Sarmad Khoosat is a man who commands respect, whether he is standing on television, film or the proscenium arch, as director or actor. He’s an artiste who understands literature, giving it its due respect before presenting it to the public. This is just one reason why one has been anticipating the release of Zindagi Tamasha, Sarmad’s return to cinema since Manto (2015), which he directed and whom he personified. Manto was controversial enough, but Zindagi Tamasha, with its social commentary on certain taboo subjects, seems to be taking the bravado a level further. Will it get clearance from the censor board’s unforgiving clippers? That is the question on everyone’s mind, especially since Zindagi Tamasha’s official trailer, released on September 30, went missing from YouTube yesterday.
Introducing Arif Hassan as Naat Khwan Rahat Khawaja, who’s well-respected as a cleric until a private video clip goes viral and he falls from grace; he’s ostracized by his family as well as community. Written by Nirmal Bano, directed by Sarmad Khoosat and co-produced by Sarmad and his sister Kanwal Khoosat, Zindagi Tamasha hits a chord with current times, when madrassahs and religious institutes are already under uncomfortable scrutiny. One has seen and appreciated the (now removed) trailer, and though it is unclear whether Rahat Khwaja is saint or sinner, we do know that the film will raise pertinent questions and start an extremely important dialogue on perceptions and realities of everything happening around us. We hope, albeit against all odds, that Zindagi Tamasha gets a Pakistan release date soon.
Note: Zindagi Tamasha has already made news on the festival circuit, winning accolades at the Busan International Film Festival.
