The first-ever London Pakistani Film Festival (LPFF) is going to take center stage on October 1 this year.
LPFF will present four days of cinematic brilliance with some of the finest films from the Pakistani film industry.
The festival will feature six Pakistani films:
Nayab
The Legend of Maula Jatt
Zindagi Tamasha
London Nahi Jaungi
Teri Meri Kahaniyan
Pink Shirt
The festival aims to revive interest in Pakistani cinema throughout the world.
Pakistani filmmaker, Sarmad Khoosat’s much-awaited Zindagi Tamasha has been delayed again.
As confirmed by Khoosat himself, the Arif Hassan and Eman Suleman starrer will no longer be releasing in the anticipated Friday slot. A new release date is yet to be announced, much to the dismay of a thoroughly enticed Pakistani audience that was all geared up to show the film its due share of love.
With a script revolving around Rahat, a beloved, devout Muslim who is a naat Khawan, the film zeroes in on the protagonist losing the support of his community after a video featuring him goes viral, causing shame to befall upon him and his family.
The fact that the cast and crew of Zindagi Tamasha have already experienced exhausting turbulence with regards to the release of the film is public knowledge. Despite the Senate Committee for Human Rights approving the screening of the film, its 2020 release became a looming question mark after Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) took offense with the content of the film, calling for protests against its release.
Earlier it was supposed to release on March 18, 2022 in Pakistani cinemas after a widely speculated controversy with religious elements involved due to which it was barred to be screened earlier.
The production company Khoosat Films released a trailer of the film on YouTube, showing its new release date.
The cast of the movie includes Arif Hassan, Eman Suleman, Samiya Mumtaz, and Ali Kureshi.
The official synopsis states: “The film is an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on little gods on this earth who police our private passions.”
The film was directed and co-produced by Sarmad Khoosat and written by Nirmal Bano
Zindagi Tamasha was screened at Busan International Film Festival(BIFF) in 2019 where it won the prestigious award titled Kim Ji-Seok Award. It also received an award at the 6th Asian World Film Festival in the category of Snow Leopard Award for Best Film at the 6th Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) in 2021.
The film was also the official entry from Pakistan for the 93rd Academy Awards in the category of International Feature Film Award however, it failed to qualify to a list of 15 International feature films.
The film got into trouble last year when Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) called for protests against its release claiming that it contains blasphemous content.
In January 2020, the Humsafar fame director wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, President Dr Arif Alvi, Chief Justice of Pakistan, Chief of the Army Staff, and Minister for Information in which he detailed the problems his film was facing in its release.
Khoosat filed a petition against TLP in Lahore High Court for interfering in the release of the film however, he canceled to release of the film last year amidst the threats.
Last year, Senate Committee for Human Rights also approved the movie for screening and dismissed all the objections. Former Chairperson of the committee and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that the film can be screened when cinema halls open post-COVID.
Zindagi Tamasha may not have seen the light of the day in Pakistan, but it is receiving accolades and recognition internationally.
Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars, Zindagi Tamasha bagged the Snow Leopard Award for Best Film at the 6th Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) held on March 15. Lead actor Arif Hassan won the Snow Leopard Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film. Director Sarmad Sultan Khoosat received the award from Jury member Luba Balagova Kandoor, while Jury member Joanne Goh presented the award to Hassan.
According to a press release, “Almost 40 films from over 20 participating countries were presented during the six-day Festival that included 11 Oscar submissions for Best International Feature Film and 12 Golden Globe submissions for Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language.”
Directed and co-produced by Khoosat and written by Nirmal Bano, Zindagi Tamasha features Hassan, Eman Suleman, Samiya Mumtaz and Ali Kureshi in the lead roles. The film is centred around a naat khwan Rahat Khawaja (played by Hassan) and his family who are outcast from society when a video of him enjoying a song is leaked. The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival held in October 2019 where it also won the prestigious Kim Ji Seok Award.
The official synopsis states: “The film is an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on little gods on this earth who police our private passions.”
Meanwhile, Zindagi Tamasha is yet to release in cinemas in Pakistan. It was initially scheduled to hit screens on January 25, 2020, but immense backlash from religious circles forced the federal and provincial government to halt its release. However, in July 2020, the Senate HR committee cleared the film and allowed it to be screened once cinemas open post-COVID-19.
