consensus-building
Stakeholders talk peace
With the holding of the APC, the ruling PML-N has managed to draw all political opponents including the military to itself
By Waqar Gillani
Despite the naysayers demolishing the thought before it even materialised, the All Parties Conferences announced by the newly-elected PML-N government had raised people’s expectations. The atmospherics of the conference itself were brilliant — the military and the political leadership were not just on the metaphorical same page, they were sitting in the same room; Imran Khan, a major victor from last election who never seemed happy with anything that happened in the last five years, including the APCs called by different political parties, was sitting alongside everyone else.

preview
“We’d call Zinda Bhaag a revival of storytelling”
By Usman Ghafoor & Amel Ghani
It takes two to tango, but in a creative field like filmmaking, two writers or two directors coming together could mean sparks shall fly. Not in the case of award-winning documentary filmmaker Farjad Nabi (earlier credits include Nusrat has Left the Building... But When? and No One Believes the Professor) and his longtime friend Meenu Gaur, a qualified filmmaker herself, both of whom have now ventured into cinema together famously with Zinda Bhaag. 

A new low
How is the artist expected to behave and conduct himself in such bloody and uncertain times?
By Sarwat Ali 
It is becoming clear that the leadership of all hues and colours has not only agreed on the importance of ending strife at home but has translated it into a single point national agenda of peace at any cost. Usually when such decisions are taken with no preconditions attached, the first casualty is the more vulnerable area of our society like the diversity that characterises us and the freedom of expression embodied in various artistic forms.

The Bulbula man
An artiste with remarkable memory, stamina and cheer, Yaqoob Atif Bulbula whose song is being played in Zinda Bhaag
By Saadia Salahuddin
Yaqoob Atif Bulbula, singer, entertainer, now called Bulbula Saheb by all, is most comfortable with this name. There is not a stage in the country on which he has not performed — “from Karachi to Kafiristan” — and abroad. In film and television, he has appeared in roles ranging from peon to king. In PTV plays he had roles in Waris, Andhera Ujala, Aj di Kahani, in films Pappu Lahoria and many more. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  consensus-building
Stakeholders talk peace
With the holding of the APC, the ruling PML-N has managed to draw all political opponents including the military to itself
By Waqar Gillani

Despite the naysayers demolishing the thought before it even materialised, the All Parties Conferences announced by the newly-elected PML-N government had raised people’s expectations. The atmospherics of the conference itself were brilliant — the military and the political leadership were not just on the metaphorical same page, they were sitting in the same room; Imran Khan, a major victor from last election who never seemed happy with anything that happened in the last five years, including the APCs called by different political parties, was sitting alongside everyone else.

What more could you ask for by way of consensus-building.

The eight-point joint resolution has been discussed threadbare ever since it came. The crux of the conference lies in the government’s decision, and its endorsement by all political parties, to hold talks with the Taliban.

This talks business is slippery, each time it is raised. This time, the resolution does not use the word talks or Taliban; instead it calls upon the federal government to initiate “dialogue” with all “stakeholders”.

No wonder the resolution was judged as a “document of surrender” by its critics.

“This whole document is sketchy,” says I.A. Rehman, secretary general Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). “The unconditionality of the talks is questionable after thousands of deaths.”

He terms the APC resolution merely a document of rhetoric without any basis. “Yes, there should be talks and peace should prevail but for the moment the government has not given any framework and strategy for the talks.” As for the vague terms, he views that this could be interpreted by the government and establishment differently when required. He thinks the objectives of the talks are not clearly defined.

“The objective of the APC, to include all groups in its political agenda, is not bad,” says security analyst Moeed Yusuf while talking in a television programme. “It is difficult to say whether and how much the government will succeed.”

On the face of it, it has made the desired impact where intended. If media reports are anything to go by, the TTP has welcomed this resolution for talks. It has held a preliminary meeting, attended by 78 different groups, active under the umbrella of TTP last week and plans to announce its demands at the earliest.

