From Punjabi cinema to global politics |
There was a time when a visit to the cinema once a month was regarded as wholesome family entertainment.
In the 1970s, Urdu and Punjabi cinema possessed a charm, vigour and moral clarity that modern audiences can scarcely imagine. The heroes were unmistakably heroic, the villains unapologetically villainous and the dialogue—often thunderous—left a lasting imprint on the collective memory. Among the most commanding of those voices was Mazhar Shah, whose resonant tone and fierce screen presence dominated Punjabi and Urdu films for decades. From 1958 to 2016, he appeared in nearly 193 films, mostly portraying villains whose rage, arrogance and booming Punjabi tirades became legendary.
One particular scene remains etched in popular memory. Mazhar Shah, as a villain, sends a proposal to the heroine’s father, demanding her hand in marriage. When refused, his fury erupts, and with a single command—delivered in that unmistakable, high-pitched growl—he orders his henchmen to seize the girl, abducting her to his Dai’ra (Camp). The scene, with its exaggerated drama, lingered in my mind for years, resurfacing vividly when news broke of the Venezuelan President and his wife’s arrest on alleged orders of the US President. The cinematic echo was striking. In this real-life drama, neither the American President is a traditional villain nor the Venezuelan leader a helpless heroine, yet the visual and symbolic resemblance was impossible to........