In one scene of the
film, an illegal ‘immigration expert’ is surgically recreating a passport for a
man who is desperate to get out. He meticulously uses tweezers to peel off one
passport picture and then replaces it with another. His hands are steady; after
all, the consequences of getting caught are too frightening. This single act
encapsulates the theme of Zinda Bhaag — a depiction of the essence of the
‘Pakistani dream’ as we know it today.
In the heart of a
lower-middle class neighbourhood in Lahore, friends Khaldi (Khurram Patras),
Taambi (Zohib) and Chitta (Salman Ahmed Khan) are living life to the fullest;
they eat, drink and make merry. They look for love, get their hearts broken,
and tease each other like any tightly-knit group of old friends would.
Naseerudin Shah as Pehlvan is less of the mohalla’s ‘social worker’, and more
the Godfather figure. He is introduced to us when he walks into the funeral of
Booba, one of the residents of the area, who had managed to escape to France by
hiding in a container. He eventually started his own restaurant called La
Booba, so he became an inspiration to youngsters in the mohalla. The scene
shows the obsession the residents of the neighbourhood have with finding
success in foreign lands.
In Zinda Bhaag, the
film’s directors Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi manage to create a culturally
accurate story world, while taking a limited amount of screen time. The
naturally raw Lahori accent; the corny humour; a family’s obsession with Urdu
soaps and the yearning of the boys to make an appearance at a funeral just to
get a taste of free mutton qorma are examples of an apt cultural representation
that Pakistani films fail to achieve.
A pleasant
combination of traditional cinema shots and snappy cinematography captures
both, the soul of Lahore and the essence of a neorealist saga.
The visuals are
supported by a light hearted yet unsettling story with back to back powerful
one-liners that keep you glued to your seats and leave you craving for more.
Shah as Pehlvan has
a larger-than-life persona, but also relates the ghosts of his past. Despite
donning funky pink kurtas and wearing multi-coloured rings, there is a menacing
darkness to Pehlvan, without whose blessings, it seems you cannot make it big
in the mohalla. His proficiency in Punjabi is as immaculate as his fluency in
Urdu. Khaldi, Taambi and Chitta are newcomers turned method actors. Their
comfort in the atmosphere created by ZB plays a seminal role in making them
believable. Bringing in non-actors was a smart choice, and an even smarter one
to edit their shots well-enough to prevent their naivety from being translated
on screen. That shouldn’t, however, take away from the well-performed long
takes. Editing is the backbone of any film but very few (especially in
Pakistan) have used it effectively, and it’s the clever cutting of the shots,
along with tight pacing that keeps the audience of ZB wanting more.
The songs are good,
but they sometimes become a needless deviation from a very precise plot,
preventing Zinda Bhaag from being considered perfect. One wonders whether the
powerful words penned by Mohammad Hanif in Dekhainge deserved something better
than a half-hearted retaliation and a whole-hearted celebratory dance by a
bunch of socially suppressed waiters.
The problems for Zinda
Bhaag start as soon as Khaldi meets his love interest Rubina (Amna Ilyas), a
petite, animated girl who sells a homemade soap called Facelook. While the
humour surrounding her character is refreshing, it has hardly any contribution
to the narrative. She doesn’t serve the purpose of eye candy, nor is she a good
actor. More than that, her dialogue delivery is monotonous and she has a
limited range of expressions on screen. Shoots and the ramp, it seems, are
better places for Amna.
All in all, Zinda
Bhaag stylistically highlights one of the most central social issues faced by
Pakistanis — the issue of survival. Those who can run away will, but only after
accumulating adequate resources. Others dream of running away, even if it means
putting all their resources at stake.
Verdict: Zinda
Bhaag is a must watch. In its modest, yet ingenious approach towards
storytelling, Zinda Bhaag easily becomes the best film to have come out of
modern day Pakistani cinema.
Score: 4/5
Published in The
Express Tribune, September 20th, 2013.
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