Earlier this year, Zee Network, which has been actively working towards bridging divides between India and Pakistan through an exchange of artistic content via Zee Zindagi, announced another peace initiative called Zeal for Unity.
Earlier this year, Zee Network, which has been actively working towards bridging divides between India and Pakistan through an exchange of artistic content via Zee Zindagi, announced another peace initiative called Zeal for Unity. Under the project, 12 filmmakers from across the two countries would come together to showcase their creative works on a single platform. The list included the likes of Mehreen Jabbar, Meenu & Farjad, Aparna Sen, Bejoy Nambiar and more. However, though the films have been completed for a while now, there was no update on when they would see the light of the day.
Just when we thought that the initiative will probably bite the dust amidst political pressures from the likes of Shiv Sena, the screenings have begun with the onset of 7th Jagran Film Festival – a travelling film festival that aims to promote appreciation of cinematic art in cities where bigger international film festivals cannot reach.
The festival, this year, will travel across 16 cities in India and will screen over 400 films. Among them is Sabiha Sumar’s Chotay Shah, starring Adnan Jaffer, Maira Khan and Khalid Malik, also part of the Zeal for Unity initiative.
Written by Uns Mufti, Chotay Shah is a family drama that revolves around the life of Mohammad Asghar (Adnan Jaffer) who is struggling with a broken marriage and an ailing mother and how in his battle with life’s recurring problems, he ends up taking some rash decisions. RJ Khalid Malik, who will also be seen playing an important character in the film, describes it as “a film about a family and their heritage – not just physical heritage but also an emotional one.”
Malik, who gave a notable performance in Sarmad
Sehbai’s acclaimed serial Laa, will be playing a role with shades of grey. “He is a real estate agent who has his eyes on something else aside from the physical heritage. He is a flamboyant, street-smart character. Street smart often gets confused with negative. But I won’t say he is the villain. His intentions maybe skewed but he isn’t a negative character,” Khalid shared.
Chotay Shah premiered at the festival’s Delhi leg, which ends on July 5, alongside 104 other films including Ketan Mehta’s Toba Tek Singh, Aligarh and Sarbjit. Earlier there were talks of partnering with a Pakistani company for a local screening but nothing has been confirmed yet.
– By Nida Ameen