But this is not the first time that offers have been made and accepted on either side. Previously, too, there have been efforts to start talks with the TTP and its different groups with the precondition that they would lay down arms and announce their allegiance to the Constitution of Pakistan.

However, these talks never kicked off.

Journalist and analyst Zahid Hussain considers the resolution of APC as “document of surrender” instead of an expression of a nation’s resolve to fight terrorism. He says, in fact, the death of thousands of people by these militant groups have virtually been legitimised by making them ‘stakeholders’ in the peace efforts.

He says that along with talks, the country, separately, needs to come up with a coherent strategy to tackle terrorism.

“The roadmap for talks is not clear at all,” he says, adding that Pakistan needs to adopt a comprehensive national security and counter-terrorism policy and talks should not be the only option.

The civil society and liberal intellectuals consider the option of talks as a defeatist approach; they fear how the newly-elected government will respond to the demands of imposing Shariah in the country and introducing Taibanisation in society. They are afraid the orthodox views will prevail in the face of a weakened state at the hands of militant groups who have destabilised the country’s towns and cities in the past 10 years. They believe the state will be negotiating from a position of weakness and not strength.

“I think this perception of these groups and threat is exaggerated on both sides. Through the talks, at least we will be able to know the actual volume of threat,” says Director, Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, Muhammad Amir Rana. “I can’t say whether the talks will succeed or not but I am sure these talks will help in clearing the perception about these militant groups and the level of threat.”

Some analysts think the timing of the APC is important, being interestingly close to the date of withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan in 2014.

“Definitely, the new government’s plans to talk are related to the Afghanistan problem,” says senior journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai. “We should be mindful of the fact that the previous attempts of talks with these groups were not done in a proper way. This time the talks have the backing of both the army and the political setup.”

Yusufzai predicts the major agenda of the talks would revolve round maintaining distance from the US, releasing prisoners of these groups, giving the affected groups compensations and rehabilitation, and development of the affected families and areas rather than stressing on imposing Shariah. “The demand for Islamic Shariah is a posturing and foreign intervention is the most important point raised by them.”

He says the withdrawal of Pakistan Army troops from tribal areas will be a major subject in these talks. “If the talks succeed in this direction, the situation will be normal to a great extent but you cannot have complete peace and control. The option of fighting is the last resort for the government and the army.”

What gives hopes regarding the talks is the likemindedness of the main political components. These parties including the PML-N, JUI-F and PTI have openly disowned this war for the past several years and directly linked this terrorism with the American intervention in the region. Interestingly, this narrative goes down well with the TTP and like-minded religious and Jihadi groups. In February this year, the TTP spokesman announced that his group would go ahead with negotiations if certain politicians including Mian Nawaz Sharif acted as a guarantor.

For now, the holding of APC seems like a win-win situation for the ruling PML-N. In one go, it has managed to draw all political opponents including the military to itself. If the talks do materialise, and the peace dividend is finally achieved, even if partially, it will be able to stand vindicated.

vaqargillani@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

preview
“We’d call Zinda Bhaag a revival of storytelling”
By Usman Ghafoor & Amel Ghani

It takes two to tango, but in a creative field like filmmaking, two writers or two directors coming together could mean sparks shall fly. Not in the case of award-winning documentary filmmaker Farjad Nabi (earlier credits include Nusrat has Left the Building... But When? and No One Believes the Professor) and his longtime friend Meenu Gaur, a qualified filmmaker herself, both of whom have now ventured into cinema together famously with Zinda Bhaag.

It’s a project that is very dear to both Farjad and Meenu who have earlier collaborated on a host of music videos and documentaries, the latest being The Ghost of Maula Jutt, which is “about the rise and decay of Lollywood” (to quote Farjad) and currently under production.

