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The eccentric storyteller
Instep caught up with Jamil Dehlavi and spoke to him about cinema, Jinnah and the dark side of Pakistan

By Maheen Sabeeh
 
Back again

"I'm right at home in both worlds," says Jamil smilingly in a thick accent when asked which place he prefers – England or Pakistan.

Tall, fair and stubborn, he cuts an intriguing figure. He pauses when he speaks, and what comes across is a man who certainly does not like explaining every move he makes. Jamil is a filmmaker who makes what he wants and is one of those filmmakers who don't like explaining his reasons. Even though there is an audience in his mind, ultimately it is about telling a story in a manner that is a flavour unique to him alone.

His latest film, Infinite Justice is "loosely" based on the killing of American journalist, Daniel Pearl in Karachi. Interestingly, another film (A Mighty Heart) is also being made on the same subject except that it is Marianne Pearl's version. "It's her version so I think it will be different than my film," he says.
 
To the intelligentsia, Jamil Dehlavi is not an unknown name. His 1992 film, Immaculate Conception starring Zia Mohyeddin that showed an American-English couple living in Karachi and visiting a fertility shrine run by eunuchs gave him an opening in Pakistan. A few years later saw Jamil make a film on the founder of this nation, Jinnah and it was this film that made him a recognizable filmmaker in the land of the pure. Because not only was the film Jinnah, it was Jamil's only film that was dubbed in Urdu and was screened at local cinemas. This year, Karafilm Festival brought Jamil Dehlavi back to town and showcased some of his seen, unseen films. His films say a lot about his personality and show a side of Pakistan that more often than not, we would rather not accept...
 
Looking back

Born in Pakistan, Jamil spent most of his childhood living in Europe. His father was in the Foreign Service and the job took him all over the world, be it Paris or Rome, Cairo or Moscow. Jamil did his entire schooling at Rugby School in England and went onto study law at Oxford University. "It had more to do with family pressure than personal desire to be a lawyer," he says reminiscently. He is a qualified barrister but filmmaking attracted him more than law ever could. Jamil then joined Columbia University in New York and studied filmmaking there. He made his first short feature, Towers of Silence in 1975. It was screened at many festivals around the globe.
 
However, it was the controversial Blood of Hussain that led this director back to Pakistan and ironically, away from it. "Blood of Hussain was derived from Martydom of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussain except that it was based in the modern context," says Jamil thoughtfully. It was a political film, one that interrogated the power of state in all its sinful glory. But back then, Pakistan was under Zia-ul-Haq's regime and when you stood up against him, you paid for it, as did Dehlavi. "My passport was impounded by the government for two years, I couldn't leave the country. I couldn't even make a film because you needed a license to make a film. After two years I left the country." It was self-imposed exile but at the same time, he continued making films.
 
Dark cinema

Jinnah was a film that didn't do too well in Pakistan even though it was also dubbed in Urdu and not to forget the fact that it was a film on Quaid-e-Azam. Perhaps the biggest drawback of the film remains its portrayal of Jinnah. For a man who never explained himself, it was hard to see Christopher Lee walking as the ghost of Jinnah, explaining his actions. It was not the Jinnah one has read about, it was not the man one imagined him to be. "I didn't want to make a straightforward biopic," Jamil says unapologetically. It is this trait that sets him apart from other filmmakers. He doesn't justify and he holds no barriers in admitting it. He explains his point of view but only to the extent that he wants to.
 
 

Looking back at his work, one realizes that some of his films set Pakistan's imagery in a gruesome light. One example is Immaculate Conception. As gripping as the film was, it was highly disturbing. More disturbing is the fact that it was drawn from reality. "I went to Multan to do a documentary on shrines but when I went there, it triggered a story in my head. Channel 4 was funding this documentary. I went back and had a script with me and told them that I wanted to make this film instead." A young male keep of the eunuchs rapes a Jewish-American woman, daughter of an American Senator to impregnate her – they very idea can send a shiver through one's spine. One criticism for this film remains the darkness with which it was made. Immaculate Conception could have been a little sensitive.

The question remains, why are Jamil Dehlavi films showcasing Pakistan in a dark light? Yes, this country has problems and as a filmmaker, Jamil can raise issue but there is a level of sensitivity required. "It is not about propaganda, it is about raising issues," Jamil says matter-of-factly. He is someone who is indifferent to criticism, making films that he wants to make, not necessarily those that people want to see. His approach is to leave the film open for interpretation. There is a free spirit in him that simply doesn't give a damn.

There is also a certain level of surrealism attached to Dehlavi's films. It is not in your face but hidden underneath the reality with which the story has been penned down. Jamil agrees, "Yes, you could say that. My films are realistic yet there is that element."

What lies ahead?

Dehlavi's latest film, Infinite Justice that according to him is "loosely" based on the killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl was an eye opener. Instead of showing a mullah against the journalist, one sees a young guy, raised in UK, asking him all the questions. It's an interesting way of showing Muslim fundamentalism and the American psyche. Strangely, it's a film that makes it hard for one to decide which side to pick.

It is this kind of a film that should be screened at local cinemas. But unfortunately, Jamil has no plans of doing so. According to him, "My films are more for the international audience." Considering the lack of investment in cinema in Pakistan, it is no wonder he feels this way.

One filmmaker alone cannot change the cinema scene in Pakistan. That being said, it will never change unless someone takes an initiative. The question is: will Jamil Dehlavi be that filmmaker? "Why should I bring a revolution?" he asks, clarifying when sees a quizzical look: "It's not like I don't want to but it's not simple. If someone asks me to make a film, I will but I would need finance. Every film that I make has its own crew; I've worked with Spanish crew as well as American. It's not as if I'm looking to make millions but at the end of the day, you need to pay off your crew and make some sort of profit." But how does one change it then? "You need people to start investing in cinema. Once finance comes in, it might bring in new, raw talent and they will be the ones who might be able to change a few things around."

The one thing that Jamil does like is the Karafilm Festival. For someone who has seen film festivals all over the world, he realizes its importance. "Film festivals are opening for filmmakers whose work doesn't necessarily get seen otherwise. It is about meeting different people, networking and attaining reasonable success. Karafilm is therefore, a great step," he says happily.

Jamil does not write his films in Urdu. In fact, he had not even seen Jinnah after it was dubbed. Sounds strange? It's not because his Urdu isn't good but because he makes films for international audiences and he is honest enough to admit to it.

Will this filmmaker take a stand and revive the dying cinema of this country? Highly unlikely but one thing is for sure, as long as Dehlavi is around the corner, the educated man will always have a film to watch. Whether he likes it or not will remain irrelevant because as Jamil puts it, "I make films for myself first and an audience later."