Ishrat Mirza (played by Darpan) is a renowned lawyer known for his honesty and integrity. He successfully brings the infamous dacoit, Raja Daku (Ibrahim Nafees), to justice. However, before he can be executed, Raja Daku escapes from jail with a few of his accomplices and attacks Ishrat Mirza's home. He takes Ishrat Mirza's wife, three sons, and the housemaid hostage.
When Ishrat Mirza returns home, a confrontation ensues during which both he and his wife are killed. Two of the sons manage to escape with the maid. The dacoits pursue them, during which the eldest son gets separated from the maid. She successfully saves the youngest son, but the middle son also vanishes.
Thus, the three flowers of a once-thriving family are scattered by the storm of time, only to bloom again on the branches of fate in different parts of society. This is the story of those three flowers, told over the span of 2 hours and 38 minutes.
Calling this film a Fusion of Superstars would not be an exaggeration. In today's terms, you could compare it to a film featuring Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan together. Back then, Waheed Murad, Mohammad Ali, and Nadeem Baig held similarif not greater stature, as the decline of the film industry began after their era. Nadeem still works today, but the kind of stories and dialogues we used to see in earlier films are no longer the same.
The three main characters are the three brothers, portrayed by these legendary actors, each of whom did full justice to their roles. It goes without saying that the eldest brother was played by Mohammad Ali, Waheed Murad portrayed the middle one, and the youngest son was played by Nadeem Baig.
If we talk about versatility, Waheed Murad stood out more, perhaps because his role challenged his romantic image. Naeem Mirza (Mohammad Ali) is adopted by a wealthy man, receives a top-notch education, and becomes a lawyer. Nadeem Mirza (Nadeem Baig) is raised by their maid Suraiya (Najma Mehboob) with even more care than her own children; she helps him get a great education and he eventually joins the police force. But Salim Mirza (Waheed Murad) is fated to wander he loses his identity and becomes known as "Shehzada," entering the world of smuggling. He unknowingly becomes a pawn in the political games of Raja Daku, now known as Qadir Seth the man who murdered his parents.
This role required Waheed Murad to portray a wide range of emotions, which he delivered masterfully. Even 48 years after the film's release, a modern viewer like me is left impressed. He truly shines in the film's closing scenes. Matching the emotional intensity of someone known as the Emperor of Emotions is a commendable feat.
The film's charm lies in the chemistry between the actors. It seems as though each is trying to outshine the other, which is what made the scenes between Nadeem and Waheed so enjoyable. Honestly, I used to consider Nadeem overrated, but after watching this film, I understood why he was often compared to Dilip Kumar. Not only do they resemble each other slightly, but their acting range is quite similar. Since Nadeem plays a police inspector, he had to take on several get-ups, which he handled well especially the one where he appears as an elderly Lucknowi man. It feels like Aamir Khan and Salman Khan's Nawabi looks in Andaz Apna Apna were inspired by this performance.
All the characters in the film are well written, and the pacing is strong. Ibrahim Nafees was excellent as the villain. Hearing negative Urdu dialogues in his voice was a treat. Nayyar Sultana and Darpan gave memorable performances despite their limited screen time. Ruffat Qazalbash (aka Mumtaz) was mostly eye candy, while Zeba gave a strong performance as Nailah, ably supporting her real-life husband Mohammad Ali.
The story was written by Zahida Masroor and bears a strong resemblance to Indian action-thrillers of that era. In fact, I feel it could be considered a sequel to the 1973 Indian film Yaadon Ki Baaraat. The songs and dialogues were written by Masroor Anwar, which were exceptional for their time, and the music was composed by Manzoor Ashraf.
Iqbal Akhtar's direction is quite good. However, one thing that disappointed me was the film's print quality. Only someone who saw this in a cinema can comment on how the original looked. If the print was always this poor, one wonders why that was the case especially considering that even B-grade Indian films from that era are available today in well graded color. Jab Jab Phool Khile is a historic landmark of Lollywood, it deserves better preservation.
In conclusion, I would say Jab Jab Phool Khile is truly a powerful film that beautifully captures the golden era of our cinema. Among the three actors, I found Waheed Murad's performance the most compelling. If you've seen the film, what did you think?
Waheed Murad as Shehzada / Saleem Mirza
Nadeem Baig as Nadeem Mirza
And the Emperor of Emotions as Naeem Mirza
This film is available on the YouTube channel Famous Videos.