Due out in theatres in Pakistan on September 20, Zinda Bhaag is expected to do the needful for the country’s nascent film industry. The movie has already won four awards — including Best Actor (Female) and Best Music — at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival (MISAFF) in Mississauga, Canada, where it was premiered recently. It even beat Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist in the Best Film category.

The jubilant duo of Farjad and Meenu are now looking to grab numbers at the ticket windows. They say they wouldn’t be content with mere festival acclaim. The music, composed by Sahir Ali Bagga, is already making waves on electronic as well as social media. Add to it acting giant Naseeruddin Shah’s starry presence as the quirky, Punjabi-speaking pehlwaan and Zinda Bhaag looks like a winner already.

For the Lahoris, it promises an additional treat — the city is fleshed out, as if a living and breathing character. In Meenu’s words, the “references to events, the food, the humour, everything is Lahori.”

Close to Zinda Bhaag’s theatrical release, TNS has an exclusive interview with the two first-time filmmakers. Excerpts follow...

The News on Sunday: Let’s start from the beginning. What prompted the idea for Zinda Bhaag?

Meenu Gaur: It started with the stories we’d heard from some of our friends and close relatives about doing the ‘dunky’ (Lahori colloquialism for crossing borders illegally). This took us into a long research process in some neighbourhoods of Lahore. Farjad and I then moved on to wanting to tell a ‘Lahori’ story, of its sub-culture, lingo, humour and music.

Farjad Nabi: When we heard stories shared by friends and family members who had risked everything to do the ‘dunky,’ we were fascinated by these stories; [however], one question still rankled in us. It was, ‘Why do men risk their lives to do the dunky?’ Our research had dispelled the notion that it is a pure economic question. The truth is there is no one answer. Men do want to change their lives overnight, especially young men who find all legitimate doors closed for them. At the same time, it is almost a tradition which has been followed through generations.

TNS: How did you guys come together, in the first place?

Meenu: I’ve been collaborating with both Farjad and Mazhar Zaidi (producer, Zinda Bhaag) for a very long time. We’ve made documentaries together. Farjad and Mazhar had a studio in Anarkali, Lahore, where they recorded artists like Sain Zahoor and Shah Jo Raag Fakir.

We developed Zinda Bhaag together from its inception. Needless to add that I really enjoy working with both of them!

Farjad: Meenu and I have been collaborating on many projects. We have done documentaries, music videos and scripts together. Right now we have a couple of documentaries we want to finish. One is called The Ghost of Maula Jutt, which is about the rise and decay of Lollywood.

TNS: Tell us about your early cinematic influences.

Meenu: There have been all kinds of influences; sometimes it is something you have seen and at other times it is something you might have read, or a real life event. Too many to recount here!

Having said that, a feature film is in essence a collaborative process and you end up surrounding yourself with a team that helps you think through and put in place what you have in mind. In this process, a lot of things transform and become something else. So, your team itself becomes the biggest influence and inspiration when making a film.

TNS: The movie is being publicised as a Punjabi language film, but from the promos it appears to be multilingual. Comment.

Meenu: Zinda Bhaag is a Lahori film. The characters speak the languages spoken in Lahore which means a mix of Urdu and Punjabi. I would say the language of the film is ‘Lahori’.

Farjad: So, while the adults speak to each other in Punjabi, their children talk to them in Urdu. Similarly, a businessman may speak one language at home but switch to Urdu while cutting a business deal.

TNS: Why Naseeruddin Shah?

Farjad: While writing the character of Pehlwan, the Lahori badmaash, we knew it had to be performed by a big actor, someone larger than life.

Meenu: We tracked down Naseer sahib’s address and sent him an early draft of our script. One day, Mazhar received a phone call and as soon as he heard “Hello,” he knew it was Naseer sahib who said he had loved the script and his character.

I’m amazed that he was willing to learn a new language for a role. For an actor of his standing to want to take up such challenges and push himself into new situations was very inspiring for all of us.

TNS: Apparently, Naseer sahib conducted an acting workshop for the new actors in the film. Were these kind of orientation sessions, in which the boys were prepared for their parts in the film?

