A review on Pakistani feature length film, Zindagi Tamasha (2019). The feature length is directed by Sarmad Khoosat. The film stars Arif Hassan, Samiya Mumtaz and Eman Suleman. The film is produced by Khoosat Films and is distributed by IMGC Global.
+ Crew
- Directed by Sarmad Khoosat
- Written by Nirmal Bano
- Cinematography by Khizer Idrees
- Music by Saakin and Shamsher Rana
- Produced by Kanwal Khoosat
+ Note
Zindagi Tamasha is one of many films that have been a target of censorship in Pakistan. Although the film was ready for domestic release in 2019, it had since been halted by the local Ulma for various reasons (namely the depiction of the religious Ulma in Pakistan). The film was subjected to heavy criticism by Tehreek-e-Labbaik who proclaimed the film portrays “blasphemous” material concerning the Ulma.
Even though the film was passed by the main Censorship Board of Pakistan, the film continued to conjure up controversy from various religious factions concerning the “disturbing” nature of the film. The filmmaker Sarmad Khoosat was subjected to death threats which ultimately led him to put the film’s release on hold. During the three to four year period, Zindagi Tamasha won numerous awards in International film festivals including the Kim Ji-Seok Award at the Busan International Film Festival. On 3rd of August 2023, the filmmaker decided to release the film to the public online on Youtube and other social platforms. In an emotionally charged introduction before the film, Sarmad explains the reasoning for this decision and urges the public to judge the film for themselves.
The film has been positively received by the viewers, praising the storytelling and direction. Zindagi Tamasha was also sent as an official entry from Pakistan for the 93rd Academy Awards for Best foreign language film.
+ Main Cast
- Arif Hassan as Rahat Khawaja
- Samiya Mumtaz as Farkhanda
- Eman Suleman as Sadaf
- Ali Kureshi as Danish
- Arslan Khan as Asad
- Adeel Afzal as Usman
+ Plot
Rahat Khawaja is a devout Muslim who sings hymns, praising the Prophet Muhmammad (PBUH) in a local Ulma. But Rahat also has another hidden passion of interest; his love for old Punjabi films. While attending a local wedding, Rahat dances to an old, raunchy Punjabi song that secretly gets filmed and is leaked to the general public. And thus, his life devolves into complete chaos.
+ High Points
i – Zindagi Tamasha is not just a film about Pakistan; it is a universal story. It touches and seeps into every culture and society where intolerance is prevalent, where empathy is nowhere to be found. Zindagi Tamasha is one of those films that need to be seen by every Pakistani. And as it was clearly evident from the trailers, the film is neither against any particular Ulma nor does it portray being “a devout muslim” in a negative light. It is simply a story of lack of tolerance that plagues our society, where we cannot stand a person living their life the way they want to. Sarmad Khoosat has done a fantastic job in bringing this story onto the silver screen.
ii – There could not have been a better casting than Arif Hassan as the blacklisted Ulma. Perhaps there could have been dozens of other actors who could surpass him when it comes to performance but his physical presence plays an integral role in the film. Just by his dejected face, one could easily sympathize with him and the hardships he has to face throughout the film. Can being an Ulma and his passion for low budget Punjabi films not co-exist? Do we all not have skeletons in our closets? Rahat does not speak much throughout the film but when he does, it undeniably grabs your attention. His character (the ill-fated Ulma) Rahat Khawaja is by no means a perfect being. He neglects his wife at times, he is oblivious to his daughter’s lack of respect for him, his obsession with old Punjabi films somehow surpasses everything else in his life but… he tries. None of us excel in whatever we try to accomplish in our lives but in order to tackle our own personal failures, we need to sprinkle a bit of unimportant distractions in our lives.
iii – The cinematography by Khizer Idrees was simply outstanding. The framing of each scene visually communicated what our main protagonist was going through at the time. And this is what great visual storytelling is all about. The elimination of expository dialogue was smartly replaced by a static frame of visual poetry.
iv – The supporting cast also played an integral role in displaying the world Rahat lives in. Eman Suleman plays the role of Sadaf, the daughter of Rahat who is severely disillusioned by her father’s nonchalant attitude towards life. She expects her father to take better care of her bed-ridden mother. The leaked video merely plays a catalyst which further ignites her hatred towards her father. These are all key elements in creating drama just through good writing and one really has to applaud Nirmal Bano for all her efforts as the screenwriter of the film.
v – The mise-en-scene of the film feels utterly authentic in every way possible. Each corner of the street feels real, each background extra feels like someone you briefly met with in your past. Sarmad Khoosat and his team made extra strides to make the world of Zindagi Tamasha as authentic as possible. The scene during the 12th Rabi ul Awal felt like a fever dream as the disillusioned Rahat walks slowly back home, dejected and heartbroken.
vi – But the film can only be as good as it ends. But suffice to say, Zindagi Tamasha ends in the most appropriate manner possible.
+ Low Points
i – With all its accomplishments, the narrative of the film did feel rushed at times. The most egregious example has to be the wedding scene. What compelled Rahat to suddenly perform a saucy, exotic dance, knowing full well the position he is known for in his community. This scene needed a better build to it, have his comrades force him a bit (not physically but with friendly banter), encourage him more to be “his true self” in front of his close friends. This all could have made Rahat more confident in letting his guard down and reveal his hidden love for Punjabi films.
ii – While the performance of Samiya Mumtaz as Farkhanda (Rahat’s wife) was good, her character felt more like a plot device and not an individual character of her own. Her severe illness was just there to garner sympathy from the viewers and a plot device to ignite further resentment between the father and daughter. What is Farkhanda’s character? Unfortunately I cannot answer that because there was almost no development behind it throughout the film’s runtime.
+ Overall
With tremendous storytelling, breath-taking cinematography and great direction, Zindagi Tamasha deserves a much better fate than just being uploaded on youtube.
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