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Instep review
Today marks the end of the revival period of Pakistani cinema. It’s been ten long and glorious years since filmmakers rebooted an industry that had otherwise fallen into a ditch.
Briefly reviewing Pakistan’s history with cinema, it would be fair to say that the golden age of cinema was in the 1960s. Immediately after partition in 1948, Pakistani cinema struggled to find its way, mainly due to a lack of film equipment, experts and actors. It took almost 15 years for Pakistan to gain momentum but finally our cinema gave birth to Madam Noor Jahan, Waheed Murad, Shabnam, Sabiha Khanum, Nadeem Baig, Zeba Bakhtiar, Babra Sharif and countless others. Ultimately, the rule of General Zia-ul-Haq over the country destroyed the cinema. His Islamization policy resulted in the closure of many cinemas and heavy taxation, which led to the decline of the industry.
Urdu films took center stage in the 1990s, with the likes of director Syed Noor producing films that made social commentary, but by then the industry had also slowed down.
Enter the year 2000 and there were barely any films being made in Pakistan. It wasn’t until Shoaib Mansoor released his first cinematic masterpiece, Khuda Li, in 2007 that turned out to be a critical, as well as a commercial success, grossing over crores of rupees. 25 crore, making it one of the highest-grossing Pakistani films of all time. KKL is credited with being the film that revived Pakistan’s moribund film industry.
We even saw the horror film Zebakhana in 2007, which wasn’t as successful commercially, but it widened the horizons for filmmakers who realized that cinema could now be experimented with. Zebakhana, starring Usman Khalid Butt and Rubiya Chaudhary, eventually made it to several international film festivals.
So 2007 marks the beginning of the revival, and since 2017 is now over, it marks an entire decade of contemporary cinema.
Before one examines what the industry should look like in the next ten years, it is wise to take stock of what we have learned in the last ten years.
2008 saw the Pakistani release of Mehreen Jabbar’s Ram Chand, which resonated with many viewers for its sensitive subject matter. Political relations between Pakistan and India have always been strained, but people on both sides want to live with each other. The film depicts the complex relationship between the two countries through the eyes of actors Nandita Das, Maria Wasti and Nauman Ejaz.
Pakistan’s first contemporary, urban story came in the form of Silekistan, a film written and produced by filmmakers from Islamabad who have now established themselves in the industry. The film received a lot of criticism for portraying youth as frivolous and vulgar as it depicted a very western lifestyle (alcohol was liberally depicted in the film). Again, the indie film released internationally.
In 2011, Shoaib Mansoor made a comeback with his film, Bol, which launched the film career of one of the country’s biggest film stars, Mahira Khan, and catapulted lead star Humaima Malik to new heights.
2013 saw not one but several blockbusters, giving the industry confidence that our cinema is indeed back. Main Hoon Shahid Afridi, Zinda Bhaag, Josh and Seedlings were all films that won a lot of praise for their unique plots and strong performances, but Bilal Lashari’s Vaar made investors realize that money could be made. The Shaan Shahid starrer Vaar grossed over 30 crores, the highest grossed by any Pakistani film before it.
Since then, there has been no looking back. Nabeel Qureshi made his debut in 2014 with his hugely successful film ‘Namaoum Indhar’ starring Fahad Mustafa, Mohsin Abbas Haider and Javed Shaikh, while the films ‘Dakhtar’ and ‘021’ also caught the attention of the audience. Captivated.
2015 was a very successful year as the number of films increased rapidly. Nadeem Baig released Jawani Phir Nahi Aani, a blockbuster that grossed over 40 crores. Game-changing films like Jami’s Moor and Sarmad Khost’s Minto also achieved critical success. There were also films like Bin Roy, Wrong Number, Karachi Se Lahore and Dekh Magar Pyaar Se which introduced many TV actors to the film world. We also saw the film debut of newcomer Armina Rana Khan, who will be seen in several big-budget films in the future.
