The critically acclaimed Pakistani film Joyland, which revolves around a patriarchal family craving for a baby boy to continue the family line while their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance group and falls for a trans woman, has recently been shortlisted for the Oscars, becoming the first ever film to do so from the country. Written and directed by Saim Sadiq, it is among 15 films that made the cut for the Best International Feature Film honour and will advance to the final stage of nominations.
Actor Sarwat Gilani, who is a prominent name in Pakistan’s film and television industry, plays an important role in the trailblazing film. She recently talked to an Indian publication and opened up about how artistes across borders must look for ways to collaborate beyond the geopolitics of the two nations.
When asked to share her opinion on if people do not get that art can’t and shouldn’t be confined in boxes, the actress said, “People do get this. The majority of people get that there is no problem, let people live the way they want to. But people, who have bigger agendas or bigger purposes, have this opinion. They are set in such positions where their opinions matter. Out of ten thousand people, there will be 500 who don’t connect with you and that’s fine because not everyone has to agree with you.”
She continued, “But it just so happens that they are in a position to say something, and it does matter. What that does is, that marks the death of art… There will always be people who do not agree with this collaboration and maybe feel uncomfortable but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a great collaboration. We go to New York, we work with actors over there, we travel and work with international artistes, so why can’t we do it here? What’s the big deal? Keep art out of it.”
Ask her what the responsibility of artistes in India and Pakistan are, and she said, “To never give up on hope, and to always hope that we will penetrate through this hate that has been done for a very selfish reason at some point. And it will penetrate because you can’t stop heartbeats, you can’t stop people from living.”
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John Denham
