the source of
their wealth. They are content if they have
money and social standing. Of course, such
people have no understanding of our values,
morals and culture.
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20.
You are a person of many talents. Your sublings are a very talented lot as well.
Your elder sister, Fatima Suariya Bajiya, is a celebrated writer and Zehra Nigah
is a distinguished poet. Zubaida Tariq, is a renowned chef and well-known media
personality. Sughra Kazmi was a pioneer in the field of bridal wear whereas Sara
Naqvi was a scientist and a journalist. Your brother, Ahmed Maqsood, was a
senior civil servant. What was it about your upbringing that produced so many
luminaries in a single household?
There was an abundance of love and a dearth of money in our household. When
our parents passed, they left us nothing but a collection of books. There were
te of us a d e e joyed ea h other s o pa y. We lo ed talki g to ea h other
and valued the art of meaningful conversation. There was a lot of love for music,
literature and poetry in our household. Poets and writers used to visit our home
regularly. My maternal grandfather was a student of Mirza Daagh Dehlavi. He
used to teach us Urdu with a special focus on proper pronunciation, diction and
reading style. We were encouraged to memorize the works of great poets.
Bajiya used to organize games of Bait Bazi ( )تازیon almost a daily basis. My
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maternal grandmother was a student of classical music. I remember Jaddan Bai
coming to our home and singing for the family.
If I am to summarize, three things contributed to our upbringing. One, there was
no focus on money and material things. Two, there was a great fondness for the
arts. Three, there was a lot of love between the ten of us and we enjoyed each
other s o pa y.
21.
Which one of the ten of you is the most talented?
I would say Fatima Suariya Bajiya. She is a great woman. Her first novel, Muslim
مwas published when she was only twelve years old. Our father
Samaj ()لاج,
passed away when he was only forty-two years old. After his death, Bajiya took
over the responsibility of running the household and raising her nine siblings. I
admire the strength, selflessness and generosity with which she carried out the
responsibility.
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22.
The comic style of juggat ( ) مجگتاis very popular in Pakistan these days and is
ت
featured in many programs such as Syasi Theater ()ای هییٹر, Khabarnaak ()راک,
Khabardar ( )ردارand Mazaq Raat ()ذاقرات. Do you like juggat bazi (?) مجگتازی
I love it. I absolutely love it. No visit to Lahore is complete without me watching
a play full of juggat bazi in the Open Air Theater. I am a fan of Amanullah Khan
and several others, and often go backstage after the plays to commend their
performances.
23.
A lot is being said about the resurgence and rebirth of cinema in Pakistan. What
do you think of Pakistani cinema today?
What is happening in our film industry today is not a rebirth ; it is actually an
abortion of good cinema. These films are being funded by businessmen who
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do not understand, or even care about, art. They are being made by people who
are enamored with technology and have no love of art. Filmmakers today do not
focus on story and screenplay. The result is really bad cinema. No matter how
much we celebrate it, our cinema will not become good unless filmmakers start
focusing on the stories they tell. The screenplay is of paramount importance.
24.
Pakistan has produced a large number of dramatic actors and writers but very
few comic ones. What is the reason for the imbalance?
Comedy is significantly more difficult than drama. It is demanding, challenging
and risky. And it is very tough.
I can best describe it by using a couplet by Jigar Muradabadi.
ااا یھ ے،ہقں آاں
اکآگادراےاورڈوبےااے
I believe that comedy is as difficult as ishq ()ق. It is very easy to veer into
vulgarity and buffoonery when doing comedy. Comedy with intellect, dignity
and culture requires a lot of talent.
25.
Who do you think has written good comedy in Pakistan?
Without a doubt, Kamal Ahmed Rizvi.
26.
And who have been good comedic actors?
Munawwar Zareef, first and foremost. Nanna for sure. Moeen Akhtar and
Bushra Ansari were very good. There have been a few others as well.
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27.
The comedy of Moeen Akhtar and Bushra Ansari seems to be heavily dependent
on the script.
Yes, it was dependent on the script but that is not a shortcoming. The two had
a lot of comedic talent and worked wonders with a well-written script. Moeen,
unfortunately, is gone now and Bushra has taken up singing.
28.
Do you like Bushra Ansari s singing?
No, I do not. She does not have the voice of a singer.
29.
Hina Dilapazir has appeared on the comedy scene in recent years. What do you
think of her?
Hina is very talented. She is one of the finest comedic actors we have today. I
have to admit that I do not like any of the twenty-two characters she played in
a recent television serial. She is better than that. I wish she had refused to act in
the serial. Her immense talent deserves better writing.
30.
If you had to pick a female comedic actor for one of your upcoming plays, who
would you pick today, Bushra Ansari or Hina Dilpazir?
Hina Dilpazir.
31.
Do you watch a lot of television these days?
I try not to.
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32.
And what music do you listen to these days?
I enjoy listening to Rashid Khan from India. He is a good classical
vocalist. I listen to some songs of Mala and Naseem Begum
regularly. I listen to Ustad Amir Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and
Hirabai Barodekar very often. My day always starts with
listening to Roshanara Begum. There is, of course, never a day in
my life, when I do not listen to songs of Noor Jehan. Her Punjabi
songs are an integral part of my life.
Ally Adnan lives in Dallas and writes about culture, history and the
arts. He tweets @allyadnan and can be reached at
allyadnan@outlook.com.
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