Singer-actor Ali Zafar says Pakistani cinema is going through a bad patch for want of good stories but feels that with the entry of new age directors and the social media, the content quality is expected to improve. “Pakistani cinema is going through a rough patch, but slowly it is getting better, with new age directors getting into filmmaking and producing films like ‘Bol’ and ‘Khuda Kay Liye’,” Ali said in an interview. The 31-year-old actor admits that the new generation in Pakistan is opening up to fresh and realistic stories. “It feels very nice to see that youth and people are aware, they are more politicised.
They all want change. It is a myth that Pakistan is a conservative country,” he added. Once a prolific moviemaking country, Pakistan had 1,300 cinema halls in the 1970s with an average annual production of around 300 movies. But by 2005, the country had only 270 cinema halls and made about 18 movies a year. The rest of the movie halls have been converted into gas stations, shopping malls or car showrooms. In 2010, just eight Pakistani movies were produced. Movie buffs in Pakistan have a hearty appetite for Hollywood and Bollywood movies, but have to watch pirated copies of films as access to movie theatres is limited for most people. In 2008, the Pakistani government lifted the ban on Indian films and that gave a much-needed boost to the cinema business, says Ali. “Since Indian films have started coming to Pakistan, people are going to cinemas more often.
Now more cinema halls are being constructed. The government has made the rule that every mall should have a theatre and screens and it is certainly getting better,” he added. In recent times two Pakistani films-‘Bol’ and ‘Khuda Kay Liye’ by Shoaib Mansoor – were not only appreciated on their home turf but also won critical acclaim in the international arena. Mehreen Jabbar’s ‘Ramchand Pakistani’, which had Indian actress Nandita Das, too was appreciated globally. Pakistani filmmaker Mian Adnan Ahmad’s short film ‘Heal’ won the Best Science Fiction-Fantasy Film award at this year’s Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival. Although Ali hasn’t done any films in Pakistan, he worked as a model for several commercials.
He has also acted in Pakistani TV serials like ‘Lunda-Bazar’ and ‘Kanch Ke Par’ and the highly popular teenage sitcom ‘Kollege Jeans’. He is delighted to see the quality of shows being produced in the country. He also expressed his gratitude to the government for taking note of Mehdi Hassan’s ill health. Zafar, who admits the ghazal maestro’s divine music is his biggest inspiration, dedicated a song to him in his latest album ‘Jhoom’, ‘Jaane man’. This, along with his tweets wishing Hasan, a swift recovery, has helped turn the spotlight on the ailing singer. The Information Minister of Sindh, Shazia Marri, visited him in hospital and offered to bear the expenses of his treatment, sating that if need be Hasan would be sent abroad. “The government has taken the right steps. I’m happy to hear they’ve taken charge of his medical facilitations.
I’ll pray for his health. He is a great asset to music. There is no singer like him, never was and never can be,” says a relieved Ali, who unveiled his first Bollywood score for London Paris New York yesterday. Unlike fellow Pakistani actor-sing Atif Aslam, Ali doesn’t think he can judge a talent hunt contest even though he’s been offered several on both sides of the border: “Some of the contestants are far better than me. So, I’d like to concentrate on films and acting.”