While the director and team are yet to comment on their big win, Wahab Riaz congratulated the makers of the film for their achievement.
The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF), founded by Kyrgyz public figure Sadyk Sher Niyaz, brings the very best of a broad selection of Asian World cinema to Los Angeles to draw greater recognition to the region’s wealth of filmmakers and strengthen ties between the Asian and Hollywood film industries. Uniting through cross-cultural collaboration, the Festival champions films from over 50 countries across Asia, spanning from Turkey to Japan and from Russia to India and South-East Asia. The Festival is unique in that it predominantly screens Oscar and Golden Globe submissions for Best International Feature Film and Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language respectively. All films are showcased to members of the Motion Picture Academy, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and all Guilds for enhanced exposure, media attention and awards consideration. AWFF is a non-profit organization under Aitysh USA.
Pakistan’s official entry in the International Feature Film Award category at the 93rd Academy Awards Zindagi Tamasha is out of the Oscars race. The film is not part of the list of 15 international feature films announced Tuesday that “will move on to the official phase one voting, which will take place on March 5-9.”
According to a report published in Variety Magazine, “Fifteen films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category. Films from 93 countries were eligible in the category, the most in Oscars history. Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.”
“In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote,” stated the report.
The nominates for the Oscars will be announced on March 15 while the award ceremony will be held on April 25.
Read more – ‘Emily in Paris’ writer surprised with Golden Globe nomination
The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee had selected Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha as Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars in November 2020.
Directed and co-produced by Khoosat and written by Nirmal Bano, Zindagi Tamasha features Arif Hassan, Eman Suleman, Samiya Mumtaz and Ali Kureshi in the lead roles. The film is centred around a naat khwan Rahat Khawaja (played by Hassan) and his family who are outcast from the society when a video of Khawaja enjoying a song is leaked.
The official synopsis states: “The film is an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on little gods on this earth who police our private passions.”
Meanwhile, Zindagi Tamasha has not yet hit cinemas in Pakistan. It was initially scheduled to hit screens on January 25, 2020, but immense backlash from religious circles forced the federal and provincial government to halt its release. However, in July 2020, the Senate HR committee cleared the film and allowed it to be screened post-COVID-19.
The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee has selected Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha as Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars.
According to a press release, the film will be submitted for Oscar consideration in the ‘International Feature Film Award’ category for the 93rd Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will choose the final nominees for all award categories including International Feature Film in February 2021. The complete and final list of Oscar nominees will be announced on 15th March 2021 with the presentation show for the 93rd Academy Awards scheduled to take place on 25th April 2021.
Directed and co-produced by Khoosat and written by Nirmal Bano, Zindagi Tamasha features Arif Hassan, Eman Suleman, Samiya Mumtaz and Ali Kureshi in the lead roles. The film is centred around a naat khwan Rahat Khawaja (played by Hassan) and his family who are outcast from the society when a secret of Khawaja’s is leaked.
The official synopsis states: “The film is an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on little gods on this earth who police our private passions.”
Speaking about the selection, Sarmad said: “All the heartache that Zindagi Tamasha gave me has somehow restored my faith in the power of art too: the sheer, almost physical power of art to make life imitate it. This announcement, for me, is a very bright light shining at the end of this dark tunnel of a year.”
“I made this film in Pakistan and foremost, for Pakistan, for my people and the misfortune that my people have remained deprived of it weighs quite heavy on my artistic conscience. Some pride is slowly kicking in though and no matter how far we go with this official selection, Zindagi Tamasha will be representing all of us – our ‘Pakistan’,” he added.
The Oscar committee for 2020 was chaired by two-time Academy Award and Emmy winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and included musician Faisal Kapadia, director Asad-ul-Haq, filmmakers Asim Abbasi and Hamza Bangash, Syed Muhammad Ahmed, Mehwish Hayat, Hasan Shehreyar Yasin, Arshad Mahmud and Jamal Shah.
Asim, who directed the critically acclaimed Churails, said: “For me, Zindagi Tamasha is the strongest submission from Pakistan since 2013.”
It is pertinent to add here that Zindagi Tamasha has had a bumpy ride. It was initially scheduled to hit screens on January 25 this year but immense backlash from religious circles forced the federal and provincial government to stop its release.
