Alif Noon

Alif Noon is a classical comedy series written by Kamal Ahmad Rizvi. The first season was telecast by PTV in 1965. It’s old yet it remains fresh even today. Several situations depicted in this series are applicable even to the modern times—something which is common between Alif Noon and the equally great Fifty-fifty.

The name Alif and Noon stood for Allan and Nannha, the two characters around which the whole series is based. Each episode is usually be about a business plan created by Allan, in which Nannha is used as a stooge. Allan is clever to think of ways to make quick bucks and he needs an innocent front-man for his plans, for which Nannha is suitable but sometimes he is too innocent to be of any good.

Main Cast

Kamal Ahmad Rizvi and Rafi Khawar

1. Allan played by Kamal Ahmad Rizvi is a devious businessman with least regard to ethical values in business. He starts one business after another with the hope to get rich as quickly as possible. In each endeavour, he needs an innocent front-man to assist him. The choice is always Nannha. Unfortunately, none of his get-rich-quick schemes actually work.
2. Nannha played by Rafi Khawar is a simple-minded friend of Allan. Sometimes he knows the devious nature of their business and sometimes he is kept completely in the dark. Even when he knows the actual plan, he has only good wishes for Allah but then his natural instincts and the desire to be an honest man overpower his desire to run a successful business. It’s usually one of the silly mistakes of Nannha which reveal the reality of their business to their customers, and thus each business they start is eventually doomed. 

Trailer

Trivia

1. The initial episodes of this TV series were broadcast live as PTV didn’t use to have a recording system in 1965.
2. Kamal Ahmad Rizvi was born in Bihar in 1930. He migrated to Pakistan in 1951. His other relatives never moved to Pakistan.
3. Rafi Khawar worked in a financial institution before he tried his luck with movies but he could never make it into the film industry directly. Luckily, he was selected for the role of Nannha in the TV series, which opened the path to the big screen for him.