Kartar Singh (1959 film)

Kartar Singh is a Pakistani Punjabi film about the Partition of India and the violence after it. It describes the conflicts between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. This film is said to be based on reallife events in 1947. The title role is about an antagonist Kartar Singh who is a petty criminal and trouble maker. The title character is played by Allauddin who became very wellknown after this film. He is often remembered for this film. It is said that Sikhs failed to recognize him as a Muslim,on seeing this film in Indian Punjab theater screens, as he is not a Sikh in real life. It is considered to be one of the super hit blockbuster Punjabi films in Pakistan and ranks highly in the history of Punjabi cinema. This film was also shown for three years in East Punjab, India.

This film is set in a village in Punjab, India where Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs are shown to be living peacefully before 1947.Vaid Prem Nath actor Zarif is well respected in the village. Sudhir, is a renowned World War II veteran who has fought in Burma and lives in the village. Kartar Singh is the main villain who is a petty criminal and a trouble maker in the village. When Partition of India happens, the Muslims of the village including the hero Umer Din and his love interest Musarrat Nazir wants to migrate to Pakistan. As they are leaving ,there is hostility and violence everywhere in the village. During this time, Umer Dins sister actress Laila is abducted by the Sikhs but she is protected by an elderly Sikh who gives her shelter and looks after her. When his son tries to force himself on her, the old man kills him. The old man sends Umer Din a letter that his sister is safe and unviolated and sends her safely back to Pakistan. Kartar Singh, on one of his raids into Pakistan, has a scuffle with Umer Din, who works with the Pakistan Border Police, at the border. Umer Din shoots him but just wounds him and lets him escape back to India. His life saved, Kartar Singh has a change of heart. In order to redeem himself, he takes Umer Dins younger brother, sheltered by Vaid Prem Nath, back to him in Pakistan. But Kartar Singh himself is killed at the border as Umer Din feels he has come on one of his raids again and shoots him down.The music of the film was composed by Salim Iqbal. The lyrics were written by Amrita Pritam, Waris Ludhianvi and Saifuddin Saif himself, the producer and director of the film. The playback singers included Zubaida Khanum, Inayat Hussain Bhatti, Saleem Raza and Naseem Begum and Sain Akhtar. ........

Source: Wikipedia