While the Federal Government had said that the film will be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Punjab Government had directed the filmmaker to hold a screening on February 3 so that the film can be reviewed again. However, no screening has taken place to date. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial and central censor boards had earlier cleared the film for release with a few cuts.
At that point, Sarmad had made a heartfelt appeal to the Prime Minister, President, Chief of Army Staff and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to facilitate the release of the film.
Later, Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights and PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar had taken notice of the ban and said that the committee will review the film. In July, the committee cleared the film and allowed it to be screened post-COVID-19.
Zindagi Tamasha premiered at the Busan International Film Festival held in October 2019 where it also won the prestigious Kim Ji Seok Award.
Watch trailer:
The Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights has given the green signal to Sarmad Khoosat’s film Zindagi Tamasha and has allowed it to be screened post-COVID-19. The film had stirred up controversy for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
Chairperson of the committee and PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar made the announcement on social media and said that the committee found nothing wrong with the film. He said that the film can be screened when cinema halls open post-COVID.
While detailed reasoning on the committee’s decision is awaited, Senator Khokhar while speaking to The Current said: “It was a unanimous decision by all Senators of the Human Rights Committee who watched the movie together in Senate’s committee room. Nobody thought there was anything wrong with it. Waleed Iqbal from PTI was also one of the senators who watched it, even though he wasn’t part of the Human Rights Committee.”
He added: “It’s a very good movie, I was touched by it; was beautifully shot. I would recommend that everyone should watch it once it’s released.”
Zindagi Tamasha, which was scheduled to hit screens on January 25, was stopped from being released days before its release after the federal and provincial governments feared public unrest.
While the Federal Government had said that the film will be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Punjab Government had directed the filmmaker to hold a screening on February 3 so that the film can be reviewed again. However, no screening has taken place to date. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial and central censor boards had earlier cleared the film for release with a few cuts.
Sarmad had also appealed to the Prime Minister, President, Chief of Army Staff and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to facilitate the release of the film.
Senator Khokhar on March 11 had announced that the HR Committee had taken notice of the ban on the film.
Written by Nirmal Bano and directed by Khoosat, Zindagi Tamasha starres Arif Hassan, Samiya Mumtaz, Eman Suleman and Ali Qureshi in the lead. The film is centred around a naat khwan Rahat Khawaja (played by Hassan) and his family who are outcast from the society when a secret of Khawaja’s is leaked.
The official synopsis states: “The film is an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on little gods on this earth who police our private passions.”
The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival held in October 2019 where it also won the prestigious Kim Ji Seok Award.
Watch trailer:
Two months on, the fate of Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha still hangs in limbo as the government is yet to decide whether the film can be released or not. The film, which was scheduled to hit screens on January 25, was stopped from being released days before its release after the federal and provincial governments feared public unrest.
While the Federal Government had said that the film will be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Punjab Government directed the filmmaker to hold a screening on February 3 so that the film can be reviewed again. However, the screening has not taken place as yet. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial and central censor boards had earlier cleared the film for release with a few cuts.
Read more – Council of Islamic Ideology to ‘critically review’ ‘Zindagi Tamasha’
As governing bodies are still to decide the future of the film, Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokar took to social media to announce that the Human Rights Committee has taken notice of the matter and will be reviewing the film.
Earlier, Sarmad had also appealed to the Prime Minister, President, Chief of Army Staff and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to facilitate the release of the film.
Written by Nirmal Bano and directed by Sarmad Khoosat, Zindagi Tamasha starres Arif Hassan, Samiya Mumtaz, Eman Suleman and Ali Qureshi in the lead. The film is centred around a naat khwan Rahat Khawaja (played by Hassan) and his family who are outcast from the society when a secret of Khawaja’s is leaked.
The official synopsis states: “The film is an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on little gods on this earth who police our private passions.”
Read more – Sarmad Khoosat says the ‘film/TV fraternity’ is a joke
The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival held in October 2019 where it also won the prestigious Kim Ji Seok Award.
Watch trailer:
With the fate of Zindagi Tamasha still undecided, it comes as no surprise that its director Sarmad Khoosat is upset and frustrated with members of the film and TV ‘fraternity’. And the director made it very clear in a recent tweet.
