Neelofer Abbasi redefined the norms in Pakistani television. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY
Radio Pakistan followers will always remember Neelofer Abbasi for her expressive vocalisations in the morning show Subh-e-Nau , while PTV followers remember her iconic performance in Haseena Moin‘s drama serial Shehzori. Aired in the 1970s the drama holds importance in several ways, not only was it Moin’s debut serial, but also saw an exceptional performance by Abbasi. She took the challenge of playing the bold role of a mischievous girl that was considered inappropriate for girls of that era and redefined the norms in Pakistani television.
Abbasi resides in New York; however, during her recent trip to Karachi, the actor delved into a discussion about her illustrious career and shared a few anecdotes, while in conversation with her first cousin and critic Asif Farrukhi at T2F on Sunday.
Known as the mischievous ‘Shehzori girl’, one wonders if that represented her off-screen personality as well. “I wasn’t naughty at all. Like other children of that time, I used to play cricket and enjoyed Pittoo. Besides that, I also enjoyed reading digests and other weeklies,” shares Abbasi.
Neelofer Abbasi redefined the norms in Pakistani television. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY
Abbasi was interested in art and literature from a young age. She read Shaukhat Siddqui’s famous book Khuda Ki Basti in first grade and soon after she was introduced to the world of Krishan Chander and Ismat Chugtai. She was always interested in having her own radio show. Her mother was into radio broadcasting and could have made it easy for Abbasi, but she didn’t want that for her daughter and expected her to shine on her own.
Abbasi’s teacher Hashim Jalali, the elder brother of Qasim Jalali was a source of great encouragement for her. He insisted her to audition for a radio show; she didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity and auditioned for the position, for which she was selected. Her first big break was her first radio drama, Faltoo Admi.
Radio Pakistan was just like her home; it was where she was groomed into a mature artiste.
Abbasi’s first play was Jahan Barf Gerti Hai and her famous line from it was ‘Babuji phool logaay’, which was later picked up by veteran actor Shabnum for a film.
The actor then went on to speaking about her role in Shehrozi, “I played a role of a very bold girl of that time, which was unheard off before that. Surprisingly, contrary to what I was expecting, the men and elderly women did not object to my behavior on screen and resultantly it became a hit,” said Abbasi. She proudly acknowledges that people appreciated her work and that her role in Shehzori gave the young girls of that era a feeling of liberation: they too could now dare to stand up for themselves.
Neelofar with Shakeel in a still from Shehzori
When asked to comment on the kind of dramas that are being produced today, she explained how there is a mixture of things that are happening, some dramas are good and some relatively bad. However, she showed some displeasure towards the social stigmas that are being promoted on television today. “Women are shown to be empowered and bold, but there are certain things that need to be kept in mind. Why do we forget that our tradition does not allow us to raise our hand on women? That is happening on screen. We should stop doing this,” implored the veteran actor.
The actor also worries about the increasing commercialism in today’s television. “In our times there was a passion for work that yielded us towards giving our very best. Now, things and terms of acting in a play are dictated by money,” she concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2014.
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Where are Rohi Bano and other characters created by Haseena Moin? They are all dead but she lives on. This article minimizes the value of creator and emphasizes on the creation. Many heroes and heroines were created and are now history. The time moves on and creator lives on.
A privileged person made to the screen and good for her. However, the writer pretends that the actress made Haseena Moin’s career. The fact is just the opposite and Haseena Moin has created many such actor and actresses. It was not just the actors but the role written and directed by several hard working and talented souls. For most this is dated and a couple of generations old. Actors come and go but the literature lives on. All I can say is “Dobe huwye taron ka matum kab talak”. Why don’t we look forward and get out of promoting irrelevant shadows? Nepotism is not going to give new life to the old.