matching sensibil
ity make India a promising destination for screening films from across the border, say Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi, co-directors of highly acclaimed Pakistani film Zinda Bhaag.
Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah-starrer Zinda Bhaag is the first Pakistani movie to be sent for the Oscars in the last 50 years.
In 2008, Shoaib Mansoor’s Khuda Kay Liye was released commercially in India, making it the first Pakistani film to release across the border after 43 years. It was followed by Mehreen Jabbar’s “Ramchand Pakistani”. In 2011, Indian audiences were treated to Mansoor’s Bol.
Now, the makers of Zinda Bhaag are hoping that the film, on illegal immigration, will be welcomed with open arms in India.
“I really think Pakistani films need to be (regularly) shown in India.
That needs to happen,” Gaur, who is here with Nabi for the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, told.
“In terms of the distance, Delhi, Amritsar and Lahore are so close and yet people don’t know about the everyday lives of people across the border. So I think films like ours, which people can relate to and enjoy, need to be seen and shared,” she added.
Zinda Bhaag” was showcased at a screening here at the ADFF. It was appreciated for its local Lahori flavour, punchy dialogues and natural acting and for showcasing an issue as sensitive as the clamour of the youth to settle in a foreign land by hook or by crook, in a light-hearted but convincing manner.
Gaur believes the film, which took over two years and roughly $500,000 to make, has the ability to strike a chord with Indian audiences for more reasons than one. (IANS)
