Doraha (1967 film)
Encyclopedia
Doraha, a Pakistani Urdu
black & white film, is a classic romantic and melodious film of 1960s and a remarkable film of Pervaiz Malik's and Waheed Murad
's careers. At box office, the film failed to became a big hit, as it was expected, but it later gained more its importance after several years, esp., during 1980s and 1990s. The film was produced by Sohail Rana
and Pervaiz Malik and also directed by Pervaiz Malik. Casting included Waheed Murad
, Shamim Ara
, Deeba
, Ibrahim Nafees and Talish
. For Doraha, Waheed Murad originally cast Zeba
, but after her marriage with Mohammad Ali
, he picked Shamim Ara. His close circles knew that Shamim Ara was just a replacement. All the dialogue and songs were for Zeba
.
and Lahore
. During the same year, Doraha got tough competition from the films like Chakori, Laakhon mein ek, Darshan and Aag. It completed only 40 weeks on cinemas with 7 weeks on main cinemas in Karachi, which was far less than the producers' expectations. Nevertheless, the film got the status of 'Silver Jubilee film'.
It was also a big hit in Dhaka
and other cities of the then East Pakistan
, now a days Bangladesh
.
. The songs of Doraha, esp. Bhooli hui hoon daastan..., Mujhe tum nazar se... Haan isi more par... Tumhein kaise bata doon... and Ajnabi zara souch lo... became very popular on Radio
those days. The evergreen songs of the film were written by Masroor Anwar and mostly sung by Ahmed Rushdi
and Mala
. Only one song was recorded in Mehdi Hassan
's voice. Waheed Murad
declared Rushdi's song, "Bhooli hui hoon daastan", his favorite song. The film Doraha proved to be a milestone in Ahmed Rushdi
's career:
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
black & white film, is a classic romantic and melodious film of 1960s and a remarkable film of Pervaiz Malik's and Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad was a legendary Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Waheed is considered to be one of the most famous and influential actors of subcontinent. Born in Sialkot, Pakistan, he was the only child of well-off film distributor Mr. Nisar Murad. He got early education from...
's careers. At box office, the film failed to became a big hit, as it was expected, but it later gained more its importance after several years, esp., during 1980s and 1990s. The film was produced by Sohail Rana
Sohail Rana
Sohail Rana is a Pakistani music composer for films. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films like Arman and Doraha. He is now based in Canada.-Early Life and career:Sohail Rana was born in...
and Pervaiz Malik and also directed by Pervaiz Malik. Casting included Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad was a legendary Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Waheed is considered to be one of the most famous and influential actors of subcontinent. Born in Sialkot, Pakistan, he was the only child of well-off film distributor Mr. Nisar Murad. He got early education from...
, Shamim Ara
Shamim Ara
Shamim Ara is a Pakistani film actress, director and producer. Her real name is Putli Bai. She was a famous film actress of the 1950s till the early 1970s. She is most famous for her leading role in the first ever West Pakistan's color motion picture Naela...
, Deeba
Deeba
Deeba is a Pakistani film actress and one of the leading film heroines during 1960s and 1970s. Deeba's real name is Raheela. She was one of the iconic film actresses during 1960s and 1970s. She is well known for her romantic tragic roles in Urdu and Punjabi films. She started her career as an...
, Ibrahim Nafees and Talish
Talish
Agha Talish was a leading character actor of the Pakistani cinema. Talish's real name was Agha Ali Abbas Qazalbash, he was born in Ludhiana, India....
. For Doraha, Waheed Murad originally cast Zeba
Zeba
Zeba is a film actress from Pakistan. Her real name is Shaheen, but she adopted the name Zeba. She starred in the 1966 film Arman which was produced by actor and producer Waheed Murad.-Film career:Zeba started her career from Karachi...
, but after her marriage with Mohammad Ali
Mohammad Ali (actor)
Mohammad Ali was a Pakistani actor. He was known as Shahenshah-e-Jazbaat , means The Emperor of Emotions. He had starred in over 250 movies playing roles as hero and villain. He was included among 25 greatest actors of Asia by CNN survey...