Most importantly, 2015 introduced us to Pakistan’s first animated film, 3 Bahadur, directed by Academy Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy.
2016 was no different. We saw many new stars enter the industry through films like Jaaan. Nabil Qureshi released his second hit film, starring Fahad Mustafa and Mehwish Hayat. Ho Man Jahan, Bachna, Mah Meer, Zindagi Katni Hussain Hai, Again Again and Aay from Lahore also saw the light of day.
Which brings us to 2017. It’s been ten years since the release of Khuda Laye and yes, we have come a long way. But the path our cinema is currently taking is not the best. While it is admirable that we see so many Pakistani films releasing in our cinemas every year, the most important thing is that most of these films are blockbusters at the box office.
Investors are now afraid to invest their income in films because there are very few films that actually succeed. For example, 2017 saw only two major blockbusters: Punjab Nahi Jaon Gi, (which is the highest-grossing film of all time) and Na Maalum Aradhan 2. Mehronisa We Love You also managed to earn some profit but all the other films barely broke even. Even
Take a look at the case of ISPR’s film Project Ghazi. The film was much talked about as Pakistan’s first superhero film. It was also considered progressive because it featured Saira Shahrouz as the lead scientist of a military program. The money was invested by several well-known brands. In fact, insiders reveal that a brand took a huge risk with the film but Project Ghazi never saw the light of day. It was so poorly made that the main star cast was seen walking out of the hall midway through the film, with Humayun Saeed claiming it needed re-editing. The film was pulled from theaters shortly after its premiere, never to be seen again. These countless hours and rupees just went down the drain.
Films like Yelaghar, Verna, Chale Thay Saath and Balu Mahi could have strengthened the industry but due to weak content, the films were merely mediocre. Thora Ji Ley and Pashta also performed poorly at the box office. Sadly, the last two films of the year, Rangreza and Arth the Destination, were huge disappointments and are currently struggling at the box office. Chopan Chopai is getting rave reviews. Let’s hope the box office figures match these reviews as well.
Is an industry operating if it is losing more money than it is earning? Is it wise to ride on the success of one or two films throughout the year?
The lessons to be learned from these ten years are: We need to invest wisely. Scriptwriters don’t get much attention, or aren’t paid enough, which results in our content being extremely weak. Hence, there is a need to better invest in writers, who have the least glamorous work but are essentially the backbone of any film.
TV commercial directors probably need to take a break. There is a big difference between film direction and advertisement only because Pakistani advertisements lack narrative. If one were to look at the advertisements of well-known brands like Coke or Lux, they would notice that the advertisements are visually beautiful but lack a story. The same is true of films made by commercial directors. They shine on the screen but leave the viewer feeling empty.
Filmmakers also need to understand that no media lobby is trying to break the industry. This year, many filmmakers with poor films criticized critics for giving ‘misinformation’ to the public. Sahir Lodhi, Shaan Shahid, Yasir Nawaz and Syed Noor all believed that their films were reduced due to negative film reviews. But if most of the reviews are bad, isn’t it possible that the movie is just bad? Word of mouth is a powerful tool for a film’s success, so even if all the bloggers and critics have joined an alliance (let’s face it), it’s the common man’s word that will bring people to the cinema. . And people are not coming to watch Pakistani films.
It’s been ten years. We can no longer hide behind the excuse of revitalizing our industry. Over the next ten years our reputation should grow both locally and internationally. One has to stop competing with Hollywood and Bollywood and look for films that can be made with smaller budgets. Right now the market is small so there is no point in spending more than Rs. 5 to 10 crores on a film, unless you are Nabeel Qureshi or Nadeem Baig, two film directors who have figured out what works in Pakistan. Even the director of Chopan Chopai, Mohsin Ali, should be considered a force to be reckoned with. It has delivered one of the best made films of the year. We’re curious to see what else he can bring to the table.
It is high time filmmakers stop claiming that “the industry is recovering”. We made it alive. Now it’s time to take it to the next level.
