2022 is not only the year when Pakistan turned 75, it also marks a milestone of extraordinary achievements for Pakistani creative all around the world. As our film industry picked up pace after two dull years, our multiple artists managed to make headlines for all the right reasons.
Be it Arooj Aftab's historic Grammy win or an ensemble local cast starring in a Marvel project, this year has been rather fruitful for showbiz. Here are our biggest takeaways from 2022 so far that have made Pakistan beam with pride.
Pasoori takeover
With its catchy melody and stunning music video, The Ali Sethi and Shae Gill soundtrack from Coke Studio 14 has been winning hearts across the oceans since its release. With musical influences ranging from reggaeton to the soulful tunes of the rubab, Pasoori is fusion at its finest.
Not just in Pakistan, but artists around the world lauded the hit number. The likes of Britney Spears, Arjun Kapoor, Armaan Malik among others gave a shout-out to Pasoori as they played it on repeat. The much-deserved track was also touted to 'bring together India and Pakistan', as per a New Yorker report. Needless to say, the song has managed to serve as a bridge between Pakistan and the rest of the world.
Humayun Saeed takes the crown
This year began with massive news for Pakistani fans. Humayun Saeed was roped in as Dr Hasnat in Netflix's popular drama, The Crown. Saeed, who has a huge following of his own in the country, became the first-ever Pakistani star to bag a famous Netflix original in a prominent role.
The showbiz fraternity came together and lauded Saeed on this huge feat. Mahira Khan shared the news and congratulated her Bin Roye co-star on Twitter. "Finally, it’s out! So proud! So excited! Masha Allah Masha Allah! What a show! What a star." "Very proud of you my friend, Humayun Saeed! I am sure you will bring nuance to the character with your acting. Looking forward to it!" shared Adnan Siddiqui. "So excited about this! He is the humblest superstar there ever was. Well-deserved and well earned! Godspeed," wrote Anoushey Ashraf. "Congratulations to my friend Humayun Saeed on getting the role of Dr Hasnat in The Crown Netflix series. You make us so proud!" penned Frieha Altaf.
Pakistan's first Grammy
In April, the Brooklyn-based Pakistani vocalist Arooj Aftab won Pakistan its first Grammy, winning a prestigious trophy for her song Mohabbat in the Best Global Performance category. The 37-year-old - who has lived in New York for some 15 years - has been steadily gaining global attention for her work that fuses ancient Sufi traditions with inflections of folk, jazz and minimalism.
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Arooj Aftab at the 64th annual Grammy Awards. PHOTO: REUTERS
"I am beyond thrilled," the artist told journalists, at which the vast majority of awards are handed out. "It feels great. I've been very nervous all day. And we're off to a good start." Born to Pakistani parents in Saudi Arabia, Aftab spent her teenage years in Lahore before relocating to Boston's prestigious Berklee School of Music to study music production and engineering.
She released her third studio album Vulture Prince to critical acclaim and gained even more attention after former US President Barack Obama included the track Mohabbat on his 2021 summer favorites list. Aftab has performed at a number of major New York venues including Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, also opening for Mitski at The Brooklyn Steel in 2018.
Marvel-ous actors
Apart from Saeed starring in The Crown and Aftab's brilliant Grammy win, several local artists bagged their first Hollywood project - that too, no less than a Marvel Studio venture. Fawad Khan, Mehwish Hayat, Nimra Bucha, and veteran star Samina Ahmed were roped in Marvel's much-anticipated project, Ms. Marvel. Not just this, Pakistan's Oscar-winning filmmaker, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, directed two out of six episodes of the aforementioned series.
The artists and the director were ecstatic to star in a Marvel project. Hayat and Obaid-Chinoy often took to Instagram and shared glimpses of the BTS of the show. The London Nahi Jaunga star took to Instagram and shared a carousel of seen and unseen pictures with the cast and crew of the popular show. "I am truly overwhelmed by the love I am getting for ‘Aisha’ from around the world," Hayat penned in a lengthy note for the Ms. Marvel team. "But bringing a project such as Ms. Marvel to the screen is the result of true teamwork."
In an interview with The Express Tribune, the Saving Face filmmaker had shared, “It was very important for me to tell an authentic story. From the very beginning, Marvel Studios was very clear about the fact that they want to bring authenticity to the life of Kamala Khan, which is why they put together a cast and a truly global crew that came from different parts of the world and brought in the kind of sensibilities that allowed us to tell this story.”
Joy at Cannes
Team Joyland has made the entire country proud after receiving a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. The film made history as the first feature film to be screened at the prestigious festival, which hosts some of the biggest directors and actors in the global film industry today. With themes of forbidden desire and rebellion, Joyland was widely adored by critics, with Deadline deeming it a “thoughtful, well performed and engrossing drama”.
Joyland by director Saim Sadiq, a tale of the sexual revolution, tells the story of the youngest son in a patriarchal family who is expected to produce a baby boy with his wife. He instead joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for the troupe's director, a Trans woman.
It is the first-ever Pakistani competitive entry at the Cannes festival and it also won the Jury Prize in the "Un Certain Regard" competition, a segment focusing on young, innovative cinema talent. "It's a very powerful film, that represents everything that we stand for," Queer Palm jury head, French director Catherine Corsini said.
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