We lost one of our most sober and distinguished directors on November 18. Pervaiz Malik passed away in Islamabad of cardiac failure. He was the first qualified director in Pakistan's film industry and this training showed up in his films, most prominently the classic Armaan. Produced by Waheed Murad and starring him and Zeba, the film was a phenomenon. A young love story, it became all the rage and songs from the film like 'Ko Ko Korina' and 'Akele Na Jana' live on.
But the road he travelled was never easy.

Director-screenwriter-producer Pervaiz Malik was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. It was his hard work and discipline that turned him into what he became - one of this country's most renowned, respectable and distinguished film directors. His tryst with cinema began when he went to the University of Southern California, Los Angeles to earn his M.A. in Cinema. His M.A dissertation was on the history of Pakistani films and it still remains in the university's library. On his return from the States, he joined hands with Waheed Murad in Karachi and directed Heera Aur Pathar, released in December 1964. In fact, Heera Aur Pathar heralded the rise of the great team of director Pervaiz Malik, producer-actor Waheed Murad, composer Sohail Rana and lyricist Masroor Anwar. It was the work of this team that would reach a crescendo with Armaan.

The great tragedy of Pervaiz Malik's life is probably when that time came in the mid-70s when it was no longer possible to make films in Karachi due to the non-cooperation of actors (read 'stars') who insisted that they would only shoot in Lahore. It was then that Pervaiz Malik had to move to Lahore to carry on making films. Years later, when the scene in Lahore became too gloomy for him with assault rifles, blood baths and body bags, thanks to the Gujjar mafia, he moved up to Islamabad and later Dubai and involved himself in TV serials with writers like Haseena Moin. After the demise of Masroor Anwar, he felt the need of a lyricist-companion but there were none.