Meenu: I had heard from a lot of actor friends that there is no better teacher for acting than Naseer sahib. Once he agreed to doing the role, we told him about our main leads in the film who had never acted before. We requested him to conduct a workshop for them. This would mean he would have to travel twice to Lahore (once for the workshop and then again for the shoot), but he agreed. He guided the new actors into how to let go of preconceived notions of acting.

Farjad: In a way, it was an intensive course into how not to act, how to be yourself while being another person.

TNS: How come you got so many non-actors?

Meenu: We believed that if instead of actors we chose boys from the very mohallahs we were basing our stories in, with the same personality traits like those of the characters we had written, the characters would seem closer to life and therefore we would be able to maintain the intimacy of the film for the audience.

Farjad: We held auditions in Lahore, about four to five hundred of them. Almost all were newcomers with no experience in acting.

TNS: Is it important to hire people who may not be actors but who should have gone through experiences very similar to what their onscreen characters are going through?

Meenu: It depends on what kind of film you want to make. In the end our three boys Khurrum Patras, Salman A. Khan and Zohib are very close to the characters they are playing. The same goes for Amina Ilyas who is quite fearless in real life.

TNS: Manzar Sehbai, who played Hakeem famously in Bol, happens to be your uncle. Now, he is known to be a very choosy actor. How did you convince him to do the special appearance in the film?

Farjad: Manzar Sehbai is pure passion. When he read the script he was gripped by the role of Billa Kashmiri. He came on set only twice but what an actor! He got into the role like a man possessed.

TNS: Do you consider Zinda Bhaag as part of the process of the ‘revival’ of cinema in Pakistan or do you fear it would end up catering to a niche audience, especially of the festivals variety?

Meenu: Not at all. I think Zinda Bhaag would have a very wide appeal. The music of the film is extremely popular already and the same will follow for the film.

Farjad: Zinda Bhaag is a full-on entertainer. In its citation for Best Film Award at Mosaic MISAFF festival in Canada, the jury said that this was a film which made them laugh and cry. We would call it a revival of storytelling. 

TNS: One hears that the post-production of Zinda Bhaag was done in India.

Farjad: There was a lot of collaboration on both ends. We would edit something in Karachi, compose the music score and send it over and it would return with changes and so on. Some technical facilities are still unavailable in Pakistan such as equipment and expertise for sync sound; those were done in India.

TNS: Lahore is an integral part of the movie. Tell us about the experience of shooting in Lahore.

Meenu: If there is a one way to describe Zinda Bhaag, it would be that it’s a ‘Lahori’ film. The references to events, the food, the humour, everything is Lahori. This was part of our inspiration from the beginning. We always wanted to shoot on location which has its own energy which was matched by our amazing crew.

Farjad: We shot on location, in the very mohallas the story had emerged out of. Even many of our actors belonged to those mohallas. The shooting had its challenges but the local residents were so cooperative that we always felt at ease. Our crew had merged into one big clan through the shoot and it was our collective passion which carried us through.

   

 

A new low
How is the artist expected to behave and conduct himself in such bloody and uncertain times?
By Sarwat Ali 

It is becoming clear that the leadership of all hues and colours has not only agreed on the importance of ending strife at home but has translated it into a single point national agenda of peace at any cost. Usually when such decisions are taken with no preconditions attached, the first casualty is the more vulnerable area of our society like the diversity that characterises us and the freedom of expression embodied in various artistic forms.

The logic behind peace at all cost is based on the assumption that the strength of a nation lies in its homogeneity and all orders particularly the more authoritarian ones extol to no end the virtues of a more simplistic pattern imposed on society. The diversity or heterogeneity in a nation is considered to be a threat, as difference of opinion, or the mere daring to think otherwise is seen as tyrannical.

In our society, with its peculiarities of a thousand year history of syncretic existence, the chord of uniformity is struck at the expense of cultural, ethnic and above all religious diversity.

