A poor family's kindness becomes their destruction when neighbors weaponize gossip.
Khalid lives with his brother, Raza, his sister-in-law, Jamila, and his niece, Najma, in a humble household. Khalid's family struggles to make ends meet and fund his education. Despite their poverty, Jamila and Raza decide to arrange for Khalid's marriage, as per Khalid's wish, with his class fellow, Naheed, who belongs to a richer family. When the news of their marriage spreads in the neighbourhood, a neighbour of Raza who likes Naheed starts spreading rumour and gossip about the relationship of Khalid and Jamila, leading to a series of tragic events.
Acting
Sabiha Khanum's devastating performance as the maligned Jamila.
Direction
Hassan Tariq's unflinching buildup of small-town suffocation.
Director
Hassan Tariq
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Waheed Murad was already Pakistan's biggest star by 1967, making his role as the struggling student Khalid a deliberate against-type performance.
The film exemplifies the 'gossip tragedy' subgenre in South Asian cinema, where izzat (honor) operates as both social currency and lethal weapon—particularly against women.
PK
