Film Balochi

[Pierpont Oldham]

Thefirst Balochi feature film, Hammal O Mahganj, was produced by Anwar Iqbal and released in Pakistan in 1976.[2] However, the film never made it to the screen amidst protests by cultural activists who alleged it misrepresented Baloch culture.[3] A slogan used by the protest movement was "Balochi film chalay ga tou cinema jalay ga" (If Balochi films are screened, cinemas will be burnt).[3] Analysts believe the film's release became politicised, as PPP activists favoured the film while Baloch nationalist groups opposed it. Iqbal later arranged a private screening of the film to address the reservations, where Sindh's labour minister-cum-PPP leader Abdullah Baloch was a key attendee. According to The News, those who viewed it "agreed that the film did not have anything that went against the Baloch culture".[3] The declining quality of erstwhile Punjabi and Pashto cinema reportedly contributed to the Baloch activists' sentiments.[3] This is believed to have dented the Balochi film industry's initial growth.[3][4]

In 1989, the Iranian film Dadshah was released in Balochi dubbing. The film was based on Mir Dad Shah of Iranian Balochistan.[5] In the subsequent years, cinema growth in Balochistan remained slow in line with the stagnant growth of Pakistan's film industry.[6] An uncertain security situation further led to nearly half of Quetta's cinema houses facing closure by 2010.[7] The availability of films via Blu-rays, DVDs, VCRs and cable networks has also hampered the cinema-going trend.[7]

In recent years, a younger generation of Baloch filmmakers has emerged in Balochistan and Karachi, as part of the new wave of Pakistani cinema. This phase has witnessed the production of quality short films as well as documentaries focusing on social and political issues, such as Ich Gushgi Nahe (Keep Silent) in 2007.[3] In 2013, The Line of Freedom, a short film based on Balochistan's human rights situation, was produced by Noordin Mengal, Bhawal Mengal and David Whitney, starring British and Baloch actors.[9] In 2014, the Lyari Film Festival was held in Karachi's Lyari neighbourhood, which is famous for its Baloch community. Several Balochi short films were screened at the event.[3] The Nosach Films Academy, which organised the event, provides support to Balochi filmmakers in Lyari.[10]

Balochistan has served as a filming location or subject of portrayal in multiple Urdu films, television serials and documentaries.[12] There have also been foreign documentaries made on the region.[13] As of 2002, there were 8 main theatres in Quetta and a few in Makran, Sibi, Kalat and Zhob.[6] Quetta's 3D Weplex Pak Force Cinema, opened in 2016, currently features the largest curved screen in Pakistan.[8] Other popular single-screen cinemas in the city are Paradise, Imdad and Delight.[8][14]

In Iran, Balochi theatre is in its infancy stage and is concentrated mainly in Zahedan, Iranshahr, and Khash. As of 2008, Zahedan-based Honorkadeh Saba was the sole cultural institution promoting Balochi cinema and theatre.[1]

Sangat by Sami Sarang was Pakistan's first Balochi film released after decades in August 2017. In 2018 Zaraab (Heat Haze) by Dj Jaan Al Balushi won several awards. In 2020 the movie Doda was released in Karachi Art Festival.[15][16]

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Veteran Television and film actor, Anwar Iqbal Baloch passed away in July. Perhaps we, as viewers and residents of Pakistan, failed to gauge the severity of this loss that the industry and country as a whole suffered due to his untimely demise.

I was fortunate enough to have made his acquaintance at the dinner table of his eldest daughter's wedding, where he kept insisting that I eat more and thought I was abstaining from my usual gluttony. He was not wrong about my abstinence, as I tend to eat less whenever I am in a gathering of some sort.

Those were surreal times, to sum it up. He was joyous and filled to the brim with pride and glee as he juggled the added responsibility of the master of ceremonies on the reception besides being the bride's father of course.

I was privy to the fact that he was habitual of keeping a diary which got scribbled on each night before he went to bed, a ritual I am sure he maintained till his final days. I had been to his house multiple times and exchanged the usual pleasantries with him a few times during my visits.

The man was an absolute hero for his daughters, and the minor interactions I had with him provided more impetus to that stature. A beloved family man who had sacrificed a lot to make it big in the industry but was often held back during his prime years due to petty politics and regional biases of the time.

