Cinema Revival

The Pakistani cinema industry, bolstered by some quality productions in the recent past, seems to be scrambling for its revival. Cinema in Pakistan was experiencing a decline as the number of cinemas in the country fell from 700 to 150 over the decades. The abysmal quality of local movies caused cinema to deteriorate although the situation for viewers and owners was somehow elevated when the exhibition of Indian films was allowed.
Recently, however, Lollywood appears to be going through a major shift as the trend emerges of making films that dealt with different rather than conventional subjects emerged and using advanced techniques of production.
Shoaib Mansoor dared to bring out films on sensitive topics and lately released “Bol”, which is expected to hit the Indian Cinemas on Eid-ul-Fitar. Chairman Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association Zoraiz Lashari revealed in an interview with Indian magazine that the international distribution rights of “Bol” had been sold to India’s leading film distribution company Eros International that will exhibit the movie across the border and in other parts of the region.
The same filmmaker had released the trend-setting film “Khuda Kay Liay” in 2007 which was followed by Mehreen Jabbar’s Ramchand Pakistani.
Another movie named “Waar” is also in its post-production phase and may take a few more months to come on screens. An action thriller film is the second venture of famous music-video director Bilal Lashari which he is making in collaboration with ISPR and veteran Pakistani actors Shaan and Shamoon Abbasi. Based on the theme of War against terrorism, the movie will hit the Pakistani big screens after being exhibited at some international film festivals. The film was shot in Islamabad, Lahore, Swat and some parts of Afghanistan as well.
Moreover, young filmmakers have also emerged on the scene of filmmaking with some commendable works. Recently, the Islamabad-based independent filmmakers made “Slackistan” showing what life is like in the capital for a specific part of the country’s socio-economic spectrum. The film could not get the approval of Censor Board and yet was screened at federal and provincial capitals and applauded by viewers.
Critics say that the pace of the revival is too slow since it started from “Khuda Kay Liay” in 2006; there have been only a few movies which gave reasonable business to cinemas. Calling it a temporary relief, critic and poet Ahmad Hammad says more investment in films is imperative. He questions how local films, of a budget hardly in millions, can compete with Indian counterparts of billion-rupee-budgets. Suggesting ways to bail out the industry, he said those who have earned a lot from films and cinemas in the past should now pay back to it and invest in producing films. “Filmmakers should consider multinationals also for this purpose as they spend hefty budgets in their commercials. They can be convinced to invest that money in films and their products to be advertised in it,” he added.
Revival of mainstream cinema will take a longer time; a strategy of promoting parallel cinema should also be employed by producing short films on social issues with low budgets, Hammad recommends. He summed up his suggestions saying that hundreds of films can be produced on the stories of flood and earthquake victims in the country.
Another objection made on the claims of revival is that the mentioned producers are famous but outsiders of Lollywood. Lollywood veterans also smell the change in the air and this Eid two Urdu movies are being released: “Love Mein Ghum” by Reema Khan and “Bhai Log” by Faisal Bukhari.
Secretary-General Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association Qaisar Sana Ullah said that the new films would really help the industry to bloom again and the cinemas to be revived. He said it had been a long time since quality films were produced in Lollywood. However the trend and quality is coming back. He revealed that cinemas for Reema’s “Love mein Gum” and “Bhai Log” have been booked in Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Lahore and Karachi. Once the country had more than 700 cinemas and 200 films were produced annually. Now the numbers have dwindled down to an alarming level. Qaisarullah say that since the year began, only three Pakistani films were released and the number of films being released at Eid-ul-Fitar is also three. “It is luck that these are outstanding and big budget movies, otherwise it would have been a disaster to the declining cinema sector in Pakistan,” he added. The post-production of these films was done in Bangkok and India
He hoped that the trend would continue and big budgets films will give a boost to industry. Revealing about “Waar”, he said that the movie may be released near Eid-ul-Zuha.
Veteran film producer and director Syed Noor sees the future of local film industry as bright. He says that the new people coming to film-making will give a boost to the industry. As more and more youth come up to produce films from film schools, the resulting combination of seniors and juniors will help to churn out more quality films,” Syed Noor hoped.