The death on May 24 of widely acclaimed film comedian Rangeela cast its gloom on cultural activities in the city. Opening of a new art gallery and a couple exhibitions of paintings were other activities worth reporting. Muhammad Saeed Khan a.k.n. Rangeela, an uproariously popular comedian of Pakistani film industry passed away in Lahore on May 24 at the age of 64 after protracted illness. He was suffering from a plethora of ailments, including renal failure, heart enlargement and liver complications.
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Nawaz Sharif was reported to have born all the expenses of the deceased as the once very popular and affluent actor was in a state of abject penury, when he was admitted to Sharif family's Trust hospital.
With Rangeela's death Pakistan lost one of its most popular comedians, who will be remembered for his roles in a large number of films produced from Lahore studios since 1957 where he first appeared in the popular Punjabi film Jatti. Later, he quickly grew into a multi-faceted actor, who could make the audience roll in laughter as well as cry. Born in June 1937 in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan as Muhammad Saeed Khan he moved to Peshawar along with his family during his teens.
His first interest in life was in the art of body building, which he pursued for a few years. Fascinated by the glamour of film world he moved to Lahore where he adopted painting as a means of earning his livelihood. Painting billboards for films exhibited at local cinemas was his primary vocation which he used as a springboard to jump on to filmdom where he made his debut in the year 1957.
Comedian Rangeela was a genuinely multi-faceted artiste. He acted in over 300 Urdu and Punjabi films during his 40-year long career performing the roles of a comedian, hero and a supporting member of the cast. He also established his credentials as a director, in addition to writing scripts of several successful flicks.
The other feathers in his cap were vocalisation and music composition. There was hardly any department of film-making in which he had not contributed his bits. More often than not Rangeela's mere appearance on the screen would make his audiences roll in uncontrollable laughter. He was also known for adding ad-lib comments and puns to the dialogues in the script, which became the hallmark of his comedy of dialogue and manners.
It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to find a replacement for Rangeela in the foreseeable future as comedians of his calibre are born not very often. Unfortunate as it may sound, like many members of his fraternity, the popular entertainers was also in a financial straightjacket, when he called it a day.
The extent of his popularity could be measured by the fact that a large number of his brothers and sisters-in-profession visited him in the hospital on more than one occasion during his illness to cheer him up.
It was quite unlike the behaviour of people from film industry in the case of other artistes, who were completely forgotten soon after their disappearance from the silver screen.
Several art promoting associations and cultural groups held condolence references in Lahore in the memory of Rangeela wherein rich tributes were paid to the art and persona of the legendary comedian of the sub-continent.
A good news for the art lovers of the city! A new art gallery with the name of Mahogany was opened in Lahore in Gulberg on May 21. The works of a number of senior artists were put up for public viewing along with the paintings and other works of up-and-coming creative persons to mark the occasion.
At an obituary reference for late actor/director-writer Jamil Bismal on May 23, speakers criticised the cultural bureaucracy of Pakistan for being insensitive to the welfare and needs of the artistes. In their opinion, the award of Pride of Performance medal (along with its pecuniary benefits) was not the end in itself. Steps should be taken to provide institutional support to creative citizens of Pakistan on a regular basis so that they could spend the evening of their lives in relative comfort and ease.
An exhibition of paintings by Umera Aslam was opened at Defence Public Library on May 24. A student of Ustad Allah Bakhsh Academy, Umera already has a number of solo and group exhibitions to her credit. Oil and watercolour are the modes of her _expression with which she conveys her sober colour schemes.
On May 27, the students of junior section of Lahore Grammar School put up their annual art exhibition under the banner of Young Artists Exhibition at their campus, where paintings in different mediums, sculptures, drawings and pottery were displayed for general viewing by the entire student enrolment of the school and their parents. Also included in the exhibition were lampshades made by the students with fibre glass, painted with the skill of a professional artist, which were much appreciated by the viewers.
The weeklong Ajoke theatre festival held at the Lahore Arts Council ended on May 28. A large number of theatre goers of the city attended and enjoyed the plays staged by this well know group during the week.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.