Ashir Azeem’s directorial debut Maalik, which plays on the themes of patriotism and taking ownership of our country, was recently in the news for all the wrong reasons. Though made with the right intentions, one of the scenes in the film ended up showing a former chief minister as corrupt and scandalous. This led the film to be banned, first in Sindh and then all over the country, according to Section 9 of the Motion Pictures Ordinance, 1979,
Ashir Azeem’s directorial debut Maalik, which plays on the themes of patriotism and taking ownership of our country, was recently in the news for all the wrong reasons. Though made with the right intentions, one of the scenes in the film ended up showing a former chief minister as corrupt and scandalous. This led the film to be banned, first in Sindh and then all over the country, according to Section 9 of the Motion Pictures Ordinance, 1979, after three weeks of its release.
In an attempt to make people understand what Maalik is all about and turn down prevailing speculations against the film, Ashir Azeem posted an open letter of sorts on his facebook account, yesterday. “Maalik is in the midst of a huge controversy. All kinds of motives are being attributed to my film and although everybody is entitled to their views, I thought a straight narrative from the one who knows Maalik the best, may help,” Azeem started off by writing in the note.
After introducing himself and the film, he gave a detailed narrative of almost every issue concerning his film, Maalik; from the idea to the execution to the battle for shows in cinemas. He also made it clear that even though logistic support for the film came from ISPR, he didn’t “accommodate any input in the creative process” from them.
Commenting on the film’s ban he maintained, “I believe that banning of Maalik and the events that followed the ban vindicated my concept of our society and communicated the story more effectively in reality than was ever possible for a film in cinemas.”
“Maalik has achieved its purpose,” he wrote. “The longer the film is blocked, the greater would be the clarity among the masses. What happens to me next is of no consequence. Our job is over, the message stands delivered, it’s now for the people to decide. We have done what we set out to do,” the director concluded.
Pakistani Censor board has been notorious for banning films on the basis that they tarnish the image of the country. In the past week, the Censor board has also banned a documentary based on the Lal Masjid cleric titled Among the Believers.
