Pricking the Tere Bin myth

Tere Bin has not received clearance to be screened in Pakistani cinemas yet, but a pirated print of the film is available for download online. The film, which was scheduled for a July 16 release, may premiere in Pakistan this Friday if the appeals’ committee rules in the film’s favour.

But is the anger and excitement generated by the theme of Tere Bin and its banning based on anything other than hype and false expectations? We debunk the promotional hype surrounding the film.

“Tere Bin is controversial”

The Central Board of Film Censors cited controversy as a reason for the film’s ban, reportedly due to its depiction of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The film, however, has no controversial elements. It merely shows a man who looks similar to OBL and could be any person off the street.

“Tere Bin is funny”

If the film is to be banned, it should be on the grounds that it was falsely promoted as a comedy and has hence duped cinemagoers. The jokes are far from hilarious, not even venturing into the genre of slapstick comedy that the likes of Umar Sharif or Govinda do so well. The only redeeming factor is Pradhuman Singh - who plays the Osama bin Laden lookalike, rooster breeder Noora - and his award-winning rooster. But that is mostly because animal humour always sells (for example, Dr Doolittle, Ace Ventura, There’s Something About Mary, Cats and Dogs), and if a rooster is the funniest character in the film, there’s something wrong with it.

“Tere Bin is set in Karachi”

Tere Bin shows a very different Karachi, a city with narrow lanes, bearded men, and shady offices. There are barely any women on the streets, everyone is either yelling or dancing and the intelligence agencies operate in sewers. While a comedy obviously has artistic licence, it shows Rahim Yar Khan (where Noora lives) as being a short motorbike ride away from Karachi. In reality, it’s an eight-hour drive. Pasting posters saying ‘Karachi’ all over the film set do not actually make it look like Karachi.

“Tere Bin is a pro-Pakistan film”

The fact of the matter is that Tere Bin is not a pro-Pakistan film. In fact, Tere Bin is not pro anything other than cheap humour and insipid characterisation. It doesn’t take any stand at all on the issues its characters face and is an average comedy at best.

“Tere Bin raises the opinions that persist in our society that we want peace, we do not want war”

Is this why, as the American character in the film points out to Zafar, the motley crew seems to have no problem with Afghanistan being bombed as a consequence of their fake Osama bin Laden tape?

“Tere Bin does not ridicule Pakistani society”

In Tere Bin, the biggest ‘news’ story is a rooster-crowing competition, there are scams being operated on every street corner and everyone curses out each other.

“Ali Hassan plays a Karachi-based reporter for Danka TV”

Had the makers of Tere Bin visited the offices of even the smallest TV channels in Karachi, they would have realised that TV channels do not (a) operate out of a bunker (b) have just one satellite dish (c) ask reporters to pay ‘fines’ for coming late (d) have to shoot press conferences from ceiling vents because they couldn’t gain admission.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2010.