Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Why be a copy cat?


After graduating this June, I have all the time at my disposal until my job starts and I get to watch all the movies that have been piling up in my room and same goes for my reading list.

As far as cinema is concerned I am more of an off-beat cinema enthusiast.  Therefore, when people, be it from our own industry or in general want our industry to mold on the format of Hollywood or Bollywood, the idea doesn’t attract me. After all we live in the age of globalization; one Hollywood & Bollywood is enough.
I have seen some of the work of our own independent film makers and it is amazing. There work has further strengthened my belief that instead of investing in projects that are a look alike of any of the ‘Woods’ the concerned people should invest in this talent.

In the current state of affairs of our country, this medium can be put to great use. First and foremost it can be used to tell our side of the story from our own perspective. Mostly, it is the other people telling our story from the view that they see it and analyze it. So why shouldn’t we be telling our own story. One of the screenings that I was invited to in National College of Arts in Lahore was of the film ‘Inam’.  A story of a Pakistani lawyer who goes to London looking for a better future for himself and his family back home in Pakistan, and ends up as a taxi driver.

Stories like these and a lot of other ones as well, which we are part and parcel of our society are never conveyed to the outside world.  Being a proud Punjabi I don’t have any issues with the use of the language in our industry. However, what currently dominates our industry is out right rubbish by all means.
As mentioned earlier I don’t see why we have to be the copy cats and limit our comparison to the already established norms. Coke studio is one example which proved that exploring our own creative talent is going to pay off and help establish a balanced image of our country.