PESHAWAR: Compared to only three Pashto flicks on the last Eid, Pashto film industry will release four Pashto movies -- Ghulam, Badmashee Na Manam, Badmashee Ba Manaey and Za Pagal Yam -- on Eidul Azha.

Local film producers Arshad Khan, Saeed Tahkalai, Shahid Usman and Syed Muntazim Shah seem confident about their productions to register a mark on the cine-goers. They expect better business this time around.

“I see better prospects for my film. Its storyline, music composition, cast and camera work all will catch eyes of the audience. The turnout will be good enough. Hard work never goes waste,” said Arshad Khan, a film producer.

Producers of new flicks expect better business this time around

Only four cinema houses including Aina, Sabrina, Arshad and Naz will run new Pashto movies while the rest will screen old runs. Comedy actors Umar Gul, Shahenshah Afridi and Jahangir will release one comedy play each on Eid. Two top songs of Pashto film ‘Gul-i-Jana’ have been released prior to its formal launch soon after Eidul Azha.

Marjan Khan, an Afghan refugee, told this scribe that he and his friends would not enjoy watching Pashto movies as they would leave for Afghanistan on the second day of Eid. He said that most Afghan movie buffs would not be able to come to the city for watching films from surrounding villages owing to tough security check. However, independent sources and connoisseurs of the art of films feared a down spiral of viewers in the wake of repatriation of Afghan refugees.

Arbaz Khan, Asif Khan, Dilbar Munir, Tariq Jamal, Jahangir Jani, Babrak Shah, Shahid Khan, Imran Khan, Afareen Paree, Sahar Malik and Sheeba Butt are playing central roles in the Eid releases. Popular Pashto stand-up comedians Ismail Shahid and Said Rahman Sheenu are not short of anyone as they are releasing telefilms full of comic scenes to entertain Peshawarites on the Eid.

Around 20 Pashto old and new telefilms, stage plays and music albums are being released on Eid. Noted Pashto singers, Gulpanra, Shah Sawar, Nazia Iqbal, Shan Khan, Yamsa Noor, Zeek Afridi and Rahim Shah are also releasing their new music albums. The much awaited Pashto flick ‘Gul-i- Jana’ being produced by Liaquat Khan could not be released owing to its slow completion process.

Muzafar, a local producer, told this scribe that there was deep slump in the music and CDs market as the number of production houses from earlier 30 to 40 reduced to three to five only. He regretted that the sale of one copy of a play reduced from 15,000 earlier to only 1,500 over the last few years.

“Reasons behind the total collapse of the music and CDs market are many. Absence of copy rights law, poor standard of production and razing of cinema houses in the city can be counted among basic reasons,” said Mr Muzafar.

Zarif Khan, a resident of Peshawar, said that Pashto movies exhibited only violence and gun culture which should be discouraged. He said that producers should make films on serious social issues, peace and cultural values.

“Frankly speaking I have stopped watching movies on big screen because of substandard stuff. Look at the bizarre condition of cinema houses in this age of hi-tech gadgets. Insecurity is another important aspect,” he added.

However, Shah Zaman has a different opinion on the issue. He said that cinema was still a poor man’s source of entertainment. He said that it needed improvement and extra care to make it watchable for families, youth and educated people.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2016