Sarmad Khoosat's Zindagi Tamasha to be released in Pakistani cinemas on March 18

After winning accolades around the world, the movie will finally see the light of day in Pakistan next year.

17 Dec, 2021

Filmmaker Sarmad Khoosat's film Zindagi Tamasha, which was barred from being shown in Pakistani cinemas due to political controversy, is finally going to see the light of day in local cinemas in 2022.

The trailer for the movie has been re-released by production studio Khoosat Films on YouTube, showing the new releases date for the film as March 18, 2022.

Directed and co-produced by Sarmad and Kanwal Khoosat and written by Nirmal Bano, Zindagi Tamasha’s cast includes Arif Hassan, Eman Suleman, Samiya Mumtaz and Ali Kureshi. According to the film's description on YouTube, Zindagi Tamasha is "an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on the little gods on this earth who police private passions".

Zindagi Tamasha had its premiere at the Busan International Film Festival in 2019 and was the first Pakistani film to win the prestigious Kim Ji-Seok Award at the festival. It also bagged the Snow Leopard Award for Best Film at the 6th Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) in 2021. The movie was also Pakistan's official film entry in the International Feature Film Award category for the 93rd Academy Awards in 2020.

Zindagi Tamasha faced controversy after Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) called for protests against its original release on January 24, 2020, alleging it was “blasphemous”. Sarmad had filed a petition against the TLP in a Lahore court for "trying to interfere into the smooth running, public screening/releasing" of Zindagi Tamasha in January, 2020.

The petition said that by releasing Zindagi Tamasha, Khoosat Films aimed to "bring the soft image of the society among the public at large", "to reduce the stress from the minds of people" and to "promote the positivity in the society". It also pointed out how the movie had been originally cleared for release by all censor boards in the country.

In July 2020, the Senate Committee for Human Rights had approved the movie for screening as well, dismissing all objections raised against the film, however, it never got a public screening.

Comments

ahmed Dec 17, 2021 05:29pm

waiting more for Saba Qamar starrer Kamli

Recommend

Laila Dec 17, 2021 06:29pm

FINALLY. It's a shame we local Pakistanis could not see it in public cinema because of censorship puppets running this country. I look forward to March 18th. I also encourage others to support Sarmad Khoosats film and local cinema.

Yusuf Dec 17, 2021 08:26pm

Why wait till March?

Ibrahim S Dec 17, 2021 09:14pm

Silent majority in the country is law abiding, tolerant and God fearing. Religious mafia MUST BE ERADICATED. Separation of "Church" and "State" is the ONLY solution . Please, please learn from our older brothers. They are now way ahead of us in bring prosperity to its citizen.

The Beast Dec 17, 2021 10:41pm

@Laila Yawn this kind of vulgar and obscene films can be liked by one of those belong to Aurat vulgar march alias dance party. AM supports all kind of indecency in this country and you seem to be a supporter of them. These people have nothing to create as sober and gripping as Ertugral and they want people to watch their vulgar garbage.

NYS Dec 18, 2021 12:20am

"Intimate portrait of a family" by rewarding other communities now this film is powerful to watch and approved

Ron Dec 18, 2021 12:39am

looking forward for a different movie

Laila Dec 19, 2021 01:57am

@The Beast you are projecting a lot. Also your reading and comprehension abilities are pitiful. Nowhere in this article is there any mention of Aurat March nor vulgarity so you deflect. You make a lot of assumptions about me, who you don't know, a film, which you haven't seen or are informed about, and then you launch personal attacks, which, as you know, is the last refuge of those with nothing to say, like yourself. You have lost the debate already. When you grow up and can reason like an adult and inform yourself of the topic at hand, then and only then should you venture into debates.