“HASINA KI HEROINEY KIYON ITNI SHAITAAN HEIN۔۔۔?
KABHI TOU HEIN SHEHNAZ SHEIKH KABHI MARINA KHAN HEIN۔۔۔۔”

By Raju Jamil 

Sometimes, it’s truly melancholic to remember the past and the days you saw nurturing the people from whom we were inspired and have many reasons to bless them and thank them for entertainment par excellence.

I am going to talk about a blast from the past..today. One still around looming large in our memories from our Showbiz Media….a la Serials; Shehnaz Shaikh:

She came, she saw, she conquered and ran away….!!! I am sure she has reasons but I will contest them when I meet her someday..though I’ve met her just twice after her great rise in 1982-83.

SŚ was the find of Shoaib Hashmi from his flop TV series “Baleela” (a car actually with various interesting situations..but a bit monotonous..which SH himself confessed)….

While “Baleela” failed, Shahnaz passed and catching Hasina’s eyes, she was the obvious choice for the role of ‘Sana’ … Hasina had in mind for her…..what would turn out to be one of the most popular and infectious serial of Indo-Pakistan; “Ankahi” primarily due to the magnanimous performance by SŚ so effectively and candidly that the serial till carries its viewer value. It has been re run umpteenth times. A very large majority in Pakistan and India and other parts of the world where the Indo-Pak dwellers are settled….have VHS/DVD of “AK”.

SŚ as I saw her during the recordings of ANKAHI ( I did but two episodes with Shehnaz, Salim Nasir, Jamshed Ansari, Tabassum, Badar Khalil and Azra Mansoor…but I was, through the recording of entire serial, involved in something or the other—both; Mohsin Ali and Shireen Azim being close friends–that the team became almost a family for those two months or so)…..was exactly “Sana” in real life too…. chirpy, serious, moody, wisecracker, bold, daring and caring. She didn’t have to act…she just had to remember her lines.

Javed Shaikh once told me that when SŚ was born, God had planned ANKAHI then only with SŚ as “Sana” and I agreed with him.

Within a span of short time…came “Tanhaiyan” with doubled SS’s popularity but in this 2nd blockbuster of Hasina within few years, SŚ was a bit different from AK’s Sana….and to transform into a totally different personality in “Tanhaiyan” thus also keeping the viewers closely attached to the serial….was yet another greats fete accompli of SŚ. I know once an artiste creates an impact…it is vey difficult to create another from a fairly different role and character. But SŚ excelled there too and superbly alongside a new entry the shy young girl Marina Rehmat Khan.

But the typical disdain that SŚ vanished after “Tanhaiyan” ( at lest I don’t remember any play or serial of SŚ after Tanhaiyan )…and left the upcoming and heading towards success—–Pak Showbiz World—-at bay! Wile people never forgot her….and still remember her. In fact during my overseas visits and at GTs, SŚ is very fondly remembered and many posing questions on me seeking the reason of her sudden exit…and I never had any cogent answer or thought on that.

However, I always toyed with my own conclusion that maybe it was the change of city from Karachi back to Lahore after her marriage……and her becoming busy in domestic chores and her other interests towards education that took over. That’s what I feel or think. I met her once at the Beaconhouse H.O in Lahore….and saw her quite deeply involved in her projects etc. She didn’t encourage to talk about the decade back ANKAHI and TANHAIYAN days….but met quite warmly with all smiles…..

SŚ was a treasure that Pak Showbiz lost…but of its wonderful history and archives, it smiles and feels immensely proud that there was this girl Shehnaz Shaikh….who came, who saw and who conquered in just few years to leave an impression and memories to last decades and decades.

Thank You Shehnaz Shaikh. God Bless You…are will always be in our kind thoughts and mind for providing us, though in two serials, yet a gargantuan entertainment which continues to make us smile, laugh, ponder and think about those great days which are so dearly remembered because of the people like you in Pak Showbiz then…..something which doesn’t seem to be brewing in current era to be talked about after 30-30 years from now by someone.

Raju Jamil,
Karachi.

With Shahnaz at Peeru’s – November 2011… Lahore