Lollywood Studio Stories: The Echo of the Walled City
The gates of the old film studios in Lahore—like Lollywood Studios (originally known as Lahore Film Studios) or the now-silent Evernew Studios—don’t just creak; they groan with memory. To walk onto a Lollywood lot is to step into a time capsule of polyester, overstated dialogue, and chai that has been brewing since the 1970s.
The Maestro’s Stopwatch One of the most famous stories is that of the legendary music director M. Ashraf. He was notorious for composing a hit tune while the film was literally burning. The story goes that during the shoot of a high-budget Punjabi film in the late 70s, an electrical short caused a fire on the set of a haveli (mansion). While the extras panicked and the hero’s costume caught a spark, Ashraf sat cross-legged under a dying tree, tapping his finger on a steel tiffin box. When the fire was put out, he walked up to the director and said, "Sun yaar, I have the qawwali for the climax." That tune became "Dil Lagaya Tha Maine"—a song that still plays at wedding season in Punjab.
The Hero Who Never Broke Character Then there is the tale of Sultan Rahi, the long-haired, machine-gun-wielding icon of Punjabi cinema. Rahi was method before method was cool. During the shooting of Maula Jatt (1979), he refused to speak to the cast off-camera for three weeks because his character, the rustic outlaw, "had no friends." He slept in the stable on the lot (which was actually just a pile of hay near the carpentry shop) and only ate makhan (butter) and roti. On the final day of shooting the "iron club" fight scene, he accidentally knocked the villain’s tooth out. He picked it up, handed it to the actor, and whispered in his ear—still in character—"Keep it. A souvenir from the grave."
The Rebel and the Typewriter The writers’ room at Lollywood was a chaotic den of smoke and ambition. The most enduring story involves the urdu poet and screenwriter Nasir Adib. He famously wrote the dialogues for Aina (1977)—the biggest romantic hit of its era—in a single night, drunk on rum hidden in a cough syrup bottle. The producer locked him in the "Green Room" (which had peeling green paint and no windows) with a typewriter, a charpai (cot), and a promise of payment. By dawn, Adib hadn't just written the script; he had painted poetic metaphors on the wall with coal. When the producer saw the wall, he screamed. Adib shrugged: "The wall had better chemistry than your hero." Those coal-scrawled lines became the film’s most famous poster tagline.
The Ghost of Studio Number 4 No Lollywood story is complete without the ghost. Studio Number 4 at the original Lollywood complex is said to be haunted by a character actor named Rangeela. Not the famous comedian, but a look-alike extra who died of a heart attack on the set of a horror film in 1982. Technicians swear that when recording background "room tone" late at night, the microphone picks up the sound of someone practicing a tap dance—Rangeela’s signature gimmick. To this day, before a night shoot, the khala (the tea lady) leaves a cup of sweet, milky tea at the door of Studio 4. In the morning, the cup is always empty. Whether it’s rats, the wind, or the ghost of a forgotten dancer, nobody asks. In Lollywood, you don’t cancel a shoot because of logic. You just pour another cup of chai.
Before Pakistan even existed, Lahore was already a thriving center for the arts. In 1929, the industry took its first breath with the opening of United Players’ Studios on Ravi Road. Founded by Abdur Rashid Kardar, often cited as the father of Lollywood, this studio produced the city's first silent film, Husn Ka Daku.
Following the 1947 Partition, the industry faced a massive exodus of talent and equipment to India. Yet, from the ashes of communal riots that destroyed the earlier Pancholi and Shorey studios, a new era emerged. Iconic Studios and Their Legends Shahnoor Studio: The Heart of the Golden Age
Founded in 1948, Shahnoor Studio became a symbol of Pakistani cinematic identity. During its peak in the 1960s, it was so bustling that locals claimed "if you threw a sesame seed in the evening, it wouldn't hit the ground" for the crowds. lollywood studio stories
Key Productions: It housed the making of masterpieces like Heer Ranjha and Armaan.
The Stars: Icons like the "Chocolate Hero" Waheed Murad, Shabnam, and Mohammad Ali frequented its halls. Evernew Studios: Built on a Blockbuster
Established in 1956, Evernew Studios was uniquely funded by the massive earnings of Pakistan's first true blockbuster, Dulla Bhatti. For years, it stood as a pinnacle of modern filmmaking in the region. Bari Studio: The Arena of the 'Gandasa'
Bari Studio is inextricably linked with the era of regional Punjabi cinema and its most prolific star, Sultan Rahi. Known for his "Gandasa" (axe-wielding) roles, Rahi starred in over 700 films, making him a Guinness World Record holder and the face of Bari's most profitable decades. Behind the Scenes: Challenges and Downfall
The stories of Lollywood are not just about glamour; they are also about survival.
This guide takes you through the legendary "Lollywood" film industry based in Lahore, exploring the iconic studios that defined Pakistani cinema's golden era and the colorful, sometimes supernatural, stories behind their walls. 1. Shahnoor Studios : The Love Story and the Heartbreak Founded in 1950,
was born from the partnership of director Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi and his wife, the legendary singer Noor Jehan. They rebranded the damaged Shorey Studios after Partition, naming it by combining their first names.
