Rise of the Indie Film Maker in Pakistan

Author : Hasan Ahmed Ansari

Recent history says the Pakistan Film Industry should operate by the Chinese calendar: 2007 was the Year of Khuda Kay Liye, 2008 the Year of Ramchand Pakistani, 2010 the Year of Virsa and 2011 the Year of Bol. In that line 2012 can only be known as the Year of the Academy Award (for Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy).

Ultimately the past few years have been a dirty triumph for the paranoid. You don’t need to conduct a research to establish the harsh reality that the Pakistani Film Industry or more popularly referred to as “Lollywood” has not just declined but seems to have fallen into an abyss.

The signs had become evident during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s but the Industry who had been resting on the laurels of the filmmakers from the “Golden Era of Lollywood” decided to overlook the cist and allowed it to develop into a tumor which sucked all of the life out of the Industry.

The years between 1979 leading up to 21st Century or the “Period of Crisis” – as referred to by the avid Pakistani movie-goers – was identified for becoming loud and localized, wanting in artistic or aesthetic merits.

Harsh struggle for Hindu minority in Pakistan

Author : Anonymous

Talking about minority; Hindus come first to our minds because of their larger number in all of the minorities in existence in Pakistan. Patriotic Hindus who preferred to live in Pakistan during partition instead of migrating to India are now in great threat to practice their beliefs in our ‘land of pure’ and so does minorities belonging to different beliefs.

Feudalism, class system, religious discrimination, forced conversion and marriages and poor law and order situation of Pakistan has taken their right to breathe. Around 7,000 to 10,000 Pakistani Hindus (around 1,600 families) had migrated to India in the last two years; a report by English daily reveals this. And only in last four months, around 450 families comprising of more than 3,000 members have migrated to India following conversion cases of one after another Hindu girl in Sindh, report further states.

Statistics tells us that around 3.2 million Hindus are living in Sindh, seven million are settled in Punjab, Around 30,000 to 50,000 are living in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other northern areas of the country. A large majority of Hindu population belongs to the working class, has poor agricultural background and is not financially stable.

Walls of Karachi: Creative, eh?

 Author : Umer Bin Ajmal

Karachi – a heaven for everyone: Be it criminals, politicians, welfare workers, innocent citizens or even an unemployed smoking a joint at some ‘chowk’. The beauty of this city may not be like that of New York or Paris but there is something way different and creative about Karachi – the art of graffiti Karachiites possess.
It was back some 14 years, when I was in grade two, these political slogans written in a revolutionary way used to mesmerize me always. And still, it is quite a fun to read them while travelling to college. At least, it keeps me up-to-date with all that is happening around our socio-political circle. This city has all what it takes to be of such interest that even with so much lawlessness, I never fail to love it.
Don’t misunderstand me by waiting for some outstanding creativity to be reflected through Karachi’s walls. But the genre we have is nowhere to be seen in the world: An art to socially, politically and commercially mobilize the use of graffiti.
Marketing can come handy but at an expensive cost. How about trying the most cost-effective way to promote, condemn, lament or even teach a city having population of 21.2 million with an impact so powerful that will be above anyone’s imagination?

The picture read, “Karachi is ours, not yours.” Oh, don’t fear that. I assure you, Karachi welcomes all.