Joyland, the Pakistani Cannes Entry that won accolades at the Festival, took the Golden Pram at the Zagreb Film Festival, acclaimed by many Pakistanis as a breakthrough moment in Pakistani Entertainment, set to release in November in Pakistan and tipped off as a possible Oscar offering from Pakistan has now been banned in Pakistan, despite being given a clean bill of health earlier by the same Censor Board. Reasons? The Censor board received complaints from concerned citizens as to the content of the film, that it goes against cultural, norms, challenges our religious beliefs, and might be screening illicit content.
Last night, Twitter was abuzz with celebrities urging the release of the film ban – from Nadia Jamil to Sarwat Gilani andmany more netizens, people questioned why a film that has not even been screened yet, (and seen yet) can hurt the moral fabric of a society in its invisibility.
Furthermore, the film, apparently needs to show for a week in cinemas in its home country if it can be eligible for the Oscar nomincation deadline, which is November 30th.
Is this a conspiracy to ensure that the film doesn’t make it to the Oscars? Questions Twitter, but others are calling it out for questionable content including Designer Maria B who has been in the news earlier for her stance on Transgenders. Critics of the film (they haven’t watched yet) mention that their reason for calling it out is that the film is supposedly pandering to LGBTQ beliefs and promoting the idea of homosexuality and adultery.
Joyland Film director Saim Sadiq posted this on his social media as well as copies of the censor board certificate allowing the film to screen in Pakistan and then the subsequent ban notification. “We–as a team–are gutted by this development. I am compelled to say that this sudden U-turn of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is absolutely unconstitutional and illegal.”
Those supporting the film say that the film is humanizing transgenders and the Khwaja Srha community in our society. Unfortunately, people only want to watch this community when positioned in a humorous light or as people to be made fun of or ridiculed, never as fleshed-out human beings with normal human emotions. What’s your take?
