KARACHI, April 23: “Sheer belief has pushed me
to make this film, which is the first political movie made in Pakistan over the
past 65 years,” said filmmaker Shahzad Nawaz about his upcoming film,
Chambaili, while speaking at the South Asian Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences on Tuesday.
Mr Nawaz’s previous films include an adaptation
of Mohsin Hamid’s book, Mothsmoke, into a feature called Daira (2003) and Botal
Gali (2005), a film set against the backdrop of a conflict between bootleggers
and bonded warehouses, resulting in a dearth of alcohol in Karachi.
Responding to the suggestion that Botal Gali
couldn’t find a cinematic release due to a lack of avenues, Mr Nawaz said, “You
open avenues yourself. I decided not to. You have to demand your right —
especially in a country where your rights are taken
away every day. I will release it the day I feel
like it. And it will find a release.”
Fully titled, Chambaili: the fragrance of
freedom, the film has been written and co-produced by Shahzad Nawaz and
directed by Ismail Jilani. Set against a political backdrop, the film purports
itself to be a ‘saga of courage, romance and sacrifice of a group of friends
who are led by circumstances and incidents to find themselves at the crossroads
of fate’. Some of the actors starring in the film include Salman Peerzada,
Khalid Ahmed, Maira Khan, Shafqat Cheema, Omair Rana, Sadia Hayat, Saiqa
Khayyam, Ali Tahir, Ehtisham, Khalid Qureshi, Fatima, Ali Fateh, Humayun Bin
Rathor and Shahzad Nawaz with a special guest appearance by Ghulam Mohiuddin.
“This is a 100 per cent Pakistani film and we
take great pride in saying that,” said the director while introducing the film.
“The revival of cinema doesn’t take place with one film or by
corporate-sponsored projects on TV. How is the corporate sector going to bring
about a revival? They’re here to sell products.”
“What does a film have anything to do with TV?”
he questioned, “There will be a revival of cinema when we start treating films
like films.”
“When I made this film I only had Rs7,000 with
me,” the filmmaker said hinting at the struggle involved in making the film.
“Yet I believe it’s the biggest film ever produced in the country,” he said.
“Every intelligent person told me that this would sink. But when you connect
with your soul, you lose the fear of losing. Every time the film ran out of
money, it came in from somewhere,” he provided.
Asked about his decision to cast relative
newcomers in the film, Mr Nawaz responded, “What’s the point of picking up
established stars to ensure the success of the
film? Where is my input then? I haven’t cast actors – I have cast characters.
And the characters need to be bigger than the film.”
During the talk, he showed videos of two songs
from a film, Bahar, which showed the making of the film and is dedicated to his
cast and crew, and Azadi — a song inspired by the freedom fighter, Bhagat
Singh.
Talking about the potential impact of films as a
medium through which to communicate ideas and educate audiences, he said,
“There is always hope. I realised I have a bigger platform than that of our
President, Prime Minister, Army chief and a two-hour press conference put
together. This will become a part of our cultural archive and people will give
references to it 50 years from now.” He related that a roundabout in Lahore
where a part of the film had been shot was now officially called Chambeli
Chowk.
As a word of advice to the film students, he
said, “Whatever you do, do it from the heart. Even if the world tells you
you’re wrong. We weren’t born to spend the rest of our lives trying to prove to
people that we’re right.”
Article from : Dawn News - 24 April 2013
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