Ace film-maker Syed Noor does not hold back his punches. His views on the current state of the Pakistan film industry are no secret.

Recently, he added another zinger to a series of uninhibited comments on the subject. He says people can’t differentiate between a TV play and a film anymore. A television drama, he believes, is closer to depicting reality, whereas a movie goes beyond that and intends to surprise (hairaan) the viewer. This is where he justifies the jumping around and dancing of girls in paddy fields claiming films go a step ahead of the ordinary lifestyle.

Noor sahib, what about the poor farmers whose crops get damaged along the way? They want to keep it real sir too, if you know what I mean.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, September 25th, 2016