‘We can’t kill film the way we killed TV dramas’
Director Rashid Sami says commercialisation stifling entertainment
Sami plans on releasing two films in the next two years. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
Like many of his puritan contemporaries, TV veteran Rashid Sami has been left unnerved by the amount of money that has been injected into the Pakistani entertainment industry in recent times.
The actor-director, who is currently busy putting together upcoming drama serials Rishtay Wali and Mujhay Godh Lay Lo, told The Express Tribune, “TV is in the claws of marketing. It’s dying a slow death. I wish and pray that doesn’t happen to our films as well.” However, it seems Sami hasn’t given up on the medium for good. The two productions delve into one’s idea of marriage and parenting issues respectively; reinforcing the method that Sami has so fondly put to use for decades – grabbing social taboos by the collar through his work.
He feels things have indeed evolved quite rapidly over the past four years. “Obviously, it has changed. There are films that are being produced today. There is the good, the bad and the ugly, which will take some time to filter out,” he said.
The year that saw Pakistani cinema surge ahead
Sami is of the view that film too has begun to bear the brunt of marketing tactics that it is layered with. “Things like product placement wreak havoc. We can’t kill film the way we have killed TV dramas. We need to take a stand now or we will never be able to do undo the damage.”
In a previous interview with The Express Tribune, he had lamented, “These days it’s a sad combination of really good writers working with poor directors. What we need is an influx of new talent to produce an overall better quality of work.” Seems he hasn’t budged from his stance, however, he now has examples to support his argument.
For him the model to follow is that of Sarmad Khoosat’s Manto. “Why can’t we structure our productions along those lines. Look at Manto, how it took us by storm in the same way Amir Khusrow’s qawwali did in India at one time,” he said.
Sami feels a story told in the vernacular always keeps one inspired. Taking cue from the cited example, the director plans on making films on Urdu literature. “One would be a dark comedy and the other a literary treat,” he added. Sami is aiming to release them both within the next two years.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 1st, 2016.
Like many of his puritan contemporaries, TV veteran Rashid Sami has been left unnerved by the amount of money that has been injected into the Pakistani entertainment industry in recent times.
The actor-director, who is currently busy putting together upcoming drama serials Rishtay Wali and Mujhay Godh Lay Lo, told The Express Tribune, “TV is in the claws of marketing. It’s dying a slow death. I wish and pray that doesn’t happen to our films as well.” However, it seems Sami hasn’t given up on the medium for good. The two productions delve into one’s idea of marriage and parenting issues respectively; reinforcing the method that Sami has so fondly put to use for decades – grabbing social taboos by the collar through his work.
He feels things have indeed evolved quite rapidly over the past four years. “Obviously, it has changed. There are films that are being produced today. There is the good, the bad and the ugly, which will take some time to filter out,” he said.
The year that saw Pakistani cinema surge ahead
Sami is of the view that film too has begun to bear the brunt of marketing tactics that it is layered with. “Things like product placement wreak havoc. We can’t kill film the way we have killed TV dramas. We need to take a stand now or we will never be able to do undo the damage.”
In a previous interview with The Express Tribune, he had lamented, “These days it’s a sad combination of really good writers working with poor directors. What we need is an influx of new talent to produce an overall better quality of work.” Seems he hasn’t budged from his stance, however, he now has examples to support his argument.
For him the model to follow is that of Sarmad Khoosat’s Manto. “Why can’t we structure our productions along those lines. Look at Manto, how it took us by storm in the same way Amir Khusrow’s qawwali did in India at one time,” he said.
Sami feels a story told in the vernacular always keeps one inspired. Taking cue from the cited example, the director plans on making films on Urdu literature. “One would be a dark comedy and the other a literary treat,” he added. Sami is aiming to release them both within the next two years.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 1st, 2016.