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Lollywood

When watching Academy Awards or Indian Film Fare Awards how many of you thought about our own Nigar awards. And if anyone was reminded of them it must have reminded them of our actors and actresses and the short revival of Lollywood with films like Sargam, Ghonghat, Jeeva, Inteha and maybe a few others that we actually went to the Cinema to watch. Don't you miss Reema, Saima, Noor, Meera, Resham, Nirma even Atiqa on the silver screen and Shan, Moamer Rana, John Rambo (Cockroach killer), Salim Sheikh and Baber Ali.

But where is Pakistani Cinema right now? Apart from the obvious fact that it is an artistic vacuum, it also means that all those who were associated with the industry, actors, directors, distributors, cameramen, writers, sound engineers etc are jobless. Even if the industry churned out bad films at least the industry existed and hope was there that new blood will cleanse the industry. But a popular medium like Cinema has been allowed or maybe even systematically destroyed. There existed National Film Development Corporation, NAFDEC which was dissolved in 2000 and after that our fragile cinema has been a sidekick at Lux Style Awards which are, as the name suggests, primarily for fashion industry.


Have people stopped dreaming in Pakistan? Does no one dream of appearing on the big silver screen and have his movie played in multiplexes? Don't they dream of people lining up outside studios for hours just to get a glimpse of them and to ask for autographs? What happened to these kind of dreams? What will happen to people who do, against all odds, have such dreams? What avenues are we providing for them to explore their luck and talent? Why was NAFDEC dissolved? Why don't all those people who suffered with the fall of Lollywood protest and join hands to push for a revival of Pakistan Film Industry?

If there is one hope for peace to return to Pakistan its through the popular culture and Cinema is an integral part of such a movement. Make gandasa movies, make all kinds of movies, have people run around trees singing cheesy songs, at least people will start dreaming again.

Comments

ZAHRA ZIA said…
theatre is more popular in pakistan and many fresh graduates of different artschools are coming up with pretty creative and unique stuff..and no one can deny the standard of pakistani dramas we have raw talent..however all of this can be incorporated into the film industry as well ..but why do we need cheesy films ? i think we should start with low budget films with excellent scripts and once we have established that i think commercial cinema will automatically flourish!
22 July 2010 at 19:27
مایون said…
Thanks for your comment Zahra. I am not suggesting that we should make only cheesy films but rather that we should continue to make films. The process should not stop. Some will be good, others disastrous but the makers and viewers would remian engaged and new comers will have a platform to experiment and grow. Its like when a house has remained vacant for too long it goes into disrepair and crumbles.
1 November 2010 at 16:32
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