However, when we ask her about her film’s response in her native land she doesn’t get too excited.
Not too excited with the feedback her debut film received in her homeland, Pakistani film-maker MEHREEN JABBAR is now looking forward to a better response in India, reports Prithwish Ganguly
Pakistani film-maker Mehreen Jabbar, who is in India currently to promote her debut film Ramchand Pakistani, has just one wish – that her film attains the same kind of popularity as Khuda Kay Liye, the other Pakistani film that had released in India few months ago.
However, when we ask her about her film’s response in her native land she doesn’t get too excited. “Honestly, it has got a mixed reaction so far. I think in Pakistan that’s the truth for every movie. Good cinema there died 25-30 years ago. But off late people have shown an inclination to watch good films in our country,” she says.
She goes on to add, “The reaction from producers and distributors in Pakistan have also been the same. Some are very open to new things while others aren’t because serious films are not a very safe bet unlike a commercial film where returns are guaranteed.”
Ramchand Pakistani hits the theatres this Friday. It is based on the true story of the plight of Indian and Pakistani prisoners of war in the jails and the inhuman conditions they are subjected to live in. The film, which has been doing the rounds of film festivals, has been told from the point of view of a Pakistani boy and his father who accidentally stray into Indian Territory during a war between the two countries. Both of them are put in prison and are charged for spying by the Indian authorities.
Actor Nandita Das plays the mother of the Pakistani boy, who is left behind on the other side of the border.
Mehreen says, “I have come to India with the expectation that people will at least go and watch my film. I take heart from the fact that audiences in India like serious cinema. I hope my film too finds a similar audience like Khuda Kay Liye.”
And what does she think people will like the most about her film?
“There are a couple of things that I hope people will certainly like. First, it’s based on a very real but sensitive issue that people from both India and Pakistan know about. Secondly, the film’s protagonist is a little boy and he has done great work in the film,” she says.
Mehreen adds: “Recently many films have been made in India with a child as a protagonist. They have been successful and so I hope that people go and see the work of this little boy. I am sure they will love it.”
g_prithwish@dnaindia.net
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