By Azhar Iqbal,
Pakistani Cinema and Indian Bollywood Industry have a plenty of similarities like a common language, music lyrics, themes, highlighting social and domestic issues, action and romance, poetic verses in dialogues, anger and love etc. You have certainly watched many of the Bollywood and Lollywood feature films in which the plot of the movies are exactly same or with a slight difference. Pakistan and India have many of the historical events and folk stories in common. If we go through the film industries across the border we would be surprised that hundreds of movies have been featured with same name and titles with same or different plot and scripts. But there are some movies which were made on the same stories or scripts with different music, directors, actors, and crews both in India and Pakistan.
Here are top 10 movies that were made more than once but Title and Story were not changed both in Pakistani and Indian movies.
1- DEVDAS
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s blockbuster “Devdas” is all time mega hit of Bollywood romantic drama film. Devdas was based on 1917 Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Devdas, released in 2002 starred by Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai. The plot of this movie surrounds the central character Devdas and Paro who is childhood love of Paro, later on, marries to an aged widower with two adult children. Devdas dies in the end due to excessive alcohol drinking in the memory of his ex. Paro. Devdas has been made several times in India and Pakistan. Pakistani film director Iqbal Kashmiri’s Devdas was released in 2010 in Karachi, Pakistan. Leading roles were played by Zara Sheikh, Meera, and Nadeem Shah. This movie was also made in 1965 in Urdu in Pakistan by a Pakistani director Khawaja Sarfaraz. It was featured in the Hindi language for the first time in Bollywood after the partition, in 1955. The leading roles were played by Legendary Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, and Suchitra Sen. It was produced and directed by Bimal Roy. Devdas has also been made several times in Bengali, Tamil, Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi before partition and after independence in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
2- UMRAO JAAN
Bollywood classic “Umrao Jaan” was also based on Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada, released in 1981. It was produced and directed by Muzaffar Ali. Bollywood all-time iconic Rekha played the lead role of Umrao. Other leading roles were played by Seema Sathyu Farooq Shaikh Naseeruddin Shah and Umme Farwa. This is the story of Lucknow courtesan and her rise to fame. She is kidnapped early in her childhood and then sold to a brothel in Lucknow. This film was also made in Pakistan with the original name of the Urdu Novel “Umrao Jaan Ada” starring Rani and Shahid and directed by Hasan Tariq. This Pakistani film was released in 1972, 9 years before Bollywood Umrao Jan. Later on, in 2006, this film was released once again with new cast and crew. Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachan were starred for main roles.
3- HEER RANJHA
Based on Sufi Saint Waris Shah’s classic folk love story of Punjab, Heer Ranjha was a super hit Lollywood film released in 1970. Pakistani Heer Ranjha was directed by Masud Pervaiz. Lollywood stars Firdaus and Ejaz Durrani played the roles of Heer and Ranjha. The story revolves around Heer the daughter of a wealthy family and Ranjha who became their servant. Heer Ranjha was also made in India in 1970 starred by Priya Rajvansh as Heer and Raaj Kumar as Ranjha. Later on, this movie was released in 1992, this time Heer Ranjha was directed by Harmesh Malhotra. Bollywood Queen Sridevi and Anil Kapoor were cast as Heer and Ranjha. More than a dozen, Heer Ranjha has been featured in India and Pakistan from 1928 to 2017.
4- ANARKALI
Based on Imtiaz Ali Taj’s Urdu drama Anarkali has also been films plenty of times in India and Pakistan. In 1953, an Indian historical drama film was released with the title of Anarkali. This film was the top Indian grossing film of the year. Pradeep Kumar, Bina Rai, and Noor Jehan were the main cast of this movie and directed by Nandlal Jaswantlal. This story revolves around the Mughal Prince Jahangeer (Saleem), his father emperor Akbar and a girl Anarkali. This film was also made in Pakistan in 1958 in which the legendary Noor Jahan played the lead role of Anarkali.
5- LAILA MAJNU
Based on an Arab/Persian historic love story, Laila Majnu has been the title of many films made in Pakistan, India and some other countries also. Bollywood 1976’s Laila Majnu is also based on this historic love story of Qais and Laila. Rishi Kapoor was cast as Qais and Ranjeeta Kaur was the heroine as Laila. This film was directed by Harnam Singh Rawail. Laila Majnu was also made and released in Pakistan in the year 1974. It has been made many times not only in Pakistan and India but in many other countries with different regional and local languages.
6- MIRZA GHALIB
The tribute to the great Urdu Poet Mirza Asad Ullah Beg Khan Ghalib was given both in Indian and Pakistani cinemas. The first film was made with the title of Mirza Ghalib in India in 1954 in which Bharat Bhushan plays Ghalib and Suraiya plays his courtesan lover, Chaudvin. Later on, this film with the same title was made in Pakistan starred by Sudhir and Noor Jehan in 1961.
7- SOHNI MAHIWAL
The tragic love story of Mirza Izzat Beg and Sohni of Punjab is also a famous love story usually known as Sohni Mahiwal. This is the story of Prince Izzat Beg who comes to India and falls in love with a Punjabi girl Sohni. Sunny Deol and Poonam Dhillon were starred in pivotal roles in Bollywood Sohni Mahiwal in 1984. This film was also made in Pakistan where Yousuf Khan and Mumtaz were starred for pivotal roles. Sohni Mahiwal also made in 1958 and the years before partition.
8- SASSI PUNNO
Hassan Askari’s “Sassi Punnu” was released in Lahore, Pakistan in 2004 starred by Moammar Rana, Sana Nawaz, and Veena Malik. This film was based on a Sindhi love story originally written by Sufi Saint Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai (1689-1752). This film was initially made in the Sindhi language in 1958 in Pakistan and Akbar Ali was the director. Punjabi version of this story was featured in 1977. The movie with the same classic story and name was also made in India in 1983 in Punjabi directed by Satish Bhakhri. It was also made in India in 1965.
The tale of Mirza Sahiban is part of popular Punjabi culture. On the title of “Mirza Sahiban” feature films have been made more than once in both Hindi and Punjabi languages in Pakistan and India in the years, 1947, 1956, 1957 and so on with different stars, directors, and languages.
10- SHIRIN FARHAD
This is an Iranian Love story and films were made in 1956 in India and later on in Pakistan in the year 1976 on the title of “Shirin Farhad”.
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(Azhar Iqbal is an International Graduate Fellow of Cross-Cultural Communication at Ural Federal University, Russia; Second Master Degree in Communication Studies from Institute of Communication Studies, University of the Punjab, Lahore Pakistan. Co-founder of The Educationist a Pakistan-based monthly English newspaper. Research interests are media, communication and journalism. New media technologies in the fields of education, politics, culture and society. Also writing for Feedback Russia (A Russian Portal), Maeeshat (An Indian Magazine), Our Russia (A Russian Journal) along with The Educationist (A Pakistani Newspaper) and SizingUpTheSouth.com. Soci
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