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Interesting Fact

On February 11, 1965, a dinner and cultural show were organized in Lahore for the delegates of the Afro-Asian Writers' Conference. The organizers of this show approached the famous film actress Neelo and invited her to attend and perform a dance at this cultural event. When Neelo expressed her desire to decline participation, the organizers, who held high positions in the government at the time, threatened and insulted her. This humiliation had such a profound impact on Neelo that she attempted suicide by consuming a large number of sleeping pills. She was taken to the hospital in an unconscious state, where doctors, after several days of effort, managed to save her life. This incident caused a significant uproar in the film industry. The Pakistan Film Producers Association and the Film Stars Association strongly protested and even went on a one-day strike. Inspired by this event, Habib Jalib composed his iconic poem "Neelo." This poem was later filmed in the movie "Zarqa," with Neelo herself performing it. The first verse of the poem was: tu ki na-waqif-e-adab-e-shahanshahi thi, raqs zanjir pahan kar bhi kiya jata hai, tujh ko inkar ki jurat jo hui to kyunkar, saya-e-shah mein is tarah jiya jata hai The renowned filmmaker, director, and writer Riaz Shahid paid tribute to Neelo's courage and self-respect by proposing marriage to her, and they eventually got married.