The icon Waheed Murad is celebrated every year on his birthday (October 2, 1938) and death anniversary (November 23, 1983). The legendary actor and producer would have turned 87 this year.
As a producer, he was the driving force behind Pakistan’s first Platinum Jubilee film, Armaan. As an actor, he was a trendsetter known for his distinctive style and signature hairstyle. With his debut production, Heera Aur Pathar (1964), he managed to assemble a skilful team of artists who went on to make a big name for themselves in the film industry.
But few know that, as a director, Waheed Murad pushed Pakistani cinema’s boundaries with Ishaara (1969), a stream-of-consciousness story with actors singing in their own voices, no villains, multi-layered editing and in which one actor played a dozen roles.
True to its title, Ishaara was a ‘signal’ to local filmmakers — a reminder that cinema could be original, imaginative and meaningful all at the same time, when most were content with copying Indian films or churning out formulaic masala fare.
At the peak of their career, no other actor or producer would have dared take such a risk. A romantic star would often be confined to that genre for a decade or more, an action hero would be typecast in high-octane roles, and few could ever break free from the shadow of tragedy. It was only Waheed Murad who, after a brief appearance in S.M. Yusuf’s Aulad (1962), became a sensation with a supporting role in Santosh Kumar’s Daaman (1963), and soon captured the audience as a leading man in Heera Aur Pathar as Jaanu.
Waheed Murad’s sole directorial venture, Ishaara, was not very successful at the box-office and is often ignored in his filmography though it pushed Pakistani cinema’s boundaries
He held his own opposite Muhammad Ali in Kaneez (1965) and delivered Armaan (1966) in a period when Bollywood films had suddenly stopped screening throughout Pakistan. That same year, he expanded his horizons by venturing to the East Wing, starring in Zaheer Raihan’s Bhaiyya (1966). After taking Lollywood abroad with Rishta Hai Pyar Ka (1967) and helping launch future star Shabnam from East Pakistan in Samundar (1968), Murad then embarked on Ishaara, a film he envisioned as a timeless exploration of the human conscience.
The film was an unusual story driven by four complex characters, each following their own desires. Aamir (Waheed Murad) plays an artist with a sensitive soul who falls deeply in love with a college girl, Aliya (Deeba Begum), who is bound by duty to marry her cousin, Ishrat (Talat Hussain). Meanwhile, the wealthy and compassionate Reshma (Rozina) helps Waheed’s Aamir find his footing in the art world and, in the process, develops feelings for him.
The film, entirely shot either in Karachi’s Eastern Studios or parks around the city, beautifully navigates the quiet struggles of the heart, where choices weigh heavily on the conscience. In the end, love and integrity prevail: Aamir and Aliya unite, while Ishrat and Reshma gracefully step aside, their hearts tested but ultimately at peace.
The story begins with Waheed Murad addressing the audience in a voice-over, inviting us into the community he calls home. He introduces himself as the aspiring artist Aamir, drawing us into his world — a modest apartment he shares with his friend Bezaar (Lehri), a struggling musician. Ishrat, Bezaar’s wealthy friend and an engineer, soon befriends Aamir as well.
Aamir and Aaliya meet by coincidence. Hoping to impress her classmates, Aaliya is persuaded by her friend Shakila to write a letter to a fictitious “Aamir”, inviting him to meet her at midnight near the college gate. By chance, Aamir’s bicycle develops a puncture, placing him at the scene. The moment he sees Aaliya, he loses his heart and their brief romance begins.
Unaware of what lies ahead, Aamir and Aaliya exchange promises of marriage. Meanwhile, Ishrat’s mother — Aaliya’s guardian — wants her to marry Ishrat instead. After all, Aaliya is the daughter of her late friend, and honouring that trust leaves Aaliya unable to refuse.
