Sabiha Khanum.

Byline: Parvez Rahim - Karachi

SABIHA Khanum, one of Pakistan's foremost leading actresses of the silver screen, passed away in the US on June 13. She enjoyed a unique status in the annals of Lollywood, since she started her career in films when people associated with the industry were struggling to provide it a sound base.

Very few of the established Muslim directors, actors, singers, story and lyric writers, and music composers had opted to migrate to Pakistan and most chose to stay back in Bombay as it was the capital of undivided India's film industry.

Sabiha was the first among those who were groomed locally as film actresses after performing and exhibiting their talent in theatre and then soon got a break in films. The renowned film director Masood Pervaiz gave Sabiha a role in his film Beli in 1950.

Santosh Kumar, with whom she tied the knot later, also made his debut in this film and went on to become Pakistani cinema's greatest and most popular leading man. This was followed in the same year by her performance in a film Do Aansoo directed by Anwar Kamal Pasha, who later directed many of Sabiha's superhit movies.

Sabiha dominated as the leading lady of Pakistani films in the 1950s and '60s. Ironically, that was the time when the local cinema was facing a tough competition from...

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