Analysts and even thinkers here have also seen more virtue in striving for a society that is homogeneous rather than heterogeneous. The bogey of thinking away from the given lines or norms is perceived to be a threat and that soon transforms into some kind of a conspiracy. The entire gamut of problems that the nation faces has one simple answer, being in receipt of foreign conspiracies that are forever hatched to weaken or even dismember the country.

Now the next salvo is to be fired in the name of peace. Pakistan has been marred by electricity shortages, poor governance, corruption scandals, sectarian strife and terrorism, so the artists can pick on any of these themes or topics to bombast the powers that be and create sensational stuff which should have all the qualifications of daring, truthful criticism — in other words speaking the voice of the people at large.

It is difficult to keep ones head above water when the situation is as dismal as it has become recently. Over the past years, the situation has been bloody and far below the expectations from a civilised country. It seems that the current phase of uncertainty and mayhem has reached a new low.

Then how is the artist expected to behave and conduct himself in such bloody and uncertain times. The cultural happenings seem to be out of synch with the bloody reality and the crumbling edifice of society that has emasculated the social fabric. The relevance between the two is becoming more and more tenuous. It is generally believed or expected that the artist or art is supposed to provide an alternative and in such circumstances the alternative can only be in the shape of hope.

The general tenor around is that of hopelessness, very little to be cheerful about so it becomes the duty of the artist to show some silver lining in the dark ominous clouds that are about to burst with the loudest clapping of thunder. Examples are cited of such miraculous resolve in times of wars and disasters — of opera house in Stalingrad continuing to put up shows in the bleakest of hours and other theatres struggle as a resolve to keep the flag aloft, of actors willing to perform on stage even after the death of their nearest ones.

For the first maxim of the performing arts or indeed the arts has always been that the show must go on.

Or it could also be that the art is a direct reflection of the conditions on ground. If the conditions are dark, art is supposed to be darker and fully representative of the uncertainty, the crumbling of hope and the disintegration of the spirit. If the human spirit desires despite all odds optimism, the art is purged of the macabre of the hopelessness.

Either art as the direct reflection of what is happening on ground or the desire for better times (which many in the past have designated as an escapist tendency) are both legitimate and under serious threat of being muzzled in the name of peace, national integration and uniformity. One has seen the same approach being taken with most of the better-known poets, artists and musicians being declared either anti-state, anti-religion or anti-morality. Even the ghosts of our classical heritage have not been spared and have been exorcised. Much editing and expurgation has taken place to tailor the past according to the requirements of the present. The heritage has been split between what is acceptable and what is not.  

It is poignant to add that the state exists on the basis of a certain vision. It is not an abstract entity but is a living embodiment of the ideals enshrined in the founding principles and the constitution of the country. The state does not last forever and if held so it belies history. The state lasts as long as the people living in it have the hope that it is the best means to achieving their ideals and the upholding of their values.

If peace at any cost is going to be the ground rule then the geographical expression of the state is being presented ahead of the state as an embodiment of an ideal. The peace should be for the preservation of the ideals and the values that the state represents. It cannot be at all cost. It has to be placed within the context of the outcome of its existence. The safeguarding of fundamental rights which includes the freedoms of expression in the arts as well as otherwise and the diversity that constitutes the social fibre of this society should not become the first victim of the drive to preserve the geographical shell of the state. It will then only be reduced to a carcass of hopes and values of which it was once a living example.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bulbula man
An artiste with remarkable memory, stamina and cheer, Yaqoob Atif Bulbula whose song is being played in Zinda Bhaag
By Saadia Salahuddin

Yaqoob Atif Bulbula, singer, entertainer, now called Bulbula Saheb by all, is most comfortable with this name. There is not a stage in the country on which he has not performed — “from Karachi to Kafiristan” — and abroad. In film and television, he has appeared in roles ranging from peon to king. In PTV plays he had roles in Waris, Andhera Ujala, Aj di Kahani, in films Pappu Lahoria and many more.

