Just a few days back, the audience and the team were overwhelmed to hear that Sarmad Khoosat‘s film, Zindagi Tamasha (Circus of Life) was finally going to see the light of day after years of its release being postponed and banned due to religious-political reasons. However, as fans were awaiting the release on 18th March, they were left disappointed once again after an official confirmation by Sarmad Khoosat that the release of the film has been once again postponed.
Zindagi Tamasha is directed and co-produced by Sarmad and Kanwal Khoosat and is written by Nirmal Bano. The cast of the critically acclaimed film includes Arif Hassan, Eman Suleman, Samiya Mumtaz and Ali Kureshi.
The Background
Zindagi Tamasha has swiped many accolades internationally. It first premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in 2019 and became the first Pakistani film to win the prestigious Kim Ji-Seok Award at the festival. It was also Pakistan’s official film entry in the International Feature Film Award category for the 93rd Academy Awards in 2020 and received the Snow Leopard Award for Best Film at the 6th Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) in 2021.
Unfortunately, the film was not able to receive such an overwhelming response in Pakistan and this isn’t the first time the film’s release is halted.
Originally the film was set to release on 24th January 2020 in Pakistan. However, despite being approved by the censor board, the film’s release was banned after the TLP called for protests against its original release as it was considered ‘blasphemous’ and hurt the sentiments of certain religious groups. In retaliation, Sarmad filed a report in Lahore court and and wrote open letters to Prime Minister and the government and wrote a second letter to the public addressing the threats he was getting, but to no avail.
In July 2020, the Senate Committee for Human Rights approved the movie for screening and dropped all objections and concerns raised against the film.
The film’s trailer was re-released announcing that it will screen in March. However, just days before its release the film has once again been postponed!
The Story
The plot is original, mystical, distant yet relevant. The trailer hooks us like no other. It rightly represents the effort put in by the team to make such a masterpiece!
Zindagi Tamasha is an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on the little gods on this earth who police private passions.
YouTube description of the film, Zindagi Tamasha
It is the story about a devout and respected Muslim, Rahat, who composes and recites hymns, praising the Prophet. He is religious, respected and one who takes care of his bedridden wife. In short his reputation is stainless, until one day a video of him dancing goes viral and turns his life upside down. There is no turning back for Rahat from there, who finds himself under the scrutinising eyes of the society including his daughter played by Eman Suleman.
Twitter Reacts To It Being Postponed Again
“This is really sad…. I was desperately waiting for #JavedIqbal and #Zindagitamasha Hope we could revive the cinema as it needs to be.”
“I was so excited about I’ll meet you there and Zindagi Tamasha releasing this month, finally we were about to watch these two films and here we are again. Lagta hai ab Ishrat Made in China hi dekhni paregi.”
“@aClockworkObi you see!! Thats what i was talkin about … matlab phir say Yaaar koi chupa k he dikha day!! Never in my life have i wanted to watch a movie this bad #zindagitamasha“
“I have been desperate to watch #zindagitamasha #circusoflife for like a couple of years. Please help ! No torrent available but it has been showcased.reply for leads. #movietwitter #torrent #torrenthelp #movietorrent #TORRENTPOWER #bannedfilms #pakmovies“
“Forget #Javediqbal I want #zindagitamasha please”
Watch the teaser here:
The trailer is certainly intriguing, giving away just the right details, leaving much to anticipate! It is unfortunate that in Pakistan our tolerance towards free speech and portrayal of content on media is confined to inconsiderable margins where most issues and subjects are off topic. It is regretful that though our content is being acknowledged and appreciated internationally, we as a nation still haven’t been able to unite to bring a piece of art to cinemas!
