Will Pakistan speak up against the ban on ‘Joyland’?

The globally acclaimed and multiple award-winning Joyland, is the latest victim of the ban policies of the country of its origin. Directed by Saim Sadiq, the film was set to have a commercial release in Pakistan on November 18 after receiving clearance from the federal and two provincial censorship boards, until came the Federal Ministry for Information and Broadcasting’s bombshell: Joyland is banned.

On my timeline, tweet after tweet condemning the ban on Joyland, it was as if Pakistan was fighting the institutional and societal unacceptability of the other. The sane and enlightened voices may not be many and loud enough to pierce the rigidity of the so-called rule makers. But it shows a Pakistan backstepping, gingerly, from the norms that further hurt those who are marginalised, judged, persecuted, and penalized all their lives.

Struck by the backlash Joyland has received and to discover the reality of it amidst the blind furore that has erupted, I got in touch with Rasti Farooq, who plays Mumtaz, one of the principal characters of Joyland. Rasti is a Lahore-based actor, writer and producer who has starred in several short films and theatre productions and has also co-written and produced award winning animated short films Swipe and Shehr-e-Tabassum.

The Express Tribune (ET): Is Joyland based on a true story or a fictionalised representation of so many societal wrongs that are suppressed under silence, “shame” and “honour”?

Rasti Farooq (RT): Joyland is a fictionalised story like any other film. The way Saim [director] has described it at film festivals, it is a collection of his observations growing up in Pakistan his whole life—things that he observed in his family, his circle of friends. How we treat one another, our biases, how we love, how we sometimes choose to give into fear.

For me, the story gently asks you to reflect upon our thinking, what we perceive to be our cultural norms that are often very stifling, limitations and impositions that we make on people around us—whether that’s men or women or people from vulnerable groups in Pakistan. “Joyland” asks you to look at the cost of that on individual lives and our collective humanity.

ET: How long was the process of writing and making of Joyland?

RF: Joyland was completed in six years. Saim started writing it six years ago. He wrote many drafts. In his mind, he was trying to write the most honest story about us and our people. He was also trying to write the most empathetic story that he could.

We started shooting last year in October, and the shoot took about two and a half months. About six months later, we found out that Joyland had been selected in the Cannes Film Festival. It was incredibly exciting as it all happened very quickly. Once we found out about Cannes, we had about three weeks to finish colouring and editing. We did that as quickly as possible so that we could submit the final cut to Cannes.

RF: We have travelled with the film to six countries so far. We went to Cannes Film Festival, Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2022, Melbourne International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. I went to the Zurich Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival. Saim went to the American Film Institute Fest in Los Angeles.

Any country that we visited we have had a huge crowd of Pakistanis as well as Indians showing up to watch the film. They showered us with appreciation, stayed for Q&As and stayed back after Q&As to talk to us how this film made them feel.

Across the board, in any country, there are a few things that people say to us repeatedly. That the film stays with them for days. Every single character moves them because they can relate to at least one of the characters in the film. It’s an ensemble cast; the film follows several characters. They can relate to these characters. Their hearts break for these characters. They fall in love with these characters. The way the film says what it says they find it incredibly moving and poignant.

It inspires hope that something as marvellous as this film has come out of Pakistan. A complete Pakistani endeavour, and they got to watch it all over the world.

ET: First passed and then banned, what is the full story of Pakistan’s Censor Board’s acceptance and rejection of the movie?

RF: All three censor boards—Federal Censor Board, Sindh Censor Board and Punjab Censor Board—watched and approved “Joyland” in August and September. They certified the film for screenings in Pakistan, and that is why we released the trailer with November 18 as the date for release in Pakistan.

A few days ago, we were informed—actually, we weren’t informed—we found out through social media that the Ministry for Information had issued a notice in which they said that they had not only retracted those certificates that they had given to the film for screenings in Pakistan, but that the Ministry and Federal Censor Board were ordering the Punjab and Sindh censor boards to also redact their previous certificates. This is an unconstitutional act because the Federal Board under the Eighteenth Amendment does not have the legal authority to order the two provincial boards that are autonomous.

We know it to be a fact that this has only happened because of the pressure that the Ministry for Information has faced from various sections within Pakistan who want to malign the film.

Our hope now is that we can appeal to the Pakistani public and people who hold positions of power in Pakistan and point out the fact that not only is this ban unconstitutional, but it also harms the arts industry in Pakistan. We are highlighting the fact that this film that is being recognized all over the world cannot and should not be banned in Pakistan. Pakistani public should be allowed to watch Joyland and then decide for themselves whether they like it or not.

RF: We cannot deny the fact that Pakistan suffers immensely from gender-based, sectarian, and ethnic violence. That is our reality. Hundreds of cases occur every year, and that is really demoralizing for Pakistanis. I am a Pakistani, and I know how it feels. Joyland is a hopeful message. This film’s intent is to reignite empathy and to ask its audiences to look at the dire consequences of our prejudices. It asks us to empathize and to change that dark reality of Pakistan—to be less polarized in our views of who the other is and the imagined threat that the other holds. It’s wonderful that our country is made up of all kinds of people. There is so much diversity here, and that should be celebrated and owned. It’s incredible that a film manages to say all that in such a beautiful and sensitive way without being disparaging, without being cynical. That is the significance of Joyland for me.

Joyland is doing this extremely urgent and important task while managing to gain worldwide recognition for the way the story is told, for the way the story is portrayed by its actors, for the way the film has been shot. It’s being celebrated for all aspects of filmmaking.

It’s ironic that some people hold that to be the film’s fault. It’s ironic that a film that is gently asking us to consider the consequences of our biases and the way that we treat people around us and the way that we are fearful of love and the way that our patriarchal systems and cultural norms can somehow really harm people—whether that’s a man or a woman or a person from a vulnerable community—is considered a “threat” to Pakistan. Joyland is the opposite of a threat. To any individual, or Pakistan collectively.

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