quabble all you like but Pakistani cinema is finally coming of age. While 2023 did not see the release of a Maula Jatt, Pakistani cinema has finally found its own identity and aesthetic. Not completely threatening to become Bollywood for lack of funds or realizing that it is capable of telling stories, the last couple of years have been miraculous.

Apart from celebrating films like In Flames and Joyland, we’ve also seen films like Zindagi Tamasha release on the internet. The Sarmad Khoosat directed drama showed the soaring side of cinematic aesthetic with just four actors at the heart of it. Not released in cinema as it was originally intended, Mr. Khoosat dropped the film on video streaming sites like YouTube in this year and allowed us to study the art of acting, and the question of morality that is thrust upon those who are individualistic and outliers.

During the hoopla that rightly followed films like Joyland and In Flames, one film from Khoosat camp that did go unnoticed was Kamli. All of the films have either run in cinema or will get their turn. Some have made records like Joyland, which is the first Pakistani film to win a prize at Cannes Film Festival. Between being the producer of Joyland, and director of Zindagi Tamasha, Kamli went overlooked.

With its primary cast made up of women such as Sania Saeed, Saba Qamar and Nimra Bucha, it was, in our opinion, as significant to cinema as the rest of the films.

When a batch of good films release closer, each has its own set of controversies. As a result, at least one of those films tends to get overshadowed. And yes, Kamli did well on the indie film circuit, but, it deserved a lot more recognition than it got. Timing, they say is everything and one can only hope that these films, each as dynamic as the next, release between breaks.

In the end, it was great to see that at the 2023 DC South Asian Film Festival, Sarmad Khoosat won Best Director for his 2022 film, Kamli.

It is moderation that will take cinema forward. For every Maula Jatt, a Zindagi Tamasha should also get its rightful space and a Joyland as well. A Laal Kabootar has enough merit that it should get prime time spot for multiple weeks as word of mouth drives people to watch it. If others can recognize it such as The Guardian that has named Joyland one of the best films of 2023, it is time we could, should and would accept it as well and celebrate it. Is it asking for too much? No, not really. Not after a decade of revival, the cost of everything and how expensive it is to invest in a film and watch it the way it should be seen.