His favourite role is that of Dhayan Singh in Punjabi Darbar, a programme he does on Radio Pakistan every Wednesday at 6:00 pm. If you have had a chance to be his audience, you probably know that Bulbula can perform tirelessly for hours. He can produce music from a table as he sings.

He says, “Be truthful always because you lose trust and respect otherwise” and “do not visit anyone too frequently because you lose importance that way” and “don’t dupe anyone because it affects people’s faith in humanity” during the course of conversation with TNS.

Bulbula is the first ever Punjabi rap singer. He released his first song ‘Zindagi paani da bulbula’ in October 1979. Now Abrar ul Haq has sung the same song for the film ‘Zinda Bhaag’ to be released on September 20.

Yaqub Atif Bulbula is happy that another singer has sung his song. “They asked me to sing live at their studio. A smart fellow sat down with me to write down the lyrics but he got tired in the process, I tell you. The song has five long stanzas and takes 35 minutes to sing with music”.

At that time he did not know what it was for. Later, he learnt that the music director demanded a youthful voice. “So what”, he says, “naam tau hamara hi bajta hai”.

Showing vocal talent at an early age, he was asked to take the lead in morning assembly at school by the headmaster. From ‘Lab pe aati hai dua’ he went on to recite naats. His first teacher was a sweeper who swept his street. “He would sing while he worked. I asked him to teach me singing. I bought a harmonium which was smashed by my elder brother but I didn’t give up. I used to sing Rafi and Mukesh’s songs in my earlier days when one day a music director asked me to produce something of my own — something new. That is when I came up with ‘bulbula.”

Since then there has been no looking back for him. He has sung 275 songs by now, all new. The lyrics, (tarzain) music and songs — “all mine. I sing on weddings as well by invitation”.

Bulbula is a simple man who is well aware of the fact that he hasn’t received his due share of fame or fortune from the industry but despite this is content. “Mughe reaaeti ticket pae rakha hua hai. Logon nae meri qeemat do aanae muqarrar ki hai, doosron ki daerh rupay,” (I am kept on discount ticket. People have fixed my rate at two annas, of others at one and a half rupees).

He adds without any remorse, “But at least I don’t owe anything to anyone.”

Just then he takes out a case of Gold Leaf cigarettes, a lighter and a matchbox from his shirt pocket and says, “I left smoking five years back but people often ask me for a cigarette, match or lighter and I don’t want to say I don’t have them. I always have them. Every time a matchstick or lighter will flick, it will remind that person of me.”

With this he continues talking about his experience in the industry. “There is this tendency in the film industry to lie, not keep words, and dupe others. Many singers cheat their instrumentalists out of their fair share of money. Once somebody received Rs 15,000 for my performance and pushed me on to the stage. I kept asking, what will I get and he said, ‘that will be taken care of later’. He handed me a few hundred rupees after the show, saying, ‘come on, isn’t that enough for you’.”

His favourite song to this day remains his first “Paani da bulbula” and on invitation he begins to sing for us — and there is no stopping him…

The 62-year-old performer sings from memory alone — nothing in writing before him. He knows names of all the actresses of film, TV and stage on both sides of the border — 375 Indian and as much Pakistani. He sings their names in a rap song without repeating any, questioning, “Will the Guinness consider my name for inclusion in its record book?”

He needs only a word to build a song upon. In his latest song, yet to be picturised, he has played on the word ‘fast’ — “Pyar karan mein taenu fast, fast fast fast.”

Bulbula is grateful to the media, for the love and respect he has got from people. He says, “The more money people have, the smaller their heart”.

He advises people to use their money well and distribute it among others in their lifetime.

He ends the conversation with his song:

“Ae God gift hai

Taenu muft shift hai

Rab thora daevae ya bohta daevae

Layna oho hi ae jaeri qismat di list hai.”

 

 

   

 

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