The word “Lollywood” was coined in 1989 in Glamour magazine as a portmanteau of “Lahore” and “Hollywood” published from Karachi, by gossip columnist Saleem Nasir. Pakistan film industry has been very unfortunate from the very beginning.
It has never enjoyed the patronage of the government and was unlucky to have uneducated business minded people as financiers who were more concerned about their money rather than the quality of the movies.
Since 1929, Lahore has been the center of Pakistani cinema, producing films in Urdu and Punjabi. Dhakka was the center before the partition. After 1971, the partition of Bangladesh shifted it to Lahore. Since 2007, Karachi has largely overtaken Lahore in Urdu film production.
The golden era of the Pakistani movies spans over 3 decades the 50’s, 60’s and the 70’s. During this period, educated and dedicated people were a part and parcel of the film industry and a number of quality films were produced.
This era gave Pakistan many talented film stars. In the absence of an acting academy, film stars had little guidance. Whatever they achieved was mainly due to their personal efforts, hard work and talent.
Film stars learned from their mistakes and critics review, and they tried to improve their acting skills. International stars have also been a source of inspiration for them. Due to their hard work, self-grooming and talent, the Pakistani film stars have become an institute in themselves.
The top ten actors of Pakistan are:
1. Mohammad Ali
2. Waheed Murad
3. Nadeem
4. Babar Ali
5. Ghulam Mohai Ul Din
6. Mustafa Qureshi
7. Javed Sheikh
8. Shan
9. Rangeela
10. Saud
Top ten actresses of Pakistan are:
1. Shabnam
2. Rani
3. Naghma
4. Nelo
5. Anjuman
6. Babra Sharif
7. Sabiha
8. Reema
9. Shamim Ara
10. Firdos
