A fable in a flash: Bringing Pashto folklore to life, one pixel at a time

Peshawar-based graphic designer plans animated series.

PESHAWAR: Abdul Rahman is a man on a mission: the creator of the first Pashto animated film Jalaat Khan and Mehbooba, Rahman is determined to bring the men and women of traditional folktales to life for Pakistani children today, one fable at a time.
“Our children’s heroes are all Western, characters from movies and cartoons that we have been making them watch,” he says. “My work is not just for children today but for the next generation as well, to help them learn about the history and importance of our stories and values.”



While the narrative is not particular to Pashtun culture, the story of Jalaat Khan and Mehbooba may have originated in Afghanistan, Rahman says. A love story, it is a fable about a king who, unable to
get a male heir to his throne, kills all his female children. One child, Mehbooba, is saved by her mother, who hides her from the king as she is so beautiful.
The little girl is kept in a secret place, but as she grows older, her beauty receives the attentions of locals. However, anyone who tries to reach her is killed. One man, Prince Jalaat Khan, is able to reach Mehbooba and takes her away, after which there is a bloody war between the king and the prince.

“We tell these stories in order to educate our children, to give them cultural values and to motivate them,” Rahman explains. “Children watching Western video games and animated films mimic the violent and aggressive tendencies they see here.”

A graphic designer, painter and photographer, Rahman is an associate professor at Peshawar’s College of Design.  “I tried to make the story as entertaining as possible for children,” he says, explaining that the quality of the work – graphics and sound – was key to his short film.

The work paid off, as the animation won first prize at the Animation in All Pakistan Media festival, held at Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKI) in Topi.

Former director of the Pashto Academy Dr Salma Shaheen explains that folktales such as Jalaat Khan and Mehbooba are a mix of traditional and oral narratives that include legends, proverbs, music and jokes from within Pakhtun culture. “There is always a history behind every folktale that is transferred from one generation to another,” she says. “However, with the assault of Western films, Pakhtun folktales have lost their importance among the public.” Other traditional stories from this genre include those of Yousuf Khan Sher Bano and Adam Khan Durkhanai, tales that endure due to the efforts of folk singers and storytellers or theatrical and television dramas. “There are no efforts by artists, musicians or graphic designers to keep these stories alive today,” Rahman feels.

Rahman is struggling to bring his work into the mainstream. He says that even months after the initial screening at the GIKI festival, there has been little interest in Jalaat Khan and Mehbooba.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2014.