Hailing from a conservative Baloch background of an affluent political family, his choice of pursuing dramatic arts was not met with much fervor. He self-produced the historic 'Hammal o Mahaganj' which became the first Balochi feature film of Pakistan and was released in 1976. The movie could not be released to a broader audience, especially in Balochistan as many locals were opposed to cinema, and the film's central plot revolved around a great Baloch folklore that they were sensitive to.

Anwar Iqbal's father, Haji Muhammad Iqbal Baloch was one of the leading activists in the Pakistan movement. Subsequently, he became the Advisor to the President of Pakistan, Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan. He served as the Mayor of Karachi on two separate occasions during the early 50s when the city was the capital of Pakistan.

I was informed of his wife's passing earlier in the year as news about his illness started appearing on social media, her departure came as a further shock. Like her husband, the woman was very loving and humble. She had a tremendous passion for gardening, and raised independent, strong, beautiful women who are now leaving their mark in the world through creative pursuits of their own.

My connection to this household and family is a very odd tale and a memorable one. It was a great honor to share some cherished moments under the same roof as the great Anwar Iqbal and then break bread with him at the dinner table at his daughter's wedding.

I will end this with a personal condolence note I sent the very daughter whose wedding I attended all those years back, "What is life but a journey towards death, what is death but a sprouting of a new life."

IT was 46 years ago, in 1976 to be precise, that the first Balochi film Hammal O Mahganj was made. Produced by Anwar Iqbal, who afterwards became a known actor, the movie was not allowed to screen in cinema halls. It was mired in controversy, apparently, for not being truthful to Baloch culture.

But there are myriads of obstacles in his way to success set by society. The story basically focuses on how he overcomes those obstacles and moves forward. It is a realism-based narration, very rooted. There is no glamour in it.

On the challenges that he faced while making the film, the director said for independent filmmakers, the budget is always a major issue. Plus, taking the film to cinema halls, i.e. getting the cinemas to screen it, was also difficult.

Films have been produced to represent the social, political, economic, health and educational problems, family and religious conflicts in the world. The world has experienced numerous social changes and a number of films have been made on them. Films are the easiest way of disseminating a message to the large masses due to which film culture is always promoted by the state and society for bringing social equilibrium.

Very few films are made in the Balochi film industry and most of them have been made for the sake of comedy rather than highlighting social issues in our society. Many short or feature films have been made by Baloch filmmakers but the purpose was to fascinate the masses or serve as a source of entertainment. They were never serious films which could provide a purposeful message for social reform or social restructuring.

In the Balochi Film industry only the films of Dr. Hanif Sharif or some other filmmakers are considered to have some purpose beyond entertainment as they represent the social issues and viewers considered them worth watching. The reasons for not producing good film vary such as lack of institution and economic constraints. However, despite these challenges the Balochi film industry has improved because new emerging Balochi filmmakers are coming forward and producing films which are better in quality and represent societal problems.

Balochabad, a film directed by Shakir Shaad and his colleague Arif Badal, is going to be screened in Pakistan as well as aboard. It is the only film that depicts the situation of female education in Balochistan. I may not be wrong to say that it is the first Balochi film which is made on female education and women empowerment. After coming of its official trailer, it was supported and appreciated by people and political figures of Balochistan as well as people in foreign countries.

It is the only Balochi film produced within the country in which a Baloch female actress is plays her actual role. Baloch females were never allowed to perform in films because it is considered socially taboo in society. Women who performed in films were considered negative but Shantul Film Production changed this mindset by releasing Balochabad. If we take a look at female participation in Balochi films, we can find little or no place for females in the industry. In the past, a woman performed in the film Hammal-o-Mahganj, released in 1976, which was directed by Anwar Iqbal. Before screening, the common masses had resisted and protested against this film and they believed that it was defaming the Baloch society.

After that incident, woman rarely participated in Balochi films. Baloch women who were in foreign countries, such as Gulf countries or Iran, could participate but not women in Pakistan. The films made in Pakistan were mostly male oriented and females role were played by males by dressing up as females. This culture has greatly affected the Balochi Film industry. Both women and directors of the film were always in fear while selecting the women for films due to social pressures. Indeed, female participation in films is very important. Film has a great effect on the lives of people because it has the power to manipulate their minds. Films direct the minds of the people towards what to and not to think.

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