Re: pakistani cinema
PCG, what you failed to address is the problem partially lies with the audience too which didn't respond in the most enthusiastic manner to some of the attempts at "different" cinema in the past. I'll give you cases of two potentially pathbreaking films which could have gotten Lollywood out of the self destructive cycle of mediocre films.
The first one is** Laaj**, directed by Rauf Khalid. It was made with great intentions, and they really tried to do the absolute best they could with the prehistoric stuff they use to make their films. However, while the film boasted of some solid performances and a decent non-Gujjar storyline, and was one of the few historical period pieces from Lollywood, no one turned to watch it at the theatres, even for the sheer novelty of watching a "different", all-Pakistani film.
The second has to be Guns and Roses-Ik Junoon. The film has possibly the most arty sets and the most classy soundtrack for a film from Lahore. Watch the sequence shot on Meera at the Rohtas Fort, its got simply the most spectacular photography. They tried really hard, but again, the audience was fairly unresponsive when it released in 1999.
And I think the Hasina Moin scripted Kahin Pyar Na Hojaye deserves a mention too. The film had a nice story, some very decent performances, and was competently directed by Javed Sheikh. It was one of the big flops of 1998.
What I'm noticing now is a trend towards patronizing dark, arty cinema like Khuda Ke Liye. I dont think it'll sustain, and the acid test for that will be the upcoming Ramchand Pakistani.* Let's see how the audience responds to that one!
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