Thursday, July 9, 2009

SAFMA screens ‘Zargul’ to expose political corruption

ISLAMABAD: Portraying political corruption and oppression in society, Salmaan Pirzada’s film titled ‘Zargul’ was screened by South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) on Wednesday.

Scripted and directed by Pirzada, the art movie was a serious effort to revive Pakistani cinema. The film is in four languages - Urdu, Punjabi, Pushto and English – and was shot all over Pakistan.

It is about a young Pathan who becomes a robber yet hero for the poor after a crooked politician killed his father. Since the film highlights corruption in politics and police, its screening remained banned for some time in Pakistan. It also exposes child labour in Pakistan.

It is on a par with Hollywood and European films as far as the technical side is concerned. ‘Zargul’ is in sharp contrast to run-of-the-mill Lollywood movies.

The film took five years to complete, partly due to problems sustaining its $1.7 million budget, and partly because of Pirzada’s commitment to quality.

The movie proved a hit and was screened at the biggest independent festival in the US, in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The story, the acting, the direction are all as per international standards. Pakistani drama actors Talat Hussain, Faryal Gohar, and Imran Pirzada played leading roles.

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