Verna, the ban and the story so far

CultureVulture

For the last couple of days, the fate of Verna is all anyone can talk about, in entertainment circles, on social media platforms and beyond. The film, the third one from Shoaib Mansoor and starring Mahira Khan, Haroon Shahid and Zarrar Khan in pivotal roles, is about the harrowing subject of rape with Mahira Khan playing a survivor who refuses to stay silent.

In the lead up to the film’s release, both Mahira and Haroon have been on a rigorous roll, promoting the film across the country with Mahira, the country’s single most revered female star, taking a strong stand on the subject of sexual assault and women’s rights. In multiple interviews, given to BBC Urdu as well as BBC World News among others, the actor reiterated that no one can take your ‘izzat’ and no conduct of any sort gives anyone a right to harass women.

Some have dubbed the film a revenge drama and while on the surface it may seem like one but Verna is about violence against women, the abuse of power and how rape is used as a tool of power.

But as the film grew closer to its release date, multiple reports emerged that Verna is unable to get a clearance certificate from Pakistan’s Federal Censor Board without which it cannot release. Consequently, the film’s Lahore premiere was recently cancelled. Earlier reports suggested that the film has been banned after Central Board of Film Censors previewed the film under “relevant laws”.

However, in the most recent update on the film, it has been reported that Verna has been given an adult rating but is cleared for release in Sindh while a second review session is scheduled to take place in Islamabad, which will probably determine its fate.

The sad thing is that a possible ban on Verna (or even the consideration of it) in some ways, is not surprising. For one thing, it has been reported that the rapist in the film is said to be playing the son of a Governor and apparently political figures are so virtuous and innocent in this country that the mere suggestion of abuse of power is unbearable to the powers that be.

Another speculation is that the film addresses the subject of rape in bold fashion without tip-toeing around it and that too has been deemed as a problem. As Mahwash Aijaz rightly pointed out in a piece, “The film is about violence against women. Did they expect Mahira Khan to dance with Haroon Shahid in a wedding to raise awareness about this subject? Or do they honestly expect a film about violence against women to be shown without showing violence against women?”

Verna is easily the year’s most important film and not because it is perfect but because it is making a very deliberate effort to showcase the simple fact that women are not just mothers, daughters, wives but also individual human beings (as seen in its trailer). It is an exploration of the patriarchal mindset that is so pervasive in Pakistan that it is deemed normal and acceptable. Most of all, it is the story of a woman, who stands up to a corrosive system and says enough. Had Verna been a story of a victim who stayed silent as is the case with so many women in the real world, the response to it would in all likelihood, be different.

Even the consideration of a ban like this is not just an attack on artistic freedom but also a statement that says creating awareness about the rampant issue of sexual assault and women’s rights is acceptable but only up to a point and only if it doesn’t ruffle any feathers. You can slap women in mainstream movies and parade a 16-year-old girl naked in a village in the name of honour but standing up against a heinous crime and the system that allows perpetrators to escape justice is a problem. We’re hoping that sanity will prevail and the film gets clearance to be released without any cuts.

– Maheen Sabeeh