Article By : Joanna Lobo (DNA India)
In
Pakistan, it was breaking news. A committee had been set up to select a film
and send it to the Oscars for consideration in the foreign-language category.
In the past, Pakistan has only submitted two films for Oscar consideration Jago
Hua Savera (1959) and Ghunghat (1962).
That
was 50 years ago. A ban on foreign and Indian films, stiff competition from
VCRs, lack of basic infrastructure or funding and demolition of cinema halls
resulted in a weakened film industry and an apathetic audience. There
wasn’t a single major film released in Urdu last year this year has already seen four, and 13 more
are scheduled for release. Eight films were released during Eid one in Urdu and
the rest in regional languages (3 Punjabi and 4 Pashto).
Zinda
Bhaag, which stars Naseeruddin Shah, recently bagged four awards, including the
best film, at the Mosaic 2013 (MISSAF) festival in Toronto. Main Hoon Shahid
Afridi, based on a boy who wants to become the famous cricketer, released to
packed theatres a few weeks back. In March 2014, the first ever international
Urdu Film Festival (UFF) will be held in Italy to promote Pakistani cinema and
encourage emerging talent.
“Over
20 films are set to release in 2013, a huge leap from previous years. We have
also seen an unprecedented increase in the number of theatres and multiplexes
opening across the country,” says Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who chairs the
committee that will select a film for the Oscars.
Obaid-Chinoy
is also the first Pakistani to win an Oscar, for her co-directed 2011
documentary Saving Face. ‘Going to the movies’ is now big business in
Pakistan,” she says.
Box
office hits
Nadeem
Mandviwalla would agree. The founder of Mandviwalla Entertainment has been one
of the pillars involved in rebuilding Pakistan’s film industry. Through his
cinemas and film distribution system, he is responsible for bringing in
Hollywood, 3D and animated films. During Eid, his Atrium multiplex in Karachi
pulled in 94% of his business in six days at three screens, six shows a day.
Earlier
this year, the film Chambaili became a box office hit, earning more than PKR
100 million locally. The horror flick
Siyaah
and Josh (Urdu) recovered their costs and Ishq Khuda (Punjabi) looks set to
cross the 20-25 million mark.
“What
all these figures show is the fact that films have started earning in
Pakistan,” says Aayan Mirza, a film journalist and one of the four curators
that run the Galaxy Lollywood website. He is also one of the brains behind the
Urdu Film Festival.
“The
commercial viability of the industry is returning and it has everything to do
with the fact that multiplexes exist,” says Mandviwalla. Pakistan has ten
multiplexes, several upgraded single screen cinemas, some equipped with 3D
technology, and numerous conventional single screen cinemas.
One
of the major factors behind the film industry’s resurgence is the government’s
decision to waive the controversial entertainment tax. This brought in people
like Mandviwalla who were interested in film distribution.
There
are very few distributors present in Pakistan and most of them are affiliated
with Media groups like Geo Films (Geo & Jung Group) and ARY Films (Ary
Media Group). Recently a new group called ‘The Platform’ was formed by ARY
Group and Mandviwalla Entertainment to give a platform to those new filmmakers.
Besides,
easier access to technology means social media is being harnessed for better
distribution. “Digital film making has been the real game changer,” says Aisha
K, a filmmaker. Many films are making the effort to cross boundaries, getting
exhibited and receiving critical acclaim outside the country. One
of these films was the Eid release, Josh, that premiered at the 2012 Mumbai
International Film Festival. “I think there is a rise of the Pakistani spring,
the ‘Naya’ Pakistan. There are better films in the pipeline.
We
just had to take the leap and now the flood gates have opened,” says debutante-director
Iram Parveen Belal. Josh, which is a mystery thriller in Urdu-English was made
on a small budget and got a limited release in Pakistan. “People are not very
used to Indie cinema. That being said, I have received appreciative comments on
the film,” she says.
New
ideas
Pakistan,
inspired by the success of Obaid-Chinoy’s own documentary that was received
well internationally, also has an independent documentary film scene, though it
is still in its infancy. While most of the recent big poster films are in Urdu,
there are a significant number of films being made in Punjabi and Pashto that
are popular in certain regions.
Many
new films use English and often a mixture of many languages.
“The
new generation is expanding the industry horizontally; they come with fresh
ideas and are not afraid to take chances.
There
are local art and film schools producing exceptional writers, directors and
producers,” says Obaid-Chinoy. “There are a lot of new faces in the Pakistan
film industry this year, young talent in the form of actors and directors have
been doing their bit to revive the film industry.
These
young directors are exploring new stories and making films which can break the
old image of the industry,” says Yasser Bilal Kiyani, a 23-year-old student and
creator of Pakistani Cinema blog.
It
appears that the country taking note of the new wave and even in Pakistan’s
perpetual state of political and social instability, films are finding their
voice.
It’s
what Obaid-Chinoy calls a ‘cathartic process’ and Mirza refers to as ‘societal
frustration’. “I think films are a very strong element of nationalist
identity,” adds Aisha. Waar talks about the issues of extremism and terrorism,
Zinda Bhaag is about illegal immigration, Hijrat is set against the backdrop of
the Afghan war, The Dusk revolves around people missing due to drone attacks
and Chambaili is a political drama.
“In
the case of making a film, it is the subject you pick and the place you exhibit
it. With both factors now available in Pakistan, we are seeing these films
being made more often,” says Mirza.
The
misses
It’s
not all hunky-dory though. The revival is still in its early stages. Most of
the current crop of filmmakers have studied abroad and many still turn to the
west for technical and other help in the filmmaking process. The films screened
in Pakistan, barring a few, are not released globally unless they are bought by
foreign buyers or have found foreign distributors.
“The
greatest ills facing our industry are a lack of funding for filmmakers and a
lack of mentors for first-time directors and cinematographers. People need to
start believing in Lollywood again,” says Obaid-Chinoy. She has a point. Even
though there is a committee that has been formed to select a film for the
Oscars, there are various conspiracy theories around it.
“Perhaps
what we need most in the country are graduate-level training programs and
exceptional faculty who can help mentor new artists,” says Dr Framji Minwalla,
chair, department of social sciences and liberal arts, Institute of Business
Administration, and one of the members of film selection committee for the
Oscars.
Good
film academies, a state-of-the-art film processing lab, the latest technical
equipment, a more stable environment with better infrastructure, and better
state support...there is much work that needs to be done to restore Pakistani
cinema to its former glory.
“The
concentration now is to build cinema...let it grow to the point that filmmaking
becomes the rule not the exception,” says Mandviwalla. Then, may be, India will
see more from the industry that gave us Bol and Khuda kay liye.
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