‘Reel life’ couples: Let’s talk love

Our very own sizzling ‘reel life’ couples.

KARACHI:

Lights, camera, romance! It’s no surprise that couples who have chemistry on-screen can pull off romantic and love-infested roles better than those who lack that ‘sizzle’ factor. In some cases, it is dubbed as the most important part of cinematic experience, as any film or drama serial can fall flat — and be easily forgotten — without the right chemistry.

From Lollywood of 1960s and 1970s as well as the PTV plays of 80s, we’ve had an array of couples whose on-screen romance still tugs at our heartstrings.

Zeba and Waheed Murad

Their on-screen romance came to the fore with Pakistan’s first ever platinum jubilee film Armaan (1966), popular for the song “Akale Na Jana”. Armaan was so well-received by the people of Pakistan that the film managed to complete a 34-week run at the Naz cinema in Karachi and a 76-week run in other cinemas.

It was Armaan that set the standards for the kind of connection that was required in a quintessential love story. Hence, following the commercial success of this film, Zeba and Murad became one of the most sought-after joris of Lollywood. Clicking together for eight years, they gave us films like Ehsaan, Rishta Hai Pyar Ka. However, much to the dismay of their fans, the on-screen pair had to part ways when Mohammad Ali crept in Zeba’s private life.

Shabnam and Nadeem

It was the film Aina (1977) that captured Shabnum and Nadeem’s classic on-screen chemistry. The film, essentially a love story of two people from very different social classes, holds the honour of having received the ‘Crown Jubilee’, running for over 401 in cinemas weeks across Pakistan. It’s reported that the impact of the film was so intense that when the couple showed gestures of love, viewers would smile and when they parted, the audience felt their pain.

Following the success of Aina, the couple, which topped every producer’s list, were later seen in Dehleez, Kurbani, Bandish to name a few.

Shahnaz Sheikh and Asif Raza Mir

Shahnaz’s shy demeanour and Mir’s cool-and-dashing-guy-attitude in TV drama “Tanhaiyaan” (1985) stole many hearts. The beauty of their love story, as captured in the show, lay in the fact that it was a conventional love story, with covert and hidden romantic gestures, and most importantly, something the audience could easily relate to.

Marina Khan and Rahat Kazmi

There was something about Khan’s tomboyish looks and Kazmi’s gentle manners that made “Dhoop Kinare” (1987) a heart-warming love story. The PTV drama, which revolves around a team of doctors and their routines at the hospital and private lives at home, is said to have propelled both Kazmi and Khan into being two of the most sought-after stars in the Pakistani television industry.

Mahira Khan and Fawad Afzal Khan

The leading characters of Hum TV drama “Humsafar” are making quite a splash these days. With everyone — from your 10-year-old sister to your 80-year-old grandmother — waiting anxiously for the 8 pm soap, “Humsafar” is arguably getting this tsunami of attention due to Mahira and Fawad’s on-screen chemistry.

Celebrity Pairs: Famous real life couples

Sabiha Khanum and Santosh Kumar

Zeba and Mohammad Ali

Rahat Kazmi and Sahira Kazmi

Saud and Javeria

Rambo and Sahiba

Aaminah Haque and Ammar Belal

Salman Ahmad and Samina Ahmad

Nida Yasir and Yasir Nawaz

Salma and Azfar

Mani and Hira

Aamina Sheikh and Mohib Mirza

Joshinder Chaggar and Khalid Malik

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2012.