The Rise: It became a powerhouse with hits like Chanway (1951), where Noor Jehan made her directorial debut because Rizvi wasn't fluent in Punjabi. The Divorce Clause Lollywood Studio Stories: The Echo of the Walled
: In a dramatic real-life twist, during their 1955 divorce, Noor Jehan reportedly had to sign over her entire share of the studio to Rizvi to gain custody of her daughter, Zile Huma. A condition was added that she could never shoot there again. The Romantic Gift: Rizvi once gifted Noor Jehan the Novelty Cinema
(later renamed Tarannum) as a romantic gesture, marking their preeminence in the industry. 2. Bari Studios : Ghosts and Blockbusters
Established by producer Malik Ghulam Bari on Multan Road using the massive profits from his 1957 hit Yakkay Wali.
The Resident Saint: Legend says the studio was plagued by frequent, unexplainable accidents on set. After consulting a spiritual figure, management was told a saint, Hazrat Janab Ghaib Shah Wali Hyderi Qalandari, was buried on the grounds. A shrine was built on the studio premises to stop the "freak accidents".
The "Jaal" Movement: Malik Bari sparked a massive protest (the "Jaal movement") in 1954 when he tried to import an Indian film, Jaal, which led local filmmakers to fear for the survival of the nascent Pakistani industry.
Village Facades: The studio was famous for its realistic village sets; many of the iconic "village" shots in old movies were actually filmed in a specific derelict corner of Bari.
Here’s a useful, behind-the-scenes-style text on Lollywood Studio Stories — focusing on the golden era of Pakistani cinema (1960s–1980s), key studios, and the colorful, lesser-known tales that shaped the industry.
The culture within these studios was distinct from modern filmmaking. In those days, films were shot on celluloid, a medium that allowed for no mistakes. The studios operated like well-oiled factories, but factories run by artisans. The "Factory of Dreams" Workflow The culture within
A typical day at Eveready or Shadab began at dawn and often stretched past midnight. Unlike today’s fragmented shooting schedules where actors are hired for specific dates, Lollywood stars were often retained on monthly salaries by the studios. A lead actor might shoot scenes for three different films in a single day, rushing from one sound stage to another, changing costumes in the hallway.
There is a famous anecdote shared by veteran actors about the lunch breaks at the studios. In the 1960s and 70s, the studios employed hundreds of people. The famous "Karahi" (a heavy cooking pot) at Eveready Studios was legendary. It is said that the food served on set was so delicious and plentiful that it became a meeting point for the city's elite, who would visit just to eat the studio lunch and watch the stars work.
Unlike Hollywood with its millions, Lollywood in the 80s ran on jugaar (makeshift ingenuity). The studio stories from this era are engineering marvels.
The Rain Machine: Lollywood Studios didn't have a budget for sprinklers. A famous sound engineer named Rashid "Batter" used a garden hose, a broken vacuum cleaner motor, and a metal drum. When the hero had to cry in the rain, the "Rain Machine" spat out lukewarm water mixed with tea leaves to look dirty on black-and-white film. It worked perfectly until the vacuum motor exploded during Sultan Rahi's dialogue, spraying iron filings everywhere. Without blinking, Rahi continued his dialogue for three more minutes, thinking the sparks were a scripted effect.
The Fake Horse: In the historical epic Zabt (1975), the producers couldn't afford a white horse for the king. The studio hands built a wooden horse frame and covered it with a shaggy white carpet. For close-ups of it galloping, they had four men in green suits (to be keyed out later) shaking the carpet while a fifth man clapped coconut halves against a metal sheet to mimic hoofbeats. The scene won an award for "Best Costume Design."
Not all stories are horror. The most hilarious Lollywood studio stories involve food. In the early 70s, legendary actor Muhammad Ali (soft-spoken off-screen but fiery on it) had a strict contract clause: "One tiffin of Gosht ka Salan (meat curry) served exactly at 1:00 PM."
One day, due to a union strike, the canteen was closed. The studio manager panicked. He couldn't feed the star leftovers. So, he did what any desperate Lollywallah would do: he borrowed a plate of curry from the nearby Evernew Studio set where Waheed Murad was shooting a romantic scene. To disguise it, he added extra food coloring.
Muhammad Ali took one bite and roared, "This is Waheed Murad's cook's recipe! Did you steal his lunch?" The entire studio burst into laughter. From that day on, the rivalry between the "angry young man" and the "chocolate hero" became a friendly competition about whose cook was superior.
Lollywood’s dubbing culture was unique. Actors rarely used their own voices. The legendary Ijaz Durrani voiced heroes like Waheed Murad and Nadeem — sometimes in the same film. A studio story goes: Once, while dubbing for two different heroes in one day, Durrani got confused and spoke Waheed Murad’s line in Nadeem’s scene. The sound engineer didn’t notice, and it was released. Fans spotted it, but instead of complaining, they laughed and called it a “double role of voice.”
Lollywood — based in Lahore, particularly around the famous Bhati Gate and later Mandar and Korangi Road studios — was once a thriving hub of South Asian cinema. While Bollywood gets the global spotlight, Lollywood’s studio culture was raw, resourceful, and full of unforgettable characters. Here are some real, useful, and entertaining stories from inside the studios.