Syed Ishrat Abbas

Who was Syed Ishrat Abbas?

Syed Ishrat Abbas better known by his stage name Darpan was one of the original romantic heroes of the "golden age" of the Pakistan Film Industry. He belonged to an educated Shia family originally from Uttar Pradesh, India where he was born in 1928.

His brother, Santosh Kumar, was also an actor and another brother, S. Sulaiman, is a director. He started his film career with the Punjabi film Billo in 1951. After starring in a few more films produced in Lahore, he decided to travel to India to try his luck there, where he only had moderate success. Notable films from this period include Adl-e-Jahangir opposite Meena Kumari and Barati. Critics applauded his performance in Saheli in which he starred alongside Nayyar Sultana and Shamim Ara. He won a Nigar Award for his performance in Saheli as well as a Presidential award. He died in Lahore on November 8, 1980.