How a Pakistani film is charming the world

Joyland, the first Pakistan film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival, is the buzzword among cinephiles across the south Asian subcontinent. The debut effort from Saim Sadiq received a standing ovation at Cannes and won the Jury prize in the Un Certain Regard section and the Queer Palm award.

It's grown into a film festival darling after having bagged the top award in Melbourne and gained immense appreciation at the BFI London Film Festival. It was the most-talked-about film in the recently concluded Dharamshala Film Festival, so much so that extra shows of it were added, and extra mattresses were arranged to accommodate the overflowing crowd. Needless to say, it is Pakistan's entry to the Oscars this year.

Joyland is a well-written and excellently-performed queer drama. It's a story about a family of Ranas. The elder son Saleem played by Sohail Sameer, and daughter-in-law Nucchi played by Sarwat Gilani, of a typical patriarchal family is expecting a baby. The family hopes for a boy child from the couple, who already have three girl children. The younger son's wife, Mumtaaz, played by Rasti Farooq, is one of the family's breadwinners. Her husband Haider, played by Ali Junejo, known to be aloof, finally finds a job in an erotic dance theatre.

Things change in the family when he falls for a trans dancer (played by Alina Khan). This triggers an improbable love story and creates a lot of conflicts in the family. Even as the wheelchair-bound patriarch is upset. The film attempts to explore and offer closure to these complicated situations.

Joyland is one of the most sensitive films of the year. Full marks to director Sadiq for handling a complex subject in an exemplary manner. He has struck a beautiful balance between mainstream and arthouse as far as the style is concerned. That's one of the main reasons why Joyland can't just be sidelined as just a festival film. It will cast a spell on mainstream film buffs and even commoners, mainly because of the well-thought-out characters.

The film explores gender identity and equations in a refreshing manner. There are heart-warming and poignant relationships between a husband and a wife and between a male and a transgender. It holds a mirror up to the harsh consequences of patriarchy and how upholding family values causes a loss of individuality.

It's also a film that doesn't hold itself back from acknowledging the sexual desires of its characters. That said, the beauty of Joyland lies in that the camera isn't voyeuristic. There is no skin show or needless melodrama. It's a beautifully shot film with exceptional lighting. A theatrical watch is sure to give viewers an illuminating experience.

It's an astonishing debut from Sadiq, who is finishing his master's at Columbia University. It is learned that the film's script stayed with him for seven years. It's great to see a young filmmaker making a substantial impact on his viewers with his refreshing execution of a complex subject.

Joyland has an Indian connection with its co-producer, Apoorva Guru Charan, being from the same university as Sadiq. It became a dream-come-true moment for the two college friends when their debut effort was picked for the Academy Awards.

People who have watched Joyland are yet to come out of its world. A cinephile who watched it at the Vancouver Film Festival told me she was bowled over by the film's narrative. Dealing of sensitive issues and vulnerable characters haunted her days.

Another film buff, who caught Joyland at Dharmshala, felt that the film's story is sure to resonate with Indians. Though we are divided by border, our culture and reactions to certain situations are similar, she said, adding how the transgender person's character was given dignity as opposed to ridiculing of the community in mainstream cinema.

In Indian films, the portrayal of Pakistan is primarily cliched and regressive. Joyland is sure to change our perception of the country as it reflects another, or rather, the positive side of Pakistan, which we are hardly exposed to.

Pakistan films in India

After the Indo-Pak war in 1965, Pakistani films weren't screened in India for a long time. After a long gap, Indian movies would go to Pakistan regularly, but the reverse didn't happen mainly because they were made on low budgets, and Lollywood, as the Pakistan film industry is called, didn't have a vast market.

Indian films like Baahubali, Andhadhun, and KGF made good business in Pakistan. The Pakistani film industry is witnessing an encouraging phase with new-generation filmmakers doing quality work. The team of Joyland are trying hard for a theatrical release in India. Apart from that, The Legend of Maula Jatt, the highest-grossing Pakistan film, is trying for an Indian release.

Other Pakistan films that were screened in India post war were Khamosh Pani (2004) featuring Kiron Kher, Khuda Ke Liye (2007), which introduced Fawad Khan and featured Naseeruddin Shah, Ramchand Pakistan featuring Nandita Das, Dukhtar (2014), and Moor (2018).