Zindagi Tamasha

Heartbroken for director Sarmad Khoosat, as his cinematic masterpiece was denied a theatrical release by higher authorities, settling for YouTube. This country's treatment of artists deprives us of quality cinema.

Undeniably one of Pakistan's finest cinematic creations, portrays the poignant story of an elderly Naat reciter who commits a mistake, not a grave sin. Tragically, he has been outcast by his community, including his own family, solely due to his age and religious profession.

This movie bravely shows the extremism in religious clergy, and ironically extremism is the reason why this movie is not released in cinemas.

P. S : This movies shows us that extremism is not always means to kill other people.

Sometimes extremism means to not forgive others for their forgivable misdeeds.

Keeping all controversies aside, the state's seriousness towards the performing arts genre becomes evident through the Directors' three-minute message before the film begins.

The movie started off with a powerful and engaging introduction, capturing the audience's attention from the beginning. However, as the story progressed, it seemed to lose its direction, and the film began to unfold shot by shot without a cohesive narrative, leaving the viewers somewhat perplexed.

Despite the film's weak storytelling, it was evident that the plot held great potential, presenting a captivating premise. Regrettably, this struggle with storytelling is a recurring issue that many Pakistani films face. It is essential for filmmakers to enhance their narrative techniques and pacing to fully realize the potential of their stories.

Amidst the film's shortcomings, the performances by Arif Hasan as Rahat Khawaja and Samiya Mumtaz as his wife were truly commendable. Arif Hasan's portrayal of Rahat Khawaja exuded strength and conviction throughout, while Samiya Mumtaz's portrayal of his wife added a touch of warmth to the movie. Their chemistry was delightful and proved to be the main highlight of the film.

In conclusion, while the film's promising beginning and stellar performances contributed to its appeal, the lack of a cohesive and well-developed storyline hindered its overall impact.

Just watched it after they released it for free on youtube.

The pace of the movie is rather slow but the acting from the leading characters is very good.

There aren't any dialogues or lines in the movie that stand out (comparing to other hit Pakistani movies like Bol/Khuda Kay Liye) but some scenes are very powerful. I really liked the scenes involving the hypocrisy of the clergy.

The soundtrack is nice as well.

Some, especially the international audience, might find the story slow or boring and might not really understand the subtleties of the topics in the movie, but it is quite relevant to the Pakistani society.

It's a good effort by everyone involved.

Finally, finally, finally I get to see "Zindagi Tamasha", a brainchild of the immensely talented Pakistani director, Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, that had not seen the light of day in cinema screens across the country due to its criticism and depiction of the mainstream religious clergy dominating the socio-political spectrum of the country.

Unfortunately though, the only medium graced by this movie, a considerable loss for all associated with the creation of this gem, was You Tube. Khoosat, in his introductory note, is visibly emotional as he lets his creation out of a cage imposed upon it by fundamentalists that have, for decades, proved to be an impediment to free artistic growth and expression in the country.

"Zindagi Tamasha" depicts an aging man who still has an air of youthful exuberance about him along-with a genuinely affectionate heart trapped in a quagmire of criticism and societal rejection when a video of him replicating a childhood dance to his friends is posted on social media.

"Zindagi Tamasha" depicts the human need to categorize events and characters into "right" and "wrong", "good" and "evil". It talks about how an intellectually starved society has no space to cultivate acceptance and fluidity of thought, emotions and opinions. Rather, every individual is expected to fit a mold, a pre-conceived caricature of righteous and non-righteous beings. In this belief, a transgender individual is an inherently evil being while an aged man who recites religious hymns is inherently pious, devoid of any interest in activities that do not fit the ideals of a dominant sect.

Voices like Sarmad Khoosat are key in the preservation of artistic expressionism in a country that has, in recent years, lost its voice out of fear and repudiation. In a spine-chilling scene a typical Molvi (cleric) unabashedly blackmails the protagonist, Rahat Khawaja, in a crowded gathering by saying, "Lagaun naara?" ("Should I raise the allegation?"), referring to the weaponization of archaic blasphemy laws prevalent in the country that to this day are used to stifle dissenting voices and minds.

A true gem of Pakistani cinema and a beacon of hope for independent, thought-provoking film-making in a country that is in dire need of it.

It's a Masterpiece. Can't wait to wait it. Everyone needed to watch this movie. It's on another level. It is a beginning of a great era for Lollywood.