Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: January 10, 2020 | 
Maula Jatt Poster Featuring Sultan Rahi
It was the night of January 9 in 1996, when in a cruel twist of fate, the King of Pakistani cinema, a reel life demigod, famous for his ability to down dozens of evil crooks with just a roar despite his own multiple wounds and fake blood turning his signature garb red, lost his life in an ambush by some dacoits. That night, the legendry Sultan Rahi, breathed his last on the main G.T. road near Gujranwala, and so ended an era of Pakistan’s cinema.
Not many thespians in cinema’s history enjoyed a cult following of the magnitude that Sultan Rahi did, and not many have been adored for their on and off-screen persona the way he was. His filmography comprised of more than 700 Punjabi and about 50 Urdu and Sindhi films, spread over four decades. Born as Mohammad Sultan Khan in 1938, Rahi has continued to define a quintessential Punjabi masculine identity in his life and long after.
Sultan Rahi started his acting career in 1959 as a junior artist, a stuntman and then a villain, eventually reaching the pinnacle of his film career with Maula Jutt. This cult classic released in 1979, became the most successful Pakistani film ever. Maula Jutt was the titular role that Rahi essayed with an exceptional aplomb. His portrayal of the overbearing and honour-centric Punjabi alpha-male, while being a dutiful son, brother, and lover, redefined the hero for Pakistani film industry.
Sultan Rahi With a Gandasa
It was a sharp contrast from the oversentimental hero characters that previously frequented the local cinema screens. After Maula Jutt, the leading men of the Punjabi cinema were solely interested in asserting their authority against the local thugs with their iconic “Gandasa”, a farmer’s traditional long stick of wood, roughly the same height as the man, with a wide blade attached to one end like an axe. The crowds in the cinemas cheered for their hero every time he challenged the baddies, despite the obviously fake sound effects, odd camera angles and rudimentary action sequences.
After Maula Jutt, there was no looking back for Rahi. His roles in Wehshi Gujjar, Chan Varyam, Bashera, and Sher Khan were extensions of Maula Jutt, a role that he continued to play up to his last film. Sultan Rahi’s characters were awkward in the matters of the heart, and remained cool and level-headed in the otherwise overdramatic, emotional drama surrounding him in the film.
Sultan Rahi (L) and Mustafa Qureshi (R) in Maula Jatt
His main duty in the film was immersing in one-upmanship with other men of the village, beating the goons at regular intervals, and breaking into exchange of heavy duty dialogues with the antagonists. The women around him carried the burden of emotions exclusively. In fact, his distant demeanour in scenes in which the ladies sang ballads of love were almost rib-tickling, as he became a mere prop in such situations.
Sultan Rahi with his Female Lead, Nadra
Rahi with his flamboyant wardrobe comprising of Kurta laachas (a loose shirt and a wrap to cover the lower torso), a string with gold encrusted amulets around his neck, faux curly locks, and thin moustaches twirled upwards, defined the look for the perfectly angry middle-aged man from the rural area of the 80s and early 90s. His raw edges made him believable, despite the theatrics and the grotesque kitsch associated with the cinema of that period. The writers and directors were happy recreating Maula for Rahi again and again.
He was not good-looking in the conventional kind of hero-way, and this actually worked in his favour, as he was much more relatable for the audiences. His dialogues resonated long after the films were taken off the screens, although many films went on to do weeks of successful runs at the box office. The social and political backdrop of the time was perfect for this kind of escapism to flourish, and the fictional world of Rahi was every common man’s fantasy.
Sultan Rahi Sparring with boxer Muhammad Ali During the Latter's Visit to Pakistan
Sultan Rahi’s towering persona on the cinema billboards, posters, and screens was enough to ensure box office returns without him having to ever worry too much about proving his acting prowess. In fact, in a candid interview on television, Rahi admitted his frustration to Anwar Maqsood at never having the opportunity to prove his acting abilities, but just being required to play the same character again and again.
Sultan Rahi's Signature Pose on Horseback
There was a time for Pakistan cinema, when almost every film had Sultan Rahi starring as the protagonist, and he was singlehandedly responsible for ensuring that the wheels of the Lollywood industry kept rolling. Stories of his humbleness and generosity for his fellow artists, technicians, and his personal staff, still echo in the studios of Lahore. Sultan Rahi retains the slot as the most iconic figure of Pakistan’s film industry.
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