Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi
Encyclopedia
Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi (1914–1999) was a pioneer of the Pakistan
i film industry. He was a film director, producer, and editor, and a supporting actor.
family, in the city of Azamgarh
, Uttar Pradesh
in 1914. His first visit to Madan Theatres was courtesy of a close relative when he was only a teenager. He began his career as an assistant projectionist in Calcutta in the early 1930s and gradually learnt enough during this period to earn a job in the editing department of Madan Theatres. Under Ezra Mir, a brilliant Jew technician at Madan Theatres, he learnt the finer points of the profession and was also taught the basics of filmmaking. So, Rizvi had the best men around him to learn the essentials of cinematic discipline. Shaukat Hussain, a personable and handsome man with a good taste of dressing for various occasions, was noted early and received a huge amount of attention from renowned showmen of the Indian film industry. Famous filmmaker and financier, Seth Dalsukh M. Pancholi noted him, and brought Rizvi to Lahore from Calcutta, where he edited films such as Gul Bakavli (1939), Khazanchi (1941) etc. After editing a few films, he was chosen by Dalsukh Pancholi as the director of their next venture, Khandaan. Rizvi's Khandaan, released in 1942, became one of the greatest hits of the era, which provided footing for Noor Jehan
and Pran, the leading artistes of the film. Noor Jehan not only captured the hearts of cinegoers, but the heart of Rizvi as well. After the success of Khandaan, Rizvi and Noor Jehan moved to Bombay together, where Rizvi directed his next venture, Naukar (1943), based on an Urdu story written by Saadat Hassan Manto. Due to Rizvi's alterations of the screenplay, the film flopped, however, in the same year, Rizvi and Noor Jehan were married. Their marriage produced three children, Akbar Hussain Rizvi, Asghar Hussain Rizvi and Zile Huma
. After the couple's marriage, they began a revolution with many superhit films, which Rizvi directed or produced and Noor Jehan acted in, films like Zeenat (1945) and Jugnu
(1947) etc. Rizvi also played a supporting role as Noor Jehan's brother in Dost (1944), which he also directed. Shaukat Hussain can be called a brilliant film craftsman more than a creative genius.
in 1947, Rizvi and his wife, Noor Jehan moved to Lahore
, Punjab
, Pakistan
with their three children. Amongst the luggage he brought down from Bombay, was the camera he had used to shoot his Dilip Kumar
/Noor Jehan starrer, Jugnu (1947). His son later donated it to the owner of a restaurant in Liberty Market, Salloo's, where the camera was placed in the visitor's direction in the lobby, according to Rehan Ansari. In Pakistan
, Rizvi and Noor Jehan took a break for three years, during which time Shaukat Hussain bought the property where the vandalised remains of the former Shorey Studios lay, and established Shahnoor Studios
, in its place, on Multan Road in Lahore
. He made it the most well-equipped film studio in Pakistan
and began the production of his first Punjabi
venture, Chanwey (1951) which Rizvi produced and co-directed, since Punjabi was a language which he did not understand and he wasn't credited as the director, Noor Jehan was. The film became a huge superhit, however, he wasn't able to keep his Shahnoor Studios in the best condition due to his plummeting career. Imtiaz Ali Taj, an erstwhile intellectual, directed the film Gulnar for Rizvi, who produced the film. Basically, in Pakistan, Rizvi wasn't able to achieve high status. After the success of Gulnar, Rizvi divorced Noor Jehan due to personal disputes and problems. Noor Jehan had to write off her share of Shahnoor Studios in order to get the custody of her daughter, Zile Huma. This did worse harm to Rizvi's career, because he had achieved a reasonable status being the spouse of the Melody Queen Madam Noor Jehan. Later, Rizvi married the talented actress, Yasmin
as his second wife. Their marriage produced two sons, Syed Shahenshah Hussain Rizvi and Syed Ali Mujtaba Rizvi. The marriage was a successful one, which proved to be a blessing for the couple. After his divorce with Madam Noor Jehan, he managed to make only three Urdu films, Jan-e-Bahar (1958), Aashiq, and Dulhan Rani. For Jan-e-Bahar, Rizvi asked his ex-wife to sing an Urdu number for the film, Kaisa Naseeb Layi Thi, which was to be picturised on Musarat Nazir. She accepted and the song became a haunting memory for cinegoers. After his Dulhan Rani flopped, Rizvi retired from film business and settled down with his second wife and two sons. After his retirement, his four sons took over the running of his film studio, however, today, the studio is a vast, decaying premises and only 30% of it is used for filmmaking. In the fall of 1999, Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi died in Lahore
at about 85 years of age. A couple of months before his death, Rehan Ansari met with him to discuss the condition of Shahnoor Studios. Mr. Ansari also asked Rizvi if he wished to donate part of his property for the construction of a film institute. However, even though Rizvi found the idea to be appealing, it is not known if the film institute was constructed or is being constructed.