Does it sound familiar? Shades of Yash Chopra’s cinema — Shah Rukh and Madhuri Dixit, Karishma Kapoor and Akshay Kumar — are hard to miss. If you have watched Dil Tau Paagal Hai (1997), you would know that Ishrat gets to know about Aaliya’s ‘sacrifice’ in time and instead persuades her to go with Aamir.
Director Pervez Malik, actor-producer Waheed Murad, music director Sohail Rana and poet-dialogue writer Masroor Anwar had formed a creative team known for producing quality, meaningful cinema. With Armaan (1966) and Ehsaan (1967), their collaboration proved remarkably successful. However, Doraha (1967) exposed the first cracks in the partnership and, between 1968 and 1970 the group shifted and reshuffled — like a series of permutations and combinations — as the four repeatedly tried functioning as a trio.
Waheed, Pervez and Masroor worked together on Jahan Tum Wahan Hum (1968); Masroor, Pervez, and Sohail collaborated on Saughaat (1970); and Waheed, Masroor, and Sohail reunited for Ishaara.
Rozina and Agha Sarwar returned from the Armaan cast, while Nirala was replaced by Lehri — an actor who excelled at playing the hilariously inept music teacher, blending incompetence with impeccable comic timing. Santosh Russell played Talat Hussain’s mother, a forthright and hard-hitting presence in her son’s life, who keeps a close eye on Aliya, driven by a desire for payback.
Agha Sarwar as Munshi, with his iconic tagline “Behra nahin hoon main [I’m not deaf]”, provided comic relief in an otherwise semi-emotional film. Rozina, meanwhile, was given a more substantial role than in Armaan. A frequent collaborator of Waheed Murad, she had also appeared alongside him in Ehsaan and Samandar.
Waheed Murad tried a number of innovations as a director. The use of lead actors singing a song on the telephone, ‘Jaisay Taisay Beet Gya Din’, was experimental and ahead of its time. With the entire team a fan of Hollywood musicals, it was a typical Grace Kelly-Fred Astaire moment, which the local audiences could not digest at the time.
In another song’s surreal sequence, ‘Itnay Barray Jahaan Mein’, Waheed had Lehri showcasing his versatility on vocals, guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. At the end of the song, it is revealed that the audience was also Lehri. This was probably inspired by Buster Keaton’s silent era film The Playhouse (1921).
Ahmed Rushdi, a regular playback singer in every Waheed Murad film from 1964-77, showed a wide range of emotions in the film’s songs — from the gentle romance ‘Woh Hum Se Roothain Tau’, to the joyful celebration of ‘Mat Poochho’ and ‘Socha Tha Unnse’ (a duet with Mala), and the deep sadness of ‘Main Aik Bhoola Hua Naghma Hoon’ (with Mala and Naseem Begum). Mala’s solo song ‘Pyar Ka Haq Hai’ was mesmerising as the penultimate song but it was Mehdi Hassan’s ‘Aakhri Baar Mil Rahay Hain Hum’ that left the deepest mark, with its haunting melody and heartfelt emotion.
Aamir’s couture — Nehru-cut sherwani-collared suit adorned with intricate karchobi embroidery — was also iconic, perfectly reflecting his elegant style and leaving a lasting impression on audiences as a symbol of sophistication and charm.
However, Ishaara was not as successful as Armaan or Ehsaan at the box-office, as audiences were not yet prepared for such a sudden shift in cinematic style.
Four years later, Waheed, Pervez, Sohail and Masroor reunited for Usse Dekha Usse Chaaha, a film that shared notable similarities with Aamir Khan and Salman Khan’s much later Andaz Apna Apna (1994), but it too failed to resonate with audiences. By then, East Pakistan had become Bangladesh and the film industry in Karachi had suffered a decline and the hub of Urdu movies had shifted to Lahore.
With multi-starrer films on the rise, Waheed shifted entirely to acting, stepping away from production, and — after the Ishaara setback — never attempted direction again.
Published in Dawn, ICON, December 14th, 2025