SYED INTIKHAB ALI

KARACHI: Fankar Gali (Artists Street) has been a popular haunt of the artists’ community for past five decades. Many renowned personalities related to showbiz including film, TV, radio, Theatre and stage used to visit Fankar Gali both for searching work and socialising.

The Fankar Gali, which once used to host frequent gatherings of artists, is no longer a welcoming place for them. This is mainly due to the fact that with the passage of time, it became more of a mobile club after the artists failed to get any permanent place for frequent fraternising, The Nation has learnt.

In the 1990s status of Fankar Gali gradually waned as big names of showbiz got busier either both within the filed or outside for other businesses. This was partly due to advent of private productions and channels. However for the wannabe artists it still remained a paradise where they met the working artists and got inspiration and guidance.

As far as the history of Fankar Gali is concerned, it was established in the mid-fifties (1955-56) in the vicinity of Radio Pakistan Station office at MA Jinnah Road.

This was at this place where the gathering of performing artist community held without any holiday and it was considered a launching pad for talented youth that wanted to be artists. It too has been an irony that the Fankar Gall never acquired a permanent status as it kept migrating from one place to other for past twenty years.

A brief account of its journey can be summarised here:

It migrated from Radio Pakistan to Rio Auditorium and then Liaqatabad Al Kram Square, then Hassan Square and then it shifted to Mujahid Hotel near Askari Park at Karachi University Road where it exists today.

Saeed Islam, a prominent organiser of showbiz programmes and MD of Rio Theatre, is one of the oldest members of Fankar Gali While talking to The Nation, he recalled that it was established in 1955, near Radio Pakistan, Karachi where artist community sit in a hotel called “Aube ka Dhaba”.

He said that Shaukat Rizvi, an old program organiser and producer and Shafqat Dara, a compere and programme organiser were among the pioneers of the gathering of artist community here, Islam joined the Fankar Gali club in 1970s and started organising programs as producer at various places including Rio Theatre, Adamjee Auditorium, Fleet Club and other halls regularly on different occasions.

Fankar Gali was considered the nursery of newcomers as it was the place where not only the actors and signers gathered but also the musicians and technicians would come in search of work.

He said present status of Fankar Gali has changed, as the big names of show business find no time to visit it as they can get work due to boom in the electronic media productions “If the government can patronise institutions like NAPA, Arts Council and Awan-e-Rtiffat why not the same can be done for this club of artists, said another artist Ifrahim.

Famous comedian Fareed Khan who has also been a part of Fankar Gali said that Federal, Provincial and CDGK Government were doing a lot of works for the country so they should come for the help of the artists so they could get a club exclusively for the artists.

A group of artist said that the great film actor Muhammad Ali, Javed Sheikh, renowned TV artist and comedian Moin Akhtar, late great singe Ahmed Rushdi to film star Nirala, Kamal Irani, and various other great artists used to visit Fankar Gali.

“At that time Pakistan’s leading vocalists Mujeeb Alam, Ifrahim, film comedian Nirala, fifty fame Ismail Tara, Majid Jehangir, Fareed Khan, Aftab Nizami, late Razaq Raju, Rauf Lala, Shakeel Siddiqui, late film actor Kamal Irani, singer Saleem Javed, Hassan ,Jehangir, Tehseen Javed, and a lot of others were the regular members of this place. Great singers Muhammad Ali Sheikh and Alamgir were also came here”, Ifrahim added.

A stage actress Salma Zafar was of the view Salma Zafar said that Arts Council has now become the nest place to gather the artist community but the problem is at it has time restriction Fankar Gall frequenters do not like its schedule.

Renowned Candle Dancer Amjad Rana who also started his career from Fankar Gaii favored the idea at an office or club for artist community. He questioned as to who artist had to sit on footpaths and shabby restaurants.

Famous pope singer Saleem Javed said that “God does not change the fortune of those who don’t bother for it”. He was of the view that artists should set up a facility of their own on self-help basis.
Source: The Nation
Date:2/10/2010