The app with more than 130,000 downloads now allows users to smash Metro Bus, and Tahir Shah
The advent of Gullu Butt did to mobile applications what Imran khan did to social media: help discover it as space for political discourse. While Khan has an army of social media activists and followers slugging it out for him online, Butt stood a lone warrior (that is, not considering the dozens in uniform on the spot his allies). His window-crushing appetite has already inspired developers to come up with a mobile game by his very name ‘Gullu’.
“I just got up that morning and thought I should do something different: it was the app Gullu,” Pawail Qaiser, CEO of Weird Science, said in an exclusive talk with this publication.
Since then the game, meant for Android users, has got more than 130,000 downloads and hundreds of reviews abuzz with political commentary. However, the makers of the game deny any political affiliation at all. “Even if Imran Khan gave us Rs10 million to develop an app for him, we will refuse because we have no political affiliation. It is only a chance that the person selected for the game is relevant,” Qaiser said.
The game is however full of subtle political undertones with Punjab police standing in the background and a lion shown on the side. After thousands of downloads and an overwhelming feedback from the users, the developers have come up with an upgrade: the users now have options of Metro Bus, Tahir Shah of the song ‘Eye to Eye’ fame and airplane to crush.
While collecting broken window glasses will earn points, the user has to beat the ‘rainbow’ eyes out of Tahir Shah and score points.
Moreover, Gullu becomes a councilor, nazim, MPA, MNA and chief, depending on the maximum points he earns by breaking the “headlights of a car or Metro Bus”.
“Our aim solely is to promote local heroes and villains and even introduce our characters to the international market as well. There is a Gullu Butt on every street corner and there is a Gullu Butt-esque person in every family which the family is mostly proud of,” Faizan, a co-developer from Weird Science, said.
The last time there was a sharp gibe at the political characters through an app was ‘Angry Imran’ but that only had a short spurt. “Gullu has shown a persistent rating and Google Play ranked it in the top 10 apps trending in Pakistan,” Faizan added.
That the country’s youth is giving vent to the political angst through the mobile apps is a development in itself. Thousands of users demanding from the developers to include Metro Bus for crushing gives a peak into the educated youth’s mindset. Moreover, the more you crush, the more points you earn and become a councilor, nazim, an MPA or MNA, further reflecting on how the literate people perceive the political class.
Gullu, the app, has been a trendsetter with six new apps launched within days featuring the same character. Internationally, such games are sometimes inspired by comic books and later on translate into a movie, at times. However, Gullu has been an exception: a real life character inspiring developers and getting into an app.
Gullu Butt, the person, is on judicial remand. A lot has been said and done by political opposition and the people at large. However, this app has preserved the essence of the episode in a way no other media could have done.