In one of his books, Saadat Hassan Manto described the appearance of Rizvi when they first met in 1940. He said, He was a tall and dashing young man, fair with pink cheeks, a fine John Gilbert
-style moustache, curly hair, extremely well-dressed in his spotless, well-ironed trousers and a jacket set against a jauntily knotted tie. He even walked stylishly. Manto also mentioned that Rizvi enjoyed smoking Craven A
cigarettes and drinking Deer brand whisky from Nasik. Rizvi also enjoyed playing football
when he was living in Calcutta in the 1930s.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i film industry. He was a film director, producer, and editor, and a supporting actor.
Early Life and Career
Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi was born into a reputed SyedSayyid
Sayyid is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.Daughters of sayyids are given the titles Sayyida,...
family, in the city of Azamgarh
Azamgarh
Azamgarh is a town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is headquarters of Azamgarh district and Azamgarh Division.-History:Azamgarh, one of the easternmost districts of the State, once formed a part of the ancient Kosala kingdom, except the north-eastern part of it which was included in the...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
in 1914. His first visit to Madan Theatres was courtesy of a close relative when he was only a teenager. He began his career as an assistant projectionist in Calcutta in the early 1930s and gradually learnt enough during this period to earn a job in the editing department of Madan Theatres. Under Ezra Mir, a brilliant Jew technician at Madan Theatres, he learnt the finer points of the profession and was also taught the basics of filmmaking. So, Rizvi had the best men around him to learn the essentials of cinematic discipline. Shaukat Hussain, a personable and handsome man with a good taste of dressing for various occasions, was noted early and received a huge amount of attention from renowned showmen of the Indian film industry. Famous filmmaker and financier, Seth Dalsukh M. Pancholi noted him, and brought Rizvi to Lahore from Calcutta, where he edited films such as Gul Bakavli (1939), Khazanchi (1941) etc. After editing a few films, he was chosen by Dalsukh Pancholi as the director of their next venture, Khandaan. Rizvi's Khandaan, released in 1942, became one of the greatest hits of the era, which provided footing for Noor Jehan
Noor Jehan
Noorjehan or Noorjehan was the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai who was a legendary singer and actress in British India and Pakistan. Her career spanned seven decades...
and Pran, the leading artistes of the film. Noor Jehan not only captured the hearts of cinegoers, but the heart of Rizvi as well. After the success of Khandaan, Rizvi and Noor Jehan moved to Bombay together, where Rizvi directed his next venture, Naukar (1943), based on an Urdu story written by Saadat Hassan Manto. Due to Rizvi's alterations of the screenplay, the film flopped, however, in the same year, Rizvi and Noor Jehan were married. Their marriage produced three children, Akbar Hussain Rizvi, Asghar Hussain Rizvi and Zile Huma
Zile Huma
Zile Huma is the daughter of the late Melody Queen Madam Noor Jehan and the only of her four daughters to follow in her mother's footsteps. Today, she is a popular Pakistani pop singer.- History :...
. After the couple's marriage, they began a revolution with many superhit films, which Rizvi directed or produced and Noor Jehan acted in, films like Zeenat (1945) and Jugnu
Jugnu (1947 film)
Jugnu is a 1947 Indian film directed by Shaukat Hussain Rizvi. The film stars Noor Jehan, Dilip Kumar, Gulam Mohd., Sulochana , Latika, Zia, Jilloo, Agha, Shashikala and now famous playback singer Mohammed Rafi...
(1947) etc. Rizvi also played a supporting role as Noor Jehan's brother in Dost (1944), which he also directed. Shaukat Hussain can be called a brilliant film craftsman more than a creative genius.
Career in Pakistan and Last Years
Following the independence of PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in 1947, Rizvi and his wife, Noor Jehan moved to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
with their three children. Amongst the luggage he brought down from Bombay, was the camera he had used to shoot his Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar , is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament.He lives in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai, India. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King",and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray....
