The release of Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha is just around the corner, with a nationwide rollout planned for January 24. The film, which had its world premiere at the prestigious Busan Film Festival, was originally passed by the Central Board of Film Censors and the two provincial boards earlier in 2019, but subsequently attracted attention of a far right fringe group, after which its trailer was taken down and a re-edited version uploaded in its place.
On Thursday, Sarmad wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan to draw his attention towards the obstacles that being created for his film. He shared the letter on Twitter in which he stated “Like any other film, made in any part of the world, Zindagi Tamasha is a reflection of its setting. My team and I explored themes around gender constructs, class divisions and complex human experiences. There was never any intention to attack, to point fingers at or humiliate any individual or institution.”
https://twitter.com/KhoosatSarmad/status/1217818381149229062
In the letter, he noted that the film had been cleared by the three censor boards (2 provincial and CBFC) already, however a ‘complaint’ had been registered against him, the producer and the writer based on the content in the trailer. Following the ‘complaint,’ the film was submitted again to the three censor boards, and was cleared by all three after minor cuts. The Humsafar director vouched with “full conviction that there is nothing offensive or malicious in the film.”
The latest on the film is that the same far-right group which originally lodged the complaint has now called for a protest rally against the film days prior to its release. It should be noted that the same group had previously been involved in creating unrest throughout the country as well. According to the filmmaker, “Just a week before the film’s release, another attempt is being made by the same group to stop the release of the film and this time they are hell-bent on using pressurizing tactics.”
With the film scheduled to hit theatres in less than a week, the coming few days will be crucial towards how the government addresses this issue. Stay tuned to Galaxy Lollywood for the latest on Zindagi Tamasha and a lot more.