, he picked Shamim Ara. His close circles knew that Shamim Ara was just a replacement. All the dialogue and songs were for Zeba
Zeba
Zeba is a film actress from Pakistan. Her real name is Shaheen, but she adopted the name Zeba. She starred in the 1966 film Arman which was produced by actor and producer Waheed Murad.-Film career:Zeba started her career from Karachi...
.
Release
The film was released by United Talents on August 25, 1967 on cinemas of KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
and Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. During the same year, Doraha got tough competition from the films like Chakori, Laakhon mein ek, Darshan and Aag. It completed only 40 weeks on cinemas with 7 weeks on main cinemas in Karachi, which was far less than the producers' expectations. Nevertheless, the film got the status of 'Silver Jubilee film'.
It was also a big hit in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
and other cities of the then East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
, now a days Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
.
Music
The music of the film is composed by Sohail RanaSohail Rana
Sohail Rana is a Pakistani music composer for films. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films like Arman and Doraha. He is now based in Canada.-Early Life and career:Sohail Rana was born in...
. The songs of Doraha, esp. Bhooli hui hoon daastan..., Mujhe tum nazar se... Haan isi more par... Tumhein kaise bata doon... and Ajnabi zara souch lo... became very popular on Radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
those days. The evergreen songs of the film were written by Masroor Anwar and mostly sung by Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
and Mala
Mala (Pakistani singer)
Naseem Nazli popularly called Mala was a Pakistani playback singer of Urdu and Punjabi films. In 1960s, Mala had a hit pair with famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi and they gave numorous hits to Pakistan film industry. She sung many super hit songs in almost two decades singing career in the...
. Only one song was recorded in Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan is a Pakistani ghazal singer and a former playback singer for Lollywood. He is famously known as the 'King of ghazal' . He has ruled the Pakistan film industry along with Ahmed Rushdi...
's voice. Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad was a legendary Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Waheed is considered to be one of the most famous and influential actors of subcontinent. Born in Sialkot, Pakistan, he was the only child of well-off film distributor Mr. Nisar Murad. He got early education from...
declared Rushdi's song, "Bhooli hui hoon daastan", his favorite song. The film Doraha proved to be a milestone in Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
's career:
- Tumhen kaise bata doon by Ahmed RushdiAhmed RushdiAhmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
- Bhooli hui hoon daastan by Ahmed RushdiAhmed RushdiAhmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
- Bhooli hui hoon daastan by Ahmed RushdiAhmed RushdiAhmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
and MalaMala (Pakistani singer)Naseem Nazli popularly called Mala was a Pakistani playback singer of Urdu and Punjabi films. In 1960s, Mala had a hit pair with famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi and they gave numorous hits to Pakistan film industry. She sung many super hit songs in almost two decades singing career in the... - Mujhe tum nazar se by Mehdi HassanMehdi HassanMehdi Hassan is a Pakistani ghazal singer and a former playback singer for Lollywood. He is famously known as the 'King of ghazal' . He has ruled the Pakistan film industry along with Ahmed Rushdi...
- Haan isi mor par by Ahmed RushdiAhmed RushdiAhmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
- Ajnabi zara souch lo by Ahmed RushdiAhmed RushdiAhmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
- Koi mere dil mein by MalaMala (Pakistani singer)Naseem Nazli popularly called Mala was a Pakistani playback singer of Urdu and Punjabi films. In 1960s, Mala had a hit pair with famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi and they gave numorous hits to Pakistan film industry. She sung many super hit songs in almost two decades singing career in the...
- Wafaaon ka badla by MalaMala (Pakistani singer)Naseem Nazli popularly called Mala was a Pakistani playback singer of Urdu and Punjabi films. In 1960s, Mala had a hit pair with famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi and they gave numorous hits to Pakistan film industry. She sung many super hit songs in almost two decades singing career in the...
- Ae chand zara ruk jaana by MalaMala (Pakistani singer)Naseem Nazli popularly called Mala was a Pakistani playback singer of Urdu and Punjabi films. In 1960s, Mala had a hit pair with famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi and they gave numorous hits to Pakistan film industry. She sung many super hit songs in almost two decades singing career in the...