/Noor Jehan starrer, Jugnu (1947). His son later donated it to the owner of a restaurant in Liberty Market, Salloo's, where the camera was placed in the visitor's direction in the lobby, according to Rehan Ansari. In Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Rizvi and Noor Jehan took a break for three years, during which time Shaukat Hussain bought the property where the vandalised remains of the former Shorey Studios lay, and established Shahnoor Studios
Shahnoor Studios
The Shahnoor Studios is the studio founded by Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi and his first wife, Noor Jehan. The studio is one of the oldest studios in Lahore....
, in its place, on Multan Road in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. He made it the most well-equipped film studio in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and began the production of his first Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
venture, Chanwey (1951) which Rizvi produced and co-directed, since Punjabi was a language which he did not understand and he wasn't credited as the director, Noor Jehan was. The film became a huge superhit, however, he wasn't able to keep his Shahnoor Studios in the best condition due to his plummeting career. Imtiaz Ali Taj, an erstwhile intellectual, directed the film Gulnar for Rizvi, who produced the film. Basically, in Pakistan, Rizvi wasn't able to achieve high status. After the success of Gulnar, Rizvi divorced Noor Jehan due to personal disputes and problems. Noor Jehan had to write off her share of Shahnoor Studios in order to get the custody of her daughter, Zile Huma. This did worse harm to Rizvi's career, because he had achieved a reasonable status being the spouse of the Melody Queen Madam Noor Jehan. Later, Rizvi married the talented actress, Yasmin
Yasmin
-Etymology:Yasmin is the name in Persian for a flowering plant, and from which the name Jasmine derives.The pronunciation of Yasmin is often parallel with the English Jasmine, but in Arabic, Persian and Turkish, the "s" is not taken as a "z", and so is often pronounced as .-Yasemin:* Yasemin...
as his second wife. Their marriage produced two sons, Syed Shahenshah Hussain Rizvi and Syed Ali Mujtaba Rizvi. The marriage was a successful one, which proved to be a blessing for the couple. After his divorce with Madam Noor Jehan, he managed to make only three Urdu films, Jan-e-Bahar (1958), Aashiq, and Dulhan Rani. For Jan-e-Bahar, Rizvi asked his ex-wife to sing an Urdu number for the film, Kaisa Naseeb Layi Thi, which was to be picturised on Musarat Nazir. She accepted and the song became a haunting memory for cinegoers. After his Dulhan Rani flopped, Rizvi retired from film business and settled down with his second wife and two sons. After his retirement, his four sons took over the running of his film studio, however, today, the studio is a vast, decaying premises and only 30% of it is used for filmmaking. In the fall of 1999, Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi died in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
at about 85 years of age. A couple of months before his death, Rehan Ansari met with him to discuss the condition of Shahnoor Studios. Mr. Ansari also asked Rizvi if he wished to donate part of his property for the construction of a film institute. However, even though Rizvi found the idea to be appealing, it is not known if the film institute was constructed or is being constructed.
In one of his books, Saadat Hassan Manto described the appearance of Rizvi when they first met in 1940. He said, He was a tall and dashing young man, fair with pink cheeks, a fine John Gilbert
John Gilbert (actor)
John Gilbert was an American actor and a major star of the silent film era.Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw...
-style moustache, curly hair, extremely well-dressed in his spotless, well-ironed trousers and a jacket set against a jauntily knotted tie. He even walked stylishly. Manto also mentioned that Rizvi enjoyed smoking Craven A
Craven A
Craven "A" is a brand of cigarette which were made in Canada, Jamaica, Vietnam, and North Korea. The cigarettes exhibit the English-style flavor of a Virginia-tobacco dominant blend, with that plant's attendant nutty sweetness. The cigarette was named after the third Earl of Craven in 1860.Craven...
cigarettes and drinking Deer brand whisky from Nasik. Rizvi also enjoyed playing football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
when he was living in Calcutta in the 1930s.
Editor
- Gul Bakavli (1939)
- Yamla Jat (1940)
- Khazanchi (1941)
- Chaudhry (1941)
Director
- Khandaan (1942)
- Naukar (1943)
- Dost (1944)
- Zeenat (1945)
- JugnuJugnu (1947 film)Jugnu is a 1947 Indian film directed by Shaukat Hussain Rizvi. The film stars Noor Jehan, Dilip Kumar, Gulam Mohd., Sulochana , Latika, Zia, Jilloo, Agha, Shashikala and now famous playback singer Mohammed Rafi...
(1947) - Chanwey (1951) (uncredited)