Rangeela

Saeed Khan Rangeela (Urdu: سعید خان رنگیلا) (January 1, 1937 – May 24, 2005) was a Pakistani Lollywood actor, singer and director. He is regarded as one of the finest comedians of the Pakistani film industry.

His birthname was Mohammad Saeed Khan and he was born in Parachinar, Pakistan. He took a keen interest in bodybuilding and physical exercises as a teenager.

He moved to Lahore at a young age and earned his livelihood by painting billboards for the Lahore movie industry. Once, when shooting of a film was taking place, some jolly character was found absent. The director called for Mohammad Saeed Khan to play the part which he did. All those present during the shooting were amused by his style. This way luck made him an actor. Rangeela made his professional cinematic debut in a 1958 Punjabi film Jatti, directed by M.J. Rana. He started playing humorous roles in movies and became very popular. Much later he formed Rangeela Productions to produce his own movies. He not only produced films but also directed his productions, sang songs, and wrote some scripts as well. His movies, to the surprise of many film industry stalwarts, attracted a large number of viewers. The film Diya aur toofan, May 9, 1969, was Rangeela's directional debut. He directed numerous movies under the banner of Rangeela Productions. His acting was showcased in Rangeela, September 11, 1970, in which he played the title role. His third consecutive hit film was Dil aur duniya, October 1, 1971, starring Habib, Aasia and Rangeela. He brought to the film Dil aur duniya, a sobering sense of a director's prowess which is the opposite to his celluloid persona.

When Rangeela produced film Dia aur toofaan he sang a song Gaa mere manwa gata ja re, janaa hai hamka door. People of the film industry were taken aback to know Rangeela was producing a film. The film attracted a large number of movie goers. His song also became very popular. Later he sang more songs which also were liked by music lovers. Rangeela's voice brought tears to the eyes of the listeners. His forte was tragic songs, and he was proficient at slow numbers.

Rangeela was a dominant force in Pakistani cinema for over forty years. He was married three times and had eight daughters and six sons. One of his daughters is an elected councillor in Lahore and the other is an MBA, CPA (Certified Public Accountant) in the US.