Yorker Short Film explores Pakistan’s obsession with English. English bolo to cool, jab na bolo to uncool. The short film is a fun take on the issue, with many meaningful messages and LOL moments, making it worth our time!
The Story
Short films come and go on many topics, from romance to thriller to horror, but there are a few which carry strong messages for the audience. Yorker, as you guessed by the name, follows the success of a fast bowler Ammar Saleem (Wahaj Ali), who’s biggest insecurity and problem is well … acing the English language!
While he sets off to tackle the problem head on by taking English courses with his friend Ibrahim (Faizan Sheikh), things take a U-turn when the police mistake the pair for the Burqa gang! Yikes.
credits: Digestive Showtime
Okay, but why the burqa you ask? Simply because log kia kahengay ke? Aik fast bowler English classes lay raha hai? Haw.
Yorker Short Film – The message
The film explores the English speaking complex which is a deep-rooted prejudice in our society. Yorker depicts how speaking ‘poor’ English can make you viral and the talk of the town, (and not in a good way). People tend to be trolled and humiliated online for such a small thing. Case in point: a recent cafe incident that was ‘twitterized’ and trolled to death.
credits: Digestive Showtime
English Won’t Win matches, But Yorkers Will!
Sports people and athletes in Pakistan hail from a multiplicity of ethnic backgrounds. Sometimes, they have a weak hold on local expression & language, let alone the English language. To expect them to communicate in an alien tongue before a crowd of thousands, and more watching on TV, and then be subjected to ridicule, is downright ridiculous & racist in itself. But we, as a nation, have been doing this since ages – it needs to stop! Cricket, Hockey, Squash, or any other sport is not played in a language, and no sportsman is selected to a team based on his English speaking skills (and neither should he). A perfectly delivered yorker can bowl over the best batsman in the world. It needs no language – just pure skill, talent and many years of practice. We hope you get the message, because it was loud & clear!
Performances
Wahaj Ali put in a notable performance. Ammar Saleem was just the right mix of humour, bewilderment and cocky fast bowler rolled into one! Thank you for the apt depiction – the film is getting rave reviews kyunke Wahaj ‘wiktain le gaye’! Although, no venture is complete without the ensemble cast, (and there were many), especially in Yorker.
Salman Saqib Sheikh as the reporter out for a sansanikhez story sold us! Police inspector saahib, Mohammed Ehteshamuddin, who plays the SHO, Faizan Sheikh, who plays Ibrahim, and Hammad Saddiq, who plays Imdaad, struck just the right balance of amusing with a touch of sensitivity.
Guest appearances from George Fulton, Sikander Bakht & Shoaib Akhtar added to the hilarity & believability of the narrative. The English Presenter charged full on to deliver a ‘googly’ to our fast bowler, and both Sikander & Shoaib were an edgy add-on to an already fun cricketing backdrop!
The direction was slick, with fast-paced action, swift scene changes in multiple locations and sharp edits that raised the bar on the very first project from Digestive Showtime – well done there!
Yorker Took On A Few More Issues Head On
Sensationalism in the media, shooting videos in public without taking prior permission & match fixing practices were all touched upon with subtle humour – impactful messages in under 30 minutes! The fact that the message was conveyed through cricket was a very smart move, as the story can reach a mass audience and a youth that relates to a narrative that was not overtly didactic – humour is always a great way to tell stories & Yorker knew it from the get-go!
News reporter, Javed (Mani), highlights this issue in the media world.
Angrezi ki akhbar 30 ruppay ki aur urdu ki akhbar 10 ruppay ki
credits: Digestive Showtime
Should we, as a nation, to read more, and in Urdu, the newspaper prices would be a true litmus test in reflecting the value of the language in a country – it’s really as simple as that!
Personal view
The heady topic of gora complex, was explored in a humorous way, keeping things a bit towards the lighter note. Ahsan Rahim, Syed Nini and the entire Digestive Showtime team has done a fantastic job with Yorker and we hope they continue to belt out such meaningful content.
Yorker Short Film has made a resounding case for why we need to take a step back and reassess ‘language’ priorities in our society.
My favorite moment has to be the last scene, or as I call it, the mic drop scene.
‘jhanday garr diye hain, wicktein gira di hain… ab ye baat isko angrezi mein samjhaa dein’
Ammar Saleem
It’s good to see the entertainment industry exploring new topics that highlight social issues.
Check out our review on Instagram too!
And of course, don’t forget to give Yorker a watch this week!
Oh and are you wondering if The Girl On The Train is worth a watch, find out our verdict!
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This article is the collaboration effort of several members of Team FUCHSIA.
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