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Journalism of Courage
Till about a fortnight ago,Shah Rukh Khans Don 2 held the record for having the biggest opening in cinemas across Pakistan. Now,that honour goes to Waar,a home-grown indie production by first-time filmmaker Bilal Lashari. Less than a week after its release,Waar has already made more money than Don 2 at PKR 71 million. Since its budget of PKR 220 million is very high for a Pakistani movie,Waar will have to keep the cash registers ringing for another week or so before it can be declared a hit. For now,the film is having a dream run at the box office.
An unlikely success,the film,with a star cast of Shaan Shahid,Shamoon Abbasi,Ali Azmat,Meesha Shafi and Aisha Khan,has none of the staples of a masala movie no song and dance,no light moments and its dialogues are mostly in English and subtitled in Urdu. Set in the backdrop of terrorist attacks in Pakistan,it shows Indias RAW backing the violence. While the film has been criticised as propaganda,its director,Bilal Lashari,31,a film graduate from San Franciscos Academy of Art University,who has earlier directed music videos for pop stars like Atif Aslam and the Mekaal Hassan Band and briefly assisted director Shoaib Mansoor during the making of his acclaimed film Khuda Kay Liye (2007),says the element of spectacle accounts for the films success. Excerpts from an interview:
Why did you choose to make a film on terrorism? Critics say you chose the subject because you were allegedly financed by the ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations,the communication arm of Pakistans Armed Forces)…
Waar happened because of its producer Dr Hassan Waqas Ranas interest in the subject. I was interested in making an action film and terrorism is a very relevant topic in Pakistan. Its also a very international topic. We wanted to create a foreign market for the film.
The film has generated two kinds of parallel discussions on the one hand,there are the masses who are raving about the quality of action sequences,Amir Munawwars background score and Qayaass soundtrack,and,on the other,there are people who are discussing and debating its subject.
Do you think your music videos Hungami halaat for Atif Aslam and Islamabad for Abrarul Haq were precursors to Waar in terms of their political content?
Well,the videos are political satires. In that sense,yes,you can say that. But,living in the Pakistan today,you cannot ignore the various issues plaguing the country. You are bound to be affected by them in one way or the other. An artist is more sensitive to his surroundings,so he must express himself in his work. Ali Azmats Bum paata and Ali Gul Pirs Wadere ka beta are other examples of musicians talking about corruption and terrorism in their own distinct way.
Critics of Waar have called the film sheer propaganda. How do you respond to that?
I wont contest the fact that the subject could have been handled more subtly. One way of going about it would have been to play safe and not be overt about the message. The masses have reacted very positively (to the film). Jingoism has become Waars strength,so to say.
Why are the dialogues mostly in English? At places,it seems rather unrealistic. For instance,when a (seemingly) illiterate militant in some remote part of Waziristan speaks in English.
Mera dil toh yehi chahta tha (I would have liked) that this film be in Urdu entirely,but,again,this wasnt about my personal opinion. We had discussions with the producer (who is also the scriptwriter of the film) and,eventually,it was decided that those dialogues which say something important to the international community shall be in English.
Having said that,I must say that my style of filmmaking is not dialogue-driven; it is visual-based. In my view,Waar is more visual than a talkie. But I must also confess that I could never imagine such an overwhelming response from the people.
Do you plan to release the film abroad?
Yes,we do. We are talking to distributors. We havent come up with a final date,though. I understand that there is a strong buzz about the film,in the UAE,for instance. We want to cash in on that.
What place do you see for Waar in the international market,given that it is strictly a Pakistani view of the terror story?
At the end of the day,its a film and it should be enjoyed as such; its not a documentary on terrorism.
How difficult was it for you to put together a production team in Pakistan where there arent many trained technicians?
It was very hard. Even the production company (Mindworks) didnt have any relevant film experience. I had to train my team for a while. But I am glad everybody worked with dedication and treated it as their home production. I made my musicians do the music at least five times over,but none of them got tired or wanted to give up.
Tell us briefly about your early film influences.
I remember Back to the Future and Forrest Gump had a huge impact on me when I was growing up. These two films introduced me to the magic of cinema.
Have you moved on to your next project?
Well,mentally,I have. I cant reveal much about it at the moment but itll definitely be a departure from my previous work.
Will it have songs and dances?
No,I dont think so. I believe we shouldnt try to copy Bollywood; naach-gaana is their thing,they do it best. I want my next film to be bigger and more exciting. It should have more than just the wow factor.
Usman Ghafoor is a Lahore-based journalist
