The three day Faiz International Festival 2016 ended on a high note.

LAHORE-The three day Faiz International Festival 2016 ended on a high note. The event featured thought provoking sessions and panel discussions on Pakistani film and music industry. Leading personalities from the film industry called for collective effort to revive the cinema. 

Revival or Rebirth? The state of Pakistani cinema

This session was conducted by the gorgeous actor Mira Hashmi and the panelists were Sarmad Khoosat, Nabeel Qureshi, Jami and Vasay Chaudary.  Mira Hashmi began the discussion by saying when they were planning this session they thought they would add the word rebirth with revival of Pakistani cinema. She said her first question to the guests today is that our cinema moving towards revival, is it a rebirth of our new cinema?

Sarmad Khosat said, “I think yes we are moving towards the revival and it is a new birth of Pakistani film industry. From the year 2012 the cinema and film making in Pakistan did a wonderful comeback. I remember where films like Namaloom Afraad, Jawani Phir Nahi Ani and Moor were showcased. Manto was a big challenge for me but I don’t know how it happened. It worked as people loved my work and Manto made a good business on the box office. I believe some things you see as a director and others like a producer. In our country the film makers, directors and even producers all are confused.

“They should understand the actual phenomena to establish a film industry. We believe it or not the audience didn’t love to watch that Gandasa culture films where the actresses are dancing in the grounds of village. Today that audience is appreciating our films which are the considered the rebirth of Pakistani cinema. If you talk about film making in the past time making films was a technique in itself, now things are getting better day by day and thanks to the digital technology. We could do something like Iran, which has had to face similar issues as far as its film industry is concerned. The Iranian government offered to provide incentives and infrastructure to their filmmakers to make good films. “And their efforts bore results in the form of their first Oscar win in 2011 when such improvements will start coming in Pakistani cinema our films will surely beat every industry.”

Nabeel Qureshi said, “I actually don’t understand the phenomena of what is Lollywood & Bollywood? Because we speak same language, wear same clothes otherwise I don’t think so there is any difference between both the state. That is a stupid concept if I start saying India wears right T-Shirt we should wear it in opposite way because we want to be different from them .

The most important thing I would like to mention today in this session of Faiz International Festival is  the concept of Item Number. Dance is actually an art form. When we bring it in our films people watch them but at the same side they start talking about Islamic concepts’. In my film Namaloom Afrad I added item number song by Mehwish Hayat people started saying this movie did business on the box-office because of the item number comparatively many other films released at that time even they had item number songs but flopped badly on the cinema houses. “After then I made Actor-In-Law and proved those people rather than arguing with them. It was my desire to put an item song in Actor-In-Law so, that when awards show should happen we would have our own song to perform rather than performing on Indian songs.

“The concept of filmmaking is so tricky these day you can’t make fool to the audience. When the film will be released audience will come to watch if the script will appeal them they will appreciate and clap otherwise they will criticize simple.

Vasay Chaudary ended the session by saying that he wanted to clarify that the films being made in Pakistan these days are not the style of Bollywood but were an adapted style. “Yousaf Khan the first hero of Pakistan film industry when he was lip singing was it Bollywood style? Waheed Muraad Sahab dancing on ‘Coco rina’ was not dancing in Bollywood style. It was for all for the Pakistani audience.  From the year 2003 to 2013 our film industry had to face downfall and in between that time period two films appeared which fascinated the audience which was Khuda Ke Liyae and Bol. The films which we are doing are not Bollywood style but our very own. The technology may have changed but otherwise the culture and traditions all are the same. Our very own,” Vasay maintained.