It is still not known whether Zindagi Tamasha will ever see the light of the day or not. The film, which was scheduled to hit screens on January 25, was stopped from being released days before its release after the federal and provincial governments feared public unrest.
Read more – ‘Zindagi Tamasha’s fate hangs in limbo
While the Federal Government had said that the film will be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Punjab Government had directed the filmmaker to hold a screening on February 3 so that the film can be reviewed again. However, the screening has not taken place as yet. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial and central censor boards had earlier cleared the film for release with a few cuts.
Ever since the film was barred from release, director Sarmad had not made a public statement regarding the film. His father, Irfan Khoosat, who had filed a case against Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) for interfering in the smooth release of the film also withdrew his petition for reasons unknown.
Meanwhile, TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi had remarked that he would not let the film release no matter what saying: “We will not let Zindagi Tamasha release and will do whatever it takes to make sure it does not see the light of day.”
Read more – ‘Over my dead body,’ says Khadim Rizvi on Zindagi Tamasha release
Earlier, Sarmad had also appealed to the Prime Minister, President, Chief of Army Staff and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to facilitate the release of the film.
Celebrities who voiced their support for Sarmad in this time include Mahira Khan, Humayun Saeed, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Sanam Saeed, Mansha Pasha and Osman Khalid Butt.
The fate of Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha hangs in limbo as the government is yet to decide whether the film can be released or not. The film, which was scheduled to hit screens on January 25, was stopped from being released days before its release after the federal and provincial governments feared public unrest.
While the Federal Government had said that the film will be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Punjab Government directed the filmmaker to hold a screening on February 3 so that the film can be reviewed again. However, the screening has not taken place as yet. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial and central censor boards had earlier cleared the film for release with a few cuts.
Read more – ‘Zindagi Tamasha’s fate hangs in limbo
As governing bodies are still to decide the future of the film, Mahira Khan took to social media to voice her support for the film.
Osman Khalid Butt not only agreed with her but also requested artists and actor attending the first Pakistan International Screen Awards in Dubai to raise their voice for the film.
Nadia Afgan, who played Shanno in Suno Chanda, also spoke out in favour of the filmmaker.
Ever since the film was barred from release, director Sarmad has not made a public statement. His father, Irfan Khoosat, who had filed a case against Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) for interfering in the smooth release of the film also withdrew his petition for reasons unknown.
Meanwhile, TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi recently said that he would not let the film release no matter what remarking: “We will not let Zindagi Tamasha release and will do whatever it takes to make sure it does not see the light of day.”
Read more – ‘Over my dead body,’ says Khadim Rizvi on Zindagi Tamasha release
Earlier, Sarmad had also appealed to the Prime Minister, President, Chief of Army Staff and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to facilitate the release of the film.
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi has said that he would not let Sarmad Khoosat’s film Zindagi Tamasha release no matter what anyone does, Pakistan Today reported.
“We will not let Zindagi Tamasha release and will do whatever it takes to make sure it does not see the light of day,” he said, adding ‘jo karna hai kar lo’ (do whatever you can), as he addressed party workers and supporters at Faisal Chowk on Kashmir Solidarity Day.
Earlier on January 28, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) had set up a four-member committee that would review the film Zindagi Tamasha and submit a report to CII Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz.
The members of this committee include Ghulam Majid, Abdul Rasheed, Taaj Muhammad and Muhammad Ashfaq, all of whom are said to be experts in the concepts of Shariah.
“All the members are competent and hold qualifications in Islam and social sciences. They belong to CII’s research wing and were selected for this task after going through an interview process. We have shown them the CBFC letter and advised them on how to review the film, keeping religious sentiments in mind,” CII’s Media Coordinator Rana Zahid had said.
“The Council’s supreme body will further take a decision regarding the film after viewing the report,” he said.
He further told that the CII has sent a letter notifying the CBFC of its plan of action in the first phase and is expecting a reply soon.
According to another anonymous member of the CII, the four member bench will also question the viewpoint of CBFC members over objectionable dialogues.
“How were these dialogues and scenes that hurt the sentiments of the public even cleared if they (CBFC) watched the film? The reply of the CBFC members will also be a part of the report. We are just concerned over the objectionable dialogues that hurt the public. We have no concern otherwise. No scene or dialogue that hurts religious sentiments, would be allowed to pass,” said the member.