Adil Najam
For many of us the 1980s talk-show Silver Jubilee was the very best of all of Anwar Maqsood’s television shows. And that is saying something given the many brilliants endeavors he was been part of. That the other maestro of Pakistan Television(PTV), Shoaib Mansoor, was the producer of this memorable series is another reason why.
The PTV show is memorable, most of all, for its selection of guests; especially for bringing back people from a bygone era of greats (Naeem Bokhari’s Yaadesh Bakhair was memorable for the same reason).
Another reason why it is memorable is because it launched the Benjamin Sisters phenomenon. This earnest trio was essentially brought in to simply re-render the great songs related to whoever was the guest that week. Over time, it was not just the songs but the Benjamin Sisters themselves who became the sensation.
There are some lessons to be learnt – not just about the performing arts but about life – from their success.
- First, and most important, they sang really really well; moreover, by just looking at them singing you can see that they worked really hard and were very serious about singing well. The lesson here is that performance matters, talent matters, and hard work matters.
- Second, in Anwar Maqsood and Shoaib Mansoor, they had two nurturing mentors. In a society where we are generally so insecure and unsure of ourselves that we are threatened by everyone else’s talents, here is a an example which shows that mentoring the talent of others not only gives them a break, it also makes you look better.
- Third, the selection of the songs they sang was truly remarkable. I do not know for sure but my sense is that Anwar Maqsood might have had the largest role in this selection. It is too simple to say that they pulled at our nostalgia chords. For some, they did. But for many, especially in my generation, they introduced the great music of an earlier generation. And, lo and behold, it plucked at our hearts as much as it had at our parents. The lesson here is that things that are crafted properly (in this case, songs) are timeless. This lesson – I would like to think – is applicable well beyond songs.
Since then, the sisters (at least two of them) disappeared. One heard they got married. I do not know where they are and Google did not give me any clues. If you know, do share. But wherever they are, I hope they are well and prosperous and happy.
All of this was triggered by a stash of recently-loaded Benjamin Sister songs I found on YouTube.
Included in this post are two particularly catchy melodies. Note also the other guests sitting there. A young Javed Miandad and an ageless Shabnam in the first, and an older Waheed Murad in the other.
aaah … Benjamin Sisters … what an olden memory and a wonderful one too … Nice post … somehow I remember one of the sister came in some drama laters on too …. I dont remember whic one though …maybe anyone else …?
I liked them a lot but they were disappeared very soon, i was really interested to know that what happened to them but now news? do you know about?
Adil, this has brought back beautiful memories. I remember the days when we would all sit and watch the usual pre-khabarnama show on PTV and silver Jubilee was certainly one of the best. I guess Anwar Maqsood’s shows like SJ, Studio Dhai, ponay teen etc. are comparable to SNL or Letterman today. Benjamin Sisters were indeed quite a phenomenon. Shoaib Mansoor has launched many young talents and almost all of his projects have been super hits. Vital Signs being one of them.
Excellent post.
I would say that Silver Jubilee was the program that really set the trend for singing the old songs again. Later we saw other trends like the remixes etc, but I’d say that singing the old songs by new singers was first successfully experimented by Shoaib Mansoor in this lovely program.
After the success of Benjamin Sister many other “sister bands” emerged on the scene that included Triple S Sisters, SA sisters and so on.
As far as I remember the idea behind Silver Jubilee was to bring those people who have either contributed to the TV or film industry for 25 years or more, or the figure 25 played some important role in their lives.
Anyways its a good thing atleast to remember the good programs that use to air on PTV in those days.
you brought back old memories. I remember what an instant hit Silver junilee’s audio cassette was. One side was recorded with Benjamin sisters songs only and other side had all other singers. In our home Benjamin sister’s side of the cassette was rewound listened to over and over again. Besides their singing talent, the choice of songs also played a role in their popularity.
Then there was part II of silver junilee songs released too. That also sold well but not as much as the first one.
Great to see Miandad and Waheed Murad in these videos.