Dracula in Pakistan (1967)
"Zinda Laash" (original title)

Director:

Khwaja Sarfraz

Writers:

Bram Stoker (adapted from the novel by), Naseem Rizwani (dialogues)

Stars:

Yasmeen Shaukat, Deeba Begum, Habibur Rehman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Yasmeen Shaukat	...	Shirin (as Yasmeen)
Deeba Begum	...	Shabnam (as Deeba)
Habibur Rehman	...	Aqil's Brother (as Habib)
Asad Bukhari	...	Dr. Aqil Harker (as Asad)
Allauddin	...	Parvez (as Ala-Ud-Din)
Nasreen	...	Vampire Bride
Sheela	...	Ghazala
Cham Cham	...	Nightclub Dancer
Baby Najmi	...	Baby
Rehan	...	Professor Tabani / Dracula
Nazar	...	Bandmaster
Agha Talish	...	Doctor (as Talish)
Rangeela	...	Guy at Nightclub
Munawar Zarif	...	Guy at Nightclub (as Munwar Zarif)
Latif Charlie

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

lollywood | 1960s | eternal life | death | vampire | 

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Taglines:

Dracula in Pakistan!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Pakistan

Language:

Urdu

Release Date:

7 July 1967 (Pakistan)

Also Known As:

Dracula in Pakistan

Filming Locations:

Lahore, Pakistan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Enterprise, Bari Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.44 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was almost banned from its original release because of the censors felt that the movie was too vulgar.

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Crazy Credits

"adopted from the novel by Bram Stoker"

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Connections

Version of Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

User Reviews

Man, that was enjoyable!

I like a good vampire movie now and again, and "Zinda Laash" is easily one of the most fun and bizarre examples of the genre that I've come across.

As other commentators on this site have noted, this is very clearly based on the 1950s British film version of Dracula, which was released in the U.S. as "Horror of Dracula." At times, "Zinda Laash" is almost a scene-for-scene remake of the British film, with even some of the same music cues re-used. (I could less charitably say "stolen!") I didn't mind this derivativeness too much, though; in fact, it was like a wacky bonus sometimes.

Despite being unoriginal in terms of plot, "Zinda Laash" still feels unique because it's got very bizarre (to a U.S. viewer) touches that clearly come from the Pakistani culture. For example, several scenes are suddenly interrupted by great song-and-dance numbers. The song lyrics are often weirdly fascinating, and the dances strangely sexy. I know these musical numbers slow down the plot, but I found them to be great fun nonetheless.

It's also interesting to see a version of Dracula that's largely secular - certainly there's no Christian iconography in evidence, which is logical of course, considering that this was produced for a mostly Muslim audience.

Another weird touch I should note is that some elements come directly from Bram Stoker's novel, not "Horror of Dracula." I don't want to spoil anything, but you might notice these faithful little inclusions during the scene when Dr. Aqil meets Dracula's bride. So, the film-makers obviously read the book in addition to ripping off the British film version! I like a bit of fidelity to the source novel.

Of course, most people would laugh this stuff off the screen today for seeming hokey. But actually, the photography is moody, the locations are well-chosen, and the hokey parts really just enhance the film's charm for me. What can I say? I got a charge out of it...