Karachi: Pakistani cinema may be reveling in the limelight of a new wave of filmmaking but it still has a long way to go before it can meet the benchmark set by the golden era
Guddu’s latest exhibition takes one back to a time when dance, in films, was more an art form than an item.
Karachi: Pakistani cinema may be reveling in the limelight of a new wave of filmmaking but it still has a long way to go before it can meet the benchmark set by the golden era of the ’60s and the ’70s – a period of simple yet entertaining cinema that gave birth to a crop of iconic stars, whose names will remain etched in our minds for time immemorial. However, what the younger generation knows of Lollywood’s past is just shambles and chaos and not an entirely fair depiction of the films that were once made and celebrated. In that respect, Lollywood afficionado Guddu’s exhibition, Filmistan II – The Lost Art of Dance in Pakistani Cinema, serves as a perfect reminder of the industry’s past glory.
Despite the distraction of the Pakistan versus India cricket match, the exhibition attracted a considerable number of attendees to the Alliance Francaise, where Guddu had displayed a selection of his poster collection depicting dance as an art form in Pakistani cinema. From a swaying Rani in Naag Muni to a ghungroo-clad Shaan in Majajan, there was enough enchanting memorabilia for film lovers to reminisce and enjoy.
“I have been collecting these (posters) since my early days as a child,” Guddu shared with Instep. “It started off as a hobby driven by curiosity but later turned into a passion. My collection, which includes posters, photosets, booklets, magazines and even advertisements, goes back to 1948 and about 12,000 to 13,000 of them are all original.”
This, being Guddu’s fourth exhibition, covered dancers from the very beginning of Pakistani cinema to date. The transformation and evolution of dance form was evident in all of them – from classical to contemporary, from kathak to disco – and while each genre has its own significance, Guddu feels the splendor of classical dance form cannot be matched.
“Back then, every move and every step was carefully crafted based on the demand of the situation. But nowadays, it’s mostly just noise. Dance doesn’t have the same value that it once did in films. It’s doesn’t leave an impression for you to remember it forever,” he asserted.
To prove his point, which he successfully did, Guddu invited legendary dancer Zareen Panna as his chief guest for the evening. Her presence soon turned into an enthralling performance on ‘Saajan Lagi Tori Lagan’ and bore testament to how glorious Lollywood used to be. Panna, who performed after 40 years, was as light footed and sublime as she used to be; she had perfect command on every move of her hand and every tap of her foot.
– The exhibition continues till March 5.
