Sarmad Sehbai: The rebel-artiste returns
The poet and playwright is bringing forth a film unlike any Pakistani cinema has seen before.
Sarmad Sehbai doesn’t believe in jumping on the bandwagon to gain success. PHOTO: SYED MOHSIN ALI
LAHORE:
There is an aura of genius surrounding Sarmad Sehbai. He is probably one of the few artistes in the country who can lay claim to the title of ‘Polymath.’ Known for his multi-dimensional abilities as poet, playwright, film and theatre director, he has worked in Urdu, Punjabi and English. He has also been uncompromising with his creative pursuits. A radical by nature, he has shunned the conventional hype surrounding art, and looks at it through a different lens instead. He views art as something that holds a deeper meaning and is political in nature and not simply something made for the masses to praise and enjoy.
Sehbai is adding to this era of revival in Pakistani film and media by making a feature film on his own terms. The film, for which shooting began recently, will cast Fahad Mustafa in the male lead and will also star Iman Ali, Sanam Saeed and Manzar Sehbai, with some surprise cameo appearances. The yet untitled project is being produced by Badar Ikram, a senior executive with a major television channel, and Khurram Rana. Anjum Shahzad will be donning the critical mantle of director for this project.
The upcoming film, which Sehbai wrote five years ago, draws inspiration from an 18th century poet, but is set in the contemporary world. Contractual obligations have meant that the theme and plot of the film have not yet been disclosed by the producers.
“The film will be about contemporary issues and how you deal with your contemporary world, which is neo-colonial, multi-national, and globalised, but there is no firm grounding …. Something is slipping, and something is missing,” Sehbai tells The Express Tribune. “The story is about a crazy, eccentric and creative man, who goes through this, and discovers an 18th century experience, which is related to nature… a symbolic interpretation of an event that is still there. It is then that he experiences the linkages of what creativity actually is.”
“I was trying actually to film something else and shot a couple of scenes, but unfortunately we could not get the right type of cast,” says Sehbai. The film Sehbai originally wanted to make was written almost 30 years ago and was based on a personal experience; while in Islamabad, Sehbai noticed an irregular type of dwelling in the middle of a clean city – a cluster of mud houses which had a rich culture all their own – which inspired him to write the script. It had been commissioned by French film-makers, but the project fell through.
“This happens to me quite often,” he explains. “The film that is currently being made, I wrote five years ago, and it’s being made now. A lot of my plays are like that. A play I had written in 1982 was performed in 2003. It happens because I am not the sort of person that goes with what is happening and joins the bandwagon,” says Sehbai.
“I [write for] my own pleasure; I like to do things that inspire me and I don’t care whether they are done or performed. I just write them, if something comes [to me] then I do it.”
Producer Ikram says working with Sehbai is a privilege, since he is uncompromising when it comes to his craft. Ikram says that the two have developed a close relationship and considers him a teacher and a mentor.
“Sarmad sahab normally works solo, and he has a very specific style of working, which is unique to his personality. In this film he has collaborated with many other creative individuals,” says Ikram.
“This is not a film that plays to the galleries. The whole team has made a conscious choice to make the film in a manner which will be enjoyed for its content and appreciated for its narrative. It’s a project of passion and those who understand will know that it’s an effort for a greater goal.”
Ikram also discloses that the team does have another project planned, but it will be at least one year before it is ready to shoot. An official press release regarding the details of the film will be released next week, along with some first look images.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2013.
There is an aura of genius surrounding Sarmad Sehbai. He is probably one of the few artistes in the country who can lay claim to the title of ‘Polymath.’ Known for his multi-dimensional abilities as poet, playwright, film and theatre director, he has worked in Urdu, Punjabi and English. He has also been uncompromising with his creative pursuits. A radical by nature, he has shunned the conventional hype surrounding art, and looks at it through a different lens instead. He views art as something that holds a deeper meaning and is political in nature and not simply something made for the masses to praise and enjoy.
Sehbai is adding to this era of revival in Pakistani film and media by making a feature film on his own terms. The film, for which shooting began recently, will cast Fahad Mustafa in the male lead and will also star Iman Ali, Sanam Saeed and Manzar Sehbai, with some surprise cameo appearances. The yet untitled project is being produced by Badar Ikram, a senior executive with a major television channel, and Khurram Rana. Anjum Shahzad will be donning the critical mantle of director for this project.
The upcoming film, which Sehbai wrote five years ago, draws inspiration from an 18th century poet, but is set in the contemporary world. Contractual obligations have meant that the theme and plot of the film have not yet been disclosed by the producers.
“The film will be about contemporary issues and how you deal with your contemporary world, which is neo-colonial, multi-national, and globalised, but there is no firm grounding …. Something is slipping, and something is missing,” Sehbai tells The Express Tribune. “The story is about a crazy, eccentric and creative man, who goes through this, and discovers an 18th century experience, which is related to nature… a symbolic interpretation of an event that is still there. It is then that he experiences the linkages of what creativity actually is.”
“I was trying actually to film something else and shot a couple of scenes, but unfortunately we could not get the right type of cast,” says Sehbai. The film Sehbai originally wanted to make was written almost 30 years ago and was based on a personal experience; while in Islamabad, Sehbai noticed an irregular type of dwelling in the middle of a clean city – a cluster of mud houses which had a rich culture all their own – which inspired him to write the script. It had been commissioned by French film-makers, but the project fell through.
“This happens to me quite often,” he explains. “The film that is currently being made, I wrote five years ago, and it’s being made now. A lot of my plays are like that. A play I had written in 1982 was performed in 2003. It happens because I am not the sort of person that goes with what is happening and joins the bandwagon,” says Sehbai.
“I [write for] my own pleasure; I like to do things that inspire me and I don’t care whether they are done or performed. I just write them, if something comes [to me] then I do it.”
Producer Ikram says working with Sehbai is a privilege, since he is uncompromising when it comes to his craft. Ikram says that the two have developed a close relationship and considers him a teacher and a mentor.
“Sarmad sahab normally works solo, and he has a very specific style of working, which is unique to his personality. In this film he has collaborated with many other creative individuals,” says Ikram.
“This is not a film that plays to the galleries. The whole team has made a conscious choice to make the film in a manner which will be enjoyed for its content and appreciated for its narrative. It’s a project of passion and those who understand will know that it’s an effort for a greater goal.”
Ikram also discloses that the team does have another project planned, but it will be at least one year before it is ready to shoot. An official press release regarding the details of the film will be released next week, along with some first look images.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2013.