Sangam is a Pakistani Urdu film released in 1964, directed by Zahir Raihan starring Rosy Samad, Khalil, Haroon Rashid and Sumita Devi. This is the first full-length colour movie made in entire Pakistan.
This was the fourth film by Zahir Raihan (1935-1972) who later went on to direct more films in Urdu and Bengali during the 1960s. Zahir Raihan became one of the most important filmmakers of East Pakistan, which later became Bangladesh in 1971. Although Sangam was an Urdu film, but most of the cast, playback artistes and crew were from the Bengali-speaking Eastern province.
Sangam was the first ever colour film in Pakistan, and it was released on Eid-ul-Azha Day, April 23rd, 1964. The film was produced and directed by Zahir Raihan for Sunny Circle Presentations.
The film was based on an English movie, which was about college students visiting remote village of Bengal for an excursion but they get caught in an island.
It is not known which archive has the master print of the film. But some of the songs are now available in Youtube. Among the playback singers were Bashir Ahmed, Ferdausi Begum, Mohd. Abdul Jabbar, Akhter Shaad and Mahboubur Rahman.
Khan Ataur Rahman composed the musical scores. The leading cast of the film was Rosy and Haroon, but more than its cinematic novelty, the film was liked for its musical score.
The most popular song of Sangam was Satar Saal Jo Buddha Mil Gaya, based on a famous English number and very intelligently adopted by Khan Ataur Rehman. It was sung by Bashir Ahmad and chorus voices. Surfing on the waves of the accordion, and the guitar strings, the song took the local industry by storm and the film got a good reception. Kitni Suhani Rangeen Khwab Dikha Kar, by Ferdausi Begum was a sad melody with the tanpura and violin in attendance. Chali Re Chali had that jovial touch of the Bengali winds. Neela Gagan Hai was a Hemant Kumar type duet, a fabulous number with the banjo and accordion, sung delightfully by Ferdausi Begum and Abdul Jabbar. The Neeli Neeli Aankhon Mein was another lively duet.
The director Zahir Raihan himself was deeply involved with Bangladesh's war of independence, and had made a documentary Stop Genocide during his wartime exile in Calcutta in 1971. But his life ended abruptly before he could embark on a film project in his independent homeland. He was killed during an army ambush to liberate an enemy-held suburb of Dhaka in January 1972, just about a month after Bangladesh's independence.