Written By: Momin Ali Munshi
Cover Art By: Zeeshan Mahmood
Independence Day is a special day and holds great importance for all us Pakistani’s. Its a day we all celebrate with patriotic zest while paying homage to our fore-fathers for all their sacrifices. Its a day like none other and a day which surely justifies all the jubilation and hoopla that surrounds it. But things this time around are going to be extra special as this Independence Day will see not one, not two, but three Pakistani films releasing on the very same day! And if media reports are to be believed this has not happened for at least forty years , making this simultaneous release a momentous occasion. But in this article I try to raise the question and talk to industry insiders and ask them is this actually something worth celebrating?
Everyone knows that the Pakistani Film Industry’s revival has just recently gained momentum. We are finally in a period where we are seeing a continuous flow of films every month and the films too are being well received by the audiences. However a closer look at the release dates would show that most releases seem to be centered around the third quarter and more so in August which is going to see a total of five films hitting cinemas. While this may seem as a cause for celebration but it might just turn out that all the film releases are exhausted in this period which brings about another dry spell for the Film Industry.
But the bigger concern at this point is the release of ‘Dekh Magar Pyaar Say’, ‘Moor’ and ‘Shah’ on the fourteenth august along with two international releases namely ‘Brothers’ from Bollywood and ‘ The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ from Hollywood all releasing on the very same day.
“Honestly this is crazy. It took us eight years to establish back our cinema industry. This gave local film makers the strength to make films as well as experiment with genres. But this collision of films is killing everybody’s hard work, specially director and producers.” says Mohsin Yaseen, Head of Marketing for Footprint Entertainment (The distributors for Shah).
He adds “These clashes can easily be avoided by talking to each other or making a producer / distributor association who authorizes a release date as per a slate. Don’t you think worldwide producers and distributors collide on release dates and want to release there films on Christmas, Eid day or other special occasions.They found a way to over come this mistake and managed to give every release at least one week’s clean window to make the maximum out of it. We need to follow this same pattern, or else we will very soon exhaust all our films and will again have to wait years for new productions to happen.“
But the argument being used by people who are supportive of this release is that Fourteenth August is a big day and it can tackle the five releases. Normally Eid days have been seen as the best time to release a film because of the number of people that visit cinemas during this period is huge .This Eid-ul Fitr saw a total first day collection of about 3cr which was majorly distributed between ‘Bin Roye’ ‘Wrong Number’ ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ and ‘Terminator’. Taking this 3 cr as the benchmark one can assume that 14 August would bring a similar collection at the box office. But while Eid saw all commercial films hitting cinemas this time around we have more niche targeted films.
” Yes I know that Moor is not a masala film. But I see a complete new life in industry.Even if Moor is killed by other masala films I will still be happy that my industry is alive and kicking” says Jami Mahmood the director of Moor.
Another point to be considered is that in addition to the five films releasing this Independence Day we still have past releases such as ‘Bajrangi’ ‘Wrong Number’ ‘Karachi Se Lahore’ among others which are still doing wonders at the box-office so things for the new releases will be extra hard.
“It has been an exceptionally encouraging year for Pakistani produced films starting from Jalaibee followed by 3 Bahadur, Bin Roye, Wrong NO. and recently released Karachi Se Lahore. All films have done exceptionally well at the Box Office and have garnered a total gross Box Office collection on each film which has been a very welcoming surprise.The audience in Pakistan has really supported the efforts of these filmmakers and have enjoyed their craftsmanship. Considering the same we can envisage the probability of a same response for the upcoming 3 films namely, Shah, Dekh Magar Pyaar Say and Moor on 14th August which remain very different in genres amongst each other.
The diversity of support shown earlier by the audience does encourage all filmmakers to make films with diverse subjects and try their craftsmanship. MOOR is a serious drama which has a deep meaning relating to its story around the Motherland and a staunch belief of a mother in a small family. Thus, the date of 14th August was most appropriate.
MOOR may not be a masala film but surely it will be a treat to see the film as it has been exquisitely shot in the locales of Baluchistan and will be a great cinematic treat for the public at large.We do believe that there is a very diversified audience in Pakistan now for the cinemas who is ready to explore any kind of genre which pleases them and is likeable.Wishing all films and their teams the best of luck for 14th August and may Allah give everyone the success they deserve.”
“As a member of the Pakistani film industry I am very happy. This is the first time in the last 40 years that 3 Pakistani films are releasing on Independence Day and I am proud that our film is part of the ensemble on this historic day.With regards the clash with the other films, ours is a small, independent film made with a limited budget and just the fact that we are in competition with such major motion pictures made with much larger budgets says a lot about the power of our idea and our cinema. I will watching both DMPS and Moor to support the local film industry and will request the same from everyone who reads this.”
Head of Marketing for Footprint Entertainment Mohsin Yaseen adds
“Yes, Shah is not Masala film. But you dont have to be a Masala film, you just need to be a good film. Its a film about our forgotten National Hero who survived the tough life of Layari and made his mark felt. I believe this will do the same and we let the ticket sales decide the fate of the film. As far as Bollywood and Hollywood is concerned, can we please be patriotic on at least 14 August and support Pakistani Cinema?”
I decided to ask cinema people whats their take on this. Khurram Gultasab, General Manager of Super Cinemas said “Well we will make sure that each film gets its due number of showtimes but at the end of the day it is all on what the audiences want. Currently we have Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Wrong Number both running to packed houses in our single screen cinemas and because the audience wants them we are playing them. Lets see what happens this Eid, although if you ask me I think Brothers will rule the single screens while the Pakistani releases will have a strong hold at the multiplexes”
Well looks like we will have to wait for the Independence Day to come and see what it brings with itself. However you let us know what your take on this entire situation is in our comments sections. Also dont forget to vote for your favorite film in our special Independence Day Poll. ( Click Here to Vote )
Note: repeated attempts were made to get a response from the makers of ‘Dekh Magar Pyaar Say’ but they were a bit pre-occupied and chose not to reply.
I think the important culprit — the distributors — have been missed out here. DMPS announced their release date months ago. Moor and Shah just joined the bandwagon. If their films suffer, they are only to blame themselves. And if these distributors dont mend their ways, the government needs to set regulations to ensure that domestic productions are not trampled by “mass favorites” i.e. crappy films from across the border. And then these guys cry wold about “restrictions” and “business profitability.” To have 2 foreign prods in addition to holdovers in the theaters is simply an abuse of freedoms.