Worldwide, the entertainment industry suffers from cut-throat competition and Pakistan is certainly no exception to the rule. One has to be exceptionally talented in order to survive, much less succeed.

Only a few stars manage to outshine their peers, and one such among them is director Shoaib Mansoor, who has been navigating the field for five decades. His Midas touch makes his productions an instant success, be they song compositions, music videos, television dramas, stage shows or films.

Starting off as a producer in Pakistan Television’s (PTV) Karachi centre, Shoaib made his debut with the music show Jharnay in 1976 — one of the first programmes to be aired in colour. It introduced pop singers Alamgir and Muhammad Ali Shyhaki to eager television viewers. Following the comedy skits show Fifty Fifty (1979), Shoaib ventured into drama production with Ankahi (1982) and excelled further with trendsetting stage shows — notable among them being Silver Jubilee and TV 20.

When the music scene underwent a transformation, Shoaib Mansoor was ready to welcome it with Music ’89. Vital Signs and many other pop groups emerged. The ’90s saw Shoaib busy with the production of Sunehray Din, and its sequel Alpha Bravo Charlie. The revolution that started with Geetar ’93, continued with Supreme Ishq, and the recent Dua-i-Reem.

But the man responsible for inspiring and educating two generations with his exceptional work, could have given it all up with a decision that seemed to have ended in disappointment but which could have been disastrous for his career and Pakistan’s entertainment industry. He has no regrets.

Shoaib Mansoor, the man responsible for inspiring and educating two generations with his exceptional work, was once faced with a disappointment which could have been disastrous for both his career and the entertainment industry had it happened

In 1979, actor/producer Syed Kamal starred and directed Yahan Se Wahan Tak (YSWT), a film that featured both him and Waheed Murad for the only time in their careers. Beautifully shot in the US, Canada and Europe by veteran cinematographer A.R. Nasir, and written by Haseena Moin, YSWT prompted one Abdullah Bukhatir to approach Kamal.

Bukhatir, brother of Emirati businessman and cricket administrator Abdul Rehman, wanted the UAE to be beautifully captured on film, and Kamal seemed like the right man for the job at the time.

In order to materialise the Bukhtiar dream and implement his vision, the entire Kamal clan relocated to Dubai, to begin with the paperwork. Then suddenly, in 1980, Ghazanfar Ali, also a PTV producer with loads of experience in producing music shows, appeared on the scene. With a rather filmi twist to this real-life story, Ghazanfar got the junior Bukhatir into trusting him with the project, instead of Kamal.

Ghazanfar aka Baba brought Pakistani actors Javed Shaikh, Shafi Muhammad and Behroze Subzwari on board, with then upcoming Indian actress Deepti Naval also on board. Shot in the UAE, the film was screened and exposed Ghazanfar Ali’s experience as a feature filmmaker.

At that time, Gen Ziaul Haq was in power in Pakistan and working with Indians was an out of the question proposition. Ghazanfar Ali was sacked from his job at PTV, Javed Shaikh and Behroze Subzwari, who had left after acting in the pilot episode of Shoaib Mansoor’s upcoming TV serial, were banned for a year from appearing on PTV, while Shafi Muhammad was banned and replaced by veteran Qurban Jilani in the ongoing TV serial Afshaan.

Every director dreams of bagging a film in the early part of his career and Shoaib Mansoor’s big break came around the time he shot the pilot of the TV serial Ajnabi, which was later changed to Ankahi. Still yet to make his film debut as an actor, Javed Shaikh was taken by senior broadcaster Saeed Shiraz to meet Rauf Shamsi, the producer of super-hit Urdu films Sharafat, Aaina, Zindagi and Bandish.

Shiraz was close to the Shamsis, as he was part of the outdoor shooting for the last two films. Shamsi signed on Shoaib Mansoor to direct a film featuring Babra Sharif and Javed Shaikh in the lead. With his friend Ghazanfar Ali sacked from his job at PTV, fearing for his own job, Shoaib Mansoor apologised to Shamsi, and the project was eventually shelved. Shoaib Mansoor returned to his roots and completed the paperwork of Ajnabi.

In order to avoid Javed and Behroze from being replaced, Shoaib managed to dodge the authorities for a good 10 months, by deliberately delaying the project. When the ban ended, the shooting resumed and both were back as Faraz and Moby, for a rechristened Ankahi.

Ankahi turned out to be a huge success and Shoaib Mansoor proved he belonged to a different breed of directors. The next year, he glorified the golden days of films by producing Silver Jubilee, a dream come true for music lovers.

Aired in 1983, and hosted by Anwar Maqsood, the show not only interviewed the pioneers of Lollywood who had completed 25 years in the field, but also brought to the fore  upcoming singers such as Sajjad Ali, Tehseen Javed, Wahab Khan and the Benjamin Sisters.

Along with Alamgir, Shyhaki and Afshan Ahmed, the youngsters re-rendered famous songs of olden days which became a rage. Audio cassettes sold like proverbial hot cakes and the Benjamin Sisters became overnight stars. Lollywood was resurrected by Shoaib Mansoor, who could not have done any better had he not opted out from Shamsi’s project.

Shoaib had become a legend by the turn of the century but, sadly, the conditions of films deteriorated. Around 2006, some 25 years after apologising to Rauf Shamsi, the legendary ‘Shoman’ as he calls himself, announced his debut film Khuda Ke Liye (KKL).

Written, produced and directed by him, KKL came out in 2007 and helped change the fate of the film industry. Made ahead of its time, it redefined Pakistani cinema and launched Fawad Khan and Iman Ali to stardom. It gave superstar Shaan one of the best roles of his life, and it even had a special role for Bollywood legend Naseeruddin Shah.

Pakistan films can proudly be divided into two eras: pre- and post-KKL. Shoaib Mansoor produced the social drama Bol in 2011, which introduced singer Atif Aslam and Mahira Khan to the film world as actors. Bol became the third film after KKL and Ramchand Pakistani to get an official release in India.

Had Shoaib Mansoor gone ahead with the Rauf Shamsi project, an alternate timeline of Pakistan cinema would have been created. There would have been a PTV without Shoaib Mansoor and the nation would not be waiting for his upcoming film Aasman Bolay Ga to recreate cinematic magic.

Sometimes, disappointments do happen for a good reason.

Published in Dawn, ICON